"Eminently readable and extremely meaningful. The contributors tackle essential questions about the relationship of art and life. The book is also very timely, offering a way to approach Buddhism through unexpected channels."--Lynn Gumpert, Director, Grey Art Gallery, New York University
John Dewey is known as a pragmatic philosopher and progressive architect of American educational reform, but some of his most important contributions came in his thinking about art. Dewey argued that there is strong social value to be found in art, and it is artists who often most challenge our preconceived notions. Dewey for Artists shows us how Dewey advocated for an “art of democracy.” Identifying the audience as co-creator of a work of art by virtue of their experience, he made space for public participation. Moreover, he believed that societies only become—and remain—truly democratic if its citizens embrace democracy itself as a creative act, and in this he advocated for the social participation of artists. Throughout the book, Mary Jane Jacob draws on the experiences of contemporary artists who have modeled Dewey’s principles within their practices. We see how their work springs from deeply held values. We see, too, how carefully considered curatorial practice can address the manifold ways in which aesthetic experience happens and, thus, enable viewers to find greater meaning and purpose. And it is this potential of art for self and social realization, Jacob helps us understand, that further ensures Dewey’s legacy—and the culture we live in.
"A look at how ideas of translation, migration, and displacement are embedded in the works of prominent artists, from Ovid to Tacita Dean"-- Provided by publisher
In this major new work one of today's foremost feminist critics considers the relations between women, literary theory and psychoanalysis. Reflecting current concerns in Anglo-American and French feminist writing, Reading Woman addresses both the question of feminist reading and the ways in which 'woman' can be read as a figure for sexual difference. The book engages the writings of Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Shelley, Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot, Alice James, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Virginia Woolf. It also examines such central Freudian texts as 'Gradiva', 'The Taboo of Virginity', 'Dora', and the 'Anna O.' Case; and even considers Hollywood's Bride of Frankenstein along with other representations of sexual difference in Western art. Besides Freud, Jacobus draws on the writing of French feminists - Luce Irigaray, Julia Kristeva and Sarah Kofman - as well as the work of Jacques Lacan and his commentators.
Describes and illustrates the innovative process of public dialogue and involvement that underlay eight works of public art in Chicago, in a project organized by Mary Jane Jacob. Among the works are a multi-neighborhood parade, a community storefront hydroponic garden for HIV/AIDS patients, a new line of candy produced with members of a candy-making union, and a video installation by teenagers from the tough West Town neighborhood. No index or bibliography. Published by Bay West, 115 West Denny Way, Seattle, WA 98119-4205. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
Our thoughts are shaped as much by what things make of us as by what we make of them. Lyric poetry is especially concerned with things and their relationship to thought, sense, and understanding. In Romantic Things, Mary Jacobus explores the world of objects and phenomena in nature as expressed in Romantic poetry alongside the theme of sentience and sensory deprivation in literature and art. Jacobus discusses objects and attributes that test our perceptions and preoccupy both Romantic poetry and modern philosophy. John Clare, John Constable, Rainer Maria Rilke, W. G. Sebald, and Gerhard Richter make appearances around the central figure of William Wordsworth as Jacobus explores trees, rocks, clouds, breath, sleep, deafness, and blindness in their work. While she thinks through these things, she is assisted by the writings of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Jacques Derrida, and Jean-Luc Nancy. Helping us think more deeply about things that are at once visible and invisible, seen and unseen, felt and unfeeling, Romantic Things opens our eyes to what has been previously overlooked in lyric and Romantic poetry.
The unique interplay between poetry and visual art is central to understanding Cy Twombly's work, as he often incorporates handwritten words and phrases from renowned poets. This book delves into how these poetic references influence the interpretation of his largely abstract pieces. It presents original research from Twombly's personal library, showcasing his annotated books and paint-stained pages. Richly illustrated with over 125 images, this examination reveals a significant dimension of Twombly's artistic practice and invites deeper literary and art historical discussions.
A Lived Practice examines the reciprocal relationship of art and life: Artist-practitioners are shaped by their experiences, and they in turn create and enhance the experience of others. Based on a symposium held at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2014, this volume is intended to spur new thinking in the field of socially engaged art practice. Contributors, including Lewis Hyde, Ernesto Pujol, Crispin Sartwell, and Wolfgang Zumdick, address essential questions about what is art and who is the artist, and also explore how artists can lead meaningful lives.
What is the role of travel in art? The need for distance, new places, and experiences? What is the relationship between visitor and host? What is remote in the age of globalization? These were only some of the questions explored by eight curators from Europe and the Americas during the train travelling symposium Fernweh across rural Scotland. During their journeys they visited villages, towns, and art venues around the country to investigate the relationship between place, hospitality, collaboration, distance, and the urban-rural, as well as other matters. “At the core of Fernweh is a longing for an undefined, perhaps transcendent freedom, but one that may lead to critical reflection, both on oneself and also on one’s surroundings that will also return to the question of community.” (Simon Ward)