Most importantly, these artists exude a spirit of generosity, which was a prerequisite to being included in this book. They are on the front lines but hidden in plain sight, informing, educating, inspiring, challenging conventional wisdom, and helping us with their creativity to solve problems and contribute to the well-being of others. They inject creative culture into the cracks of society, where they alter the direction of small towns and large cities, corporate 9Įnvironments and political campaigns, educational institutions and not-for-profit organizations, and within the art world itself. It is more than traditional community building, though, since these artists make work and are not, by definition, social workers. For me, the Artist as Culture Producer is someone who reaches outside of the studio to extend creative energies and pursuits into his or her community. Instead, I am broadening what it means to produce culture today. Although there are plenty of terrific artists who confine art making to their studios, they are not the focus of this book. One can easily argue that every artist creates culture simply by making work and sharing it publicly. It is time to finally retire the myth of the “Artist Hero” and start embracing the message of the Artist as Culture Producer. Over time, I became convinced that this out-of-date characterization-coupled with the stubborn, tired cliché of the starving artist lacking in both personal hygiene and socially acceptable behavior-continues to undermine the true value of the visual arts in our communities. This traditional viewpoint is still held by the general public, arts enthusiasts, arts professionals, and even fellow artists (both young and old). The old perception remains that artists toil in obscurity, struggling in their studios to heroically reveal the fruit of their labor after much suffering. PREFACE Sharon Louden FOREWORD Hrag Vartanianįrom an extensive book tour for my first publication, Living and Sustaining a Creative Life: Essays by 40 Working Artists, I learned that visual artists are still widely misunderstood. Zoë Charlton Fort Mose 30"x22" Collage, stickers, graphite, and gouache on paper 2014 Photography by Greg Staley Courtesy of the artist Cover design and typesetting by Holly Rose Copyediting by Susannah Schouweiler Additional copyediting by Vinson Valega Production editing by Jessica Mitchell and Jelena Stanovnik ISBN: 978-1-78320-726-8 ePDF ISBN: 978-1-78320-727-5 epub ISBN 978-1-78320-728-2 Printed in the UK by Gomer Press Ltd on sustainably sourced Claro Silk paper using vegetable based inks 6 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission. 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA Copyright © 2017 Sharon Louden and contributors All rights reserved. To the special people in my life who have opened gateways to allow me to create and have accepted me for who I am without reservationįirst published in the UK in 2017 by Intellect, The Mill, Parnall Road, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3JG, UK First published in the USA in 2017 by Intellect, The University of Chicago Press, 1427 E. The Artist as Culture Producer Living and Sustaining a Creative Life Edited by Sharon Louden The Artist as Culture Producer: LIVING AND SUSTAINING A CREATIVE LIFE
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |