the books
Cover image:
Zoë Charleton
Fort Mose
30x22"
Collage, stickers, graphite, and gouache on paper
2014
Courtesy of the artist
Photography by Greg Staley
The Artist as Culture Producer: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life
Edited by Sharon Louden
Published by Intellect Books (2017)
Distributed by University of Chicago Press
More information: LiveSustain.org
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The Artist as Culture Producer: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life is a collection of essays by 40 visual artists describing how they extend their practices outside of their studios. All of these contributors have impactful, artistic activities as change agents in their communities. Their first-hand stories show the general public how contemporary artists of the 21st century add to creative economies through their out-of-the-box thinking while also generously contributing to the well-being of others. Although there is a misconception that artists are invisible and hidden, the truth is that they furnish measurable and innovative outcomes at the front lines of education, the non-profit sector, corporate environments and our day-to-day lives. By sharing these examples, this book addresses how the myth of the "Artist Hero" is no longer relevant in today's society.
The following artists contributed essays to this book:
Alec Soth (Little Brown Mushroom), Alison Wong (Butter Projects), Andrea Zittel, Austin Thomas, Billy Dufala and Steven Dufala (Rair Philly), Brett Wallace (The Conversation Project), Caitlin Masley, Cara Ober (BMoreArt), Carrie Moyer (Dyke Action Machine), Carron Little (Out of Site Chicago), Chloë Bass, Duncan MacKenzie (Bad at Sports), Edgar Arceneaux, Euan Gray, Faina Lerman and Graem Whyte, Jane South, Jayme McLellan, Jean Shin, Julia Kunin, Kat Kiernan (Don't Take Pictures), Khaled Sabsabi, Lenka Clayton, Mark Tribe, Martina Geccelli (Raumx London), Matthew Deleget (Minus Space), Michael Scoggins, Morehshin Allahyari, Paul Henry Ramirez, Peewee Roldan (Green Papaya Art Projects), Robert Yoder (Season), Sharon Butler (Two Coats of Paint), Shinique Smith, Stephanie Syjuco, Steve Lambert (The Center for Artistic Activism), Tim Doud and Zoë Charlton ('sindikit), Wendy Red Star, William Powhida.
Additional contributors include:
Hrag Vartanian, Editor-in-Chief and Co-founder of Hyperallergic (Foreword), and Deana Haggag, Director of The Contemporary in Baltimore, MD, Courtney Fink, Co-founder of Common Field, and Chen Tamir Curator at the Center for Contemporary Art in Tel Aviv, Israel (Conclusion).
To order this book, please visit the University Chicago Press website.
Cover image:
George Stoll
Untitled (15 tumblers on a 36 inch shelf #3)
8 3/4 x 36 x 7 1/2 inches
Beeswax, paraffin and pigment on a painted wooden shelf
2012
Courtesy of the artist
photo by Ed Glendinning
Living and Sustaining a Creative Life: Essays by 40 Working Artists
Edited by Sharon Louden
Published by Intellect Books (2013)
Distributed by University of Chicago Press
More information: LiveSustain.org
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In this day and age, as art has become more and more of a commodity, many students graduating from art school believe that they will immediately make a living as an artist by obtaining gallery representation. One of the goals of this book is to dispel the belief that there is only one way to chart a path into a creative and sustainable life as an artist. This collection of essays is intended to show the reality of how artists -- from the unknown to the established -- juggle their creative lives with the everyday needs of making a living. They share with us in their own words how they are creative inside and outside the studio, both on a day-to-day basis and over the long haul.
The following artists contributed essays to this book:
Adrienne Outlaw, Amanda Church, Amy Pleasant, Annette Lawrence, Austin Thomas, Beth Lipman, Blane de St. Croix, Brian Novatny, Brian Tolle, Carson Fox, David Humphrey, Ellen Harvey, Erik Hanson, George Stoll, Jay Davis, Jennifer Dalton, Jenny Marketou, Julie Blackmon, Julie Heffernan, Julie Langsam, Justin Quinn, Karin Davie, Kate Shepherd, Laurie Hogin, Maggie Michael and Dan Steinhilber, Maureen Connor, Melissa Potter, Michael Waugh, Michelle Grabner, Peter Drake, Peter Newman, Richard Klein, Sean Mellyn, Sharon L. Butler, The Art Guys, Thomas Kilpper, Timothy Nolan, Tony Ingrisano, and Will Cotton.
Additional contributors include:
Carter E. Foster, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs and Curator of Prints and Drawings, Blanton Museum of Art (Introduction), and a conversation between Ed Winkleman, author, blogger, and former gallery dealer, and Bill Carroll, artist and Program Director, Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts Studio Program (Conclusion).
To order this book, please visit the University Chicago Press website.
The Artist as Culture Producer and Essays by 40 Working Artists are part of the "Living and Sustaining a Creative Life" trilogy. Both have been supported by substantial Conversation Book Tours across the country and abroad, beginning in 2013. The final book, Last Artist Standing: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life, is scheduled to be released in 2020. It will also be published by Intellect Books and distributed by University of Chicago Press.
Conversation Tour Hashtag: #LiveSustain