Jackson, Carlos Francisco. Chicana and Chicano Art: ProtestArte. Tucson,
AZ: University of Arizona, 2009. 225 p. N6538.M4 J25 2009
First used as a derogatory word for the Mexican American
community, the term “Chicano” was appropriated by civil rights activists in the
late 1960s to describe political and cultural identity. The arts were an important outlet for Chicana/Chicano
self-expression and the author views art of Mexican Americans as a
representation of living on the border between two cultures and societies. The text follows the growing emergence of a
Chicano identity following World War II and a flowering of “Chicanoism” and
civil rights activism in the late sixties as exemplified by the grape workers
strikes beginning in 1965. The text
provides a survey of the art that appeared during that time and continues to
produced as the Mexican American identity continues to thrive and develop
within our changing nation.
Henderson,
Linda Dalrymple. Reimagining Space: The
Park Place Gallery Group in 1960s New York.
Austin, TX: Blanton Museum of Art, 2008.
The Park Place Gallery was the first large-scale
cooperative gallery in New York. Operating from 1963 to 1967, co-op artist members included Edwin Ruda,
Tamara Melcher, Robert Grosvenor, and Mark di Suvero. Beginning as a gathering
place for artists who shared similar aesthetic and social concerns and a love
for jazz, the gallery gradually developed into a more formal space for hosting
and showcasing artist works. This
catalog documents the history of the gallery and also serves as a catalog for
an exhibition that includes works by the artists associated with the
gallery. A piece from the AA/PG library’s
vertical file was included in the exhibition.
Braun-Reinitz,
Janet and Jane Weissman. On the Wall:
Four Decades of Community Murals in New York City. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi,
2009.
New York is a city that has a long history of
community murals which is documented in this book starting with works from 1968
and progressing through examples up until 2007. The authors provide both a history overview as well as in-depth reviews
of many community mural projects along with their place within the cultural
history of the city. The
book highlights important murals and profiles the artists and sponsors responsible
for their creation. Also due to their prominent public display, the interactions
between artists and residents are important in the creation of the works, and
the authors explore the histories of projects and also the controversies that led
to the destruction of several murals.
Goetzmann. The West of the
Imagination. 2nd ed. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma, 2009.
G6 2009
Written
by the Pulitzer-Prize winner and his son, the first edition of this book (for
years out-of-print) became a standard that examined the visual images of the
American West including paintings, drawings, photographs, and film. It also served as an accompanying text to a
major PBS series. This revised edition
contains many new chapters as well as including revisions and new material for the
existing chapters. The volume is
lavishly illustrated and is provides an engaging survey of depictions of the
West.—Doug Litts
2 Comments
Great article, I love all the work you put into this blog.
Great information, the Mexican American addition is fantastic. Thank you for this wonderful blog.