An expanded edition of the definitive book on Ruth Asawa's fascinating life and her lasting contributions to American art. The work of American artist Ruth Asawa (1926-2013) is brought into brilliant focus in this definitive book, originally published to accompany the first complete retrospective of Asawa's career, organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco in 2006. This new edition features an expanded collection of essays and a detailed illustrated chronology that explore Asawa's fascinating life and her lasting contributions to American art. Beginning with her earliest works-drawings and paintings created in the 1940s while she was studying at Black Mountain College-this beautiful volume traces Asawa's flourishing career in San Francisco and her trajectory as a pioneering modernist sculptor who is recognized internationally for her innovative wire sculptures, public commissions, and activism on behalf of public arts education. Through her lifelong experimentations with wire, especially its capacity to balance open and closed forms, Asawa invented a powerful vocabulary that contributed a unique perspective to the field of twentieth-century abstract sculpture. Working in a variety of nontraditional media, Asawa performed a series of remarkable metamorphoses, leading viewers into a deeper awareness of natural forms by revealing their structural properties. Through her art, Asawa transfigured the commonplace into metaphors for life processes themselves. The Sculpture of Ruth Asawa establishes the importance of Asawa's work within a larger cultural context of artists who redefined art as a way of thinking and acting in the world, rather than as merely a stylistic practice. This updated edition includes a new introduction and more than fifty new images, as well as original essays that reflect on the impact of American political history on Asawa's artistic vision, her experience with printmaking, and her friendship with photographer Imogen Cunningham. Contributors include Susan Ehrens, Mary Emma Harris, Karin Higa, Jacqueline Hoefer, Emily K. Doman Jennings, Paul J. Karlstrom, John Kreidler, Susan Stauter, Colleen Terry, and Sally B. Woodbridge. Published in association with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF).

This impressive work of scholarship brings together anthropology, religion, popular culture, and history in its focus on Bakhtiari lion tombstones that have remained largely unknown and hence little studied. Although lions have long figured in Iranian history, art and myth as symbols of rulership, power, religious leadership or as steadfast guardians, art historians have tended to concentrate their attentions on court traditions and the role of lions in popular culture, especially in religion, has remained little considered until this book. Funerary stone lions are to be found throughout western Iran, but are concentrated in the summer and winter pasture areas of the Bakhtiari, today's provinces of Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari, west of Isfahan, and Khuzistan. This highly illustrated colour volume draws on meticulous fieldwork and includes over three hundred photographs, drawings, charts and maps. The recording of this rare sculptural heritage, dating from the 16th century to the early 20th century, has become ever more pressing as some tombstones have been taken from their original settings and re-erected in parks, others damaged by the elements and some recently broken up to be used in road repairs. 'Pedram Khosronejad's Lion Tombstones among Bakhtiari Pastoral Nomads in South West Iran is to be greatly welcomed... [It is ]based on extensive fieldwork and represents something of a rescue project....This volume, however, goes further in raising three inter-related issues: why have these important artifacts been neglected even by specialists; how do they relate to a richer understanding of Iranian art and culture; and how does vernacular art relate to the accepted traditions of Iranian art?.... This volume will prove to be important in bringing the lion tombstones to a larger public attention.' G. R. Garthwaite, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH Jane and Raphael Bernstein Professor in Asian Studies, Emeritus & Professor of History, Emeritus

Reimagines black and brown sensuality to develop new modes of knowledge production In Sensual Excess, Amber Jamilla Musser imagines epistemologies of sensuality that emerge from fleshiness. To do so, she works against the framing of black and brown bodies as sexualized, objectified, and abject, and offers multiple ways of thinking with and through sensation and aesthetics. Each chapter draws our attention to particular aspects of pornotropic capture that black and brown bodies must always negotiate. Though these technologies differ according to the nature of their encounters with white supremacy, together they add to our understanding of the ways that structures of domination produce violence and work to contain bodies and pleasures within certain legible parameters. To do so, Sensual Excess analyzes moments of brown jouissance that exceed these constraints. These ruptures illuminate multiple epistemologies of selfhood and sensuality that offer frameworks for minoritarian knowledge production which is designed to enable one to sit with uncertainty. Through examinations of installations and performances like Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party, Kara Walker's A Subtlety, Patty Chang's In Love and Nao Bustamante's Neapolitan, Musser unpacks the relationships between racialized sexuality and consumption to interrogate foundational concepts in psychoanalytic theory, critical race studies, feminism, and queer theory. In so doing, Sensual Excess offers a project of knowledge production focused not on mastery, but on sensing and imagining otherwise, whatever and wherever that might be.

Resin craft is a great way to make beautiful items for your home and gifts for yourself or others. Hazel Oliver is the name behind Badger & Birch, whose eco-friendly practices include using solvent free and non-toxic resin, and incorporating natural waste such as mussel and oyster shells from her local restaurant, as well as natural minerals, gemstones and crystals. In this her first book, Hazel shows you the basics of resin craft, including mixing and pouring, making moulds, and finishing your pieces. The 30 projects include vases, planters, candle holders and other items for the home, as well as moulded decorations in leaf shapes and other natural forms. The soft colours, natural elements and beautiful finish of Hazel's work will inspire you to take up this flourishing craft, or give you new ideas if you are already a keen resin crafter.

Delightful, oft-reprinted guide to the foliate heads so common in medieval sculpture. This was the first-ever monograph dedicated to the Green Man. The Green Man, the image of the foliate head or the head of a man sprouting leaves, is probably the most common of all motifs in medieval sculpture. Nevertheless, the significance of the image lay largely unregarded until KathleenBasford published this book - the first monograph of the Green Man in any language -and thereby earned the lasting gratitude of scholars in many fields, from art history and folklore to current environmental studies. This book has opened up new avenues of research, not only into medieval man's understanding of nature, and into conceptions of death, rebirth and resurrection in the middle ages, but also into our concern today with ecology and our relationship with the green world. It is therefore a work of living scholarship and its publication in paperback will be greatly and justly welcomed.

This is a revealing consideration of ancient bronzes from their halcyon days in antiquity to their allure today. Ancient bronze statuary provides a sense of immediacy, a window directly back to the classical world. The wistful expression of a young Roman woman, the fixed jaw of a politician, and the tensed muscles of a Greek athlete appear startlingly lifelike, transfixing the viewer with their striking realism. Incredibly durable yet frequently destroyed for their valuable materials, ancient bronzes are comparatively rare discoveries. This book, richly illustrated with works from the J. Paul Getty Museum and other important collections, provides an engaging overview of classical bronzes. The exquisite volume considers bronze throughout its long history, exploring its enormous appeal from antiquity to the present day. The book discusses the many roles bronze objects played in ancient Greece and Rome and analyzes discoveries made at ancient foundries and by contemporary scientists. It also examines references to bronze in mythology, Pliny's histories, and other classical texts, as well as representations on vases and other artworks.

Chinese Export Porcelain, Standard Patterns and Forms contains over 1000 items illustrated in black and white and 49 color plates. This book tells the story of the exciting and dangerous "China Trade." The principal purpose of this book is to show and discuss the many forms and variations that have made this field so fascinating. The text is simple and factual and explodes many cherished myths and fantasies about these wares. The pictures and captions tell the story.

Winner of the Holyer an Gof Award 2022 (Leisure and Lifestyle) An illustrated guide to one hundred of the finest early Cornish stone crosses, dating from around AD 900 to 1300. These characteristic features of the Cornish landscape are splendid examples of their type, exhibiting a wide geographical spread and a certain weather-beaten beauty. The medieval stone crosses of Cornwall have long been objects of curiosity both for residents and visitors. This is the first ever accessible volume on the subject, combining detailed description and discussion of the crosses with information on access, colour images and suggestions for further reading. An approachable but academically rigorous work, it includes analysis of the decorative designs and sculptural techniques, accompanied by high-quality photographs which illustrate the subtleties of each cross, often hard to discern in situ. Ancient and High Crosses of Cornwall offers an ideal introduction for the general reader but will also prove essential to local historians, landscape historians, archaeologists and anyone working in the area of Cornish studies or connected with the Cornish diaspora. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47788/NKIP4746

An exploration of Francophone African literary imaginations and expressions through the lens of Afrofuturism Generally attributed to the Western imagination, science fiction is a literary genre that has expressed projected technological progress since the Industrial Revolution. However, certain fantastical elements in African literary expressions lend themselves to science fiction interpretations, both utopian and dystopian. When the concept of science is divorced from its Western, rationalist, materialist, positivist underpinnings, science fiction represents a broad imaginative space that supersedes the limits of this world. Whether it be on the moon, under the sea, or elsewhere within the imaginative universe, Afrofuturist readings of select films, novels, short stories, plays, and poems reveal a similarly emancipatory African future that is firmly rooted in its own cultural mythologies, cosmologies, and philosophies. Isaac Joslin identifies the contours and modalities of a speculative, futurist science fiction rooted in the sociocultural and geopolitical context of continental African imaginaries. Constructing an arc that begins with gender identity and cultural plurality as the bases for an inherently multicultural society, this project traces the essential role of language and narrativity in processing traumas that stem from the violence of colonial and neocolonial interventions in African societies. Joslin then outlines the influential role of discursive media that construct divisions and create illusions about societal success, belonging, and exclusion, while also identifying alternative critical existential mythologies that promote commonality and social solidarity. The trajectory proceeds with a critical analysis of the role of education in affirming collective identity in the era of globalization; the book also assesses the market-driven violence that undermines efforts to instill and promote cultural and social autonomy. Last, this work proposes an egalitarian and ecological ethos of communal engagement with and respect for the diversity of the human and natural worlds.

From the author of 101 Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health & Home comes an amazing collection of 50 recipes and step-by-step tutorials to create easy, quick and beautiful soaps the truly natural way. With more and more people turning to natural skincare products crafted by hand, Jan Berry delivers soap recipes that come together easily, use sustainable nature-derived ingredients and utilise simple decorations that take your soap to the next level without the headache. Sample recipes include Blue Agave Soap, Wild Rosehips Soap, Double Mint Sage Soap and Dead Sea Mud Spa Bar. The recipes are in tune with today's trends - such as vegan options, shampoo and shaving bars, seasonal soaps such as Pumpkin Spice Soap and soaps highlighting popular ingredients such as goat's milk and sea salt - while still retaining a rustic, old-fashioned feel. Many soapers like to adapt recipes adding their own twist, but the chemistry involved can be a challenge. In addition to the recipes, Jan removes the mystery and shares her expertise, gathered from years of natural soapmaking, on valuable topics such as using plant colourants and herbs, substituting oils, resizing a recipe, making hot versus cold process soap and troubleshooting common issues. This book is perfect for beginners, but even more than that, Jan's unique ingredient combinations and techniques make the book a practical and inspiring choice for the modern-day soapmaker.

Step-by-step instructions for diamond burr engraving, from making the first cut to displaying finished work. Includes four complete projects, plus expert advice on choosing glass, fashioning glass chunks into usable pieces for engraving, suggestions for arrangement and lighting of finished pieces, more. Over 100 helpful illustrations. Introduction. List of Supply Sources.

Claes Oldenburg's commitment to familiar objects has shaped accounts of his career, but his associations with Pop art and postwar consumerism have overshadowed another crucial aspect of his work. In this revealing reassessment, Katherine Smith traces Oldenburg's profound responses to shifting urban conditions, framing his enduring relationship with the city as a critical perspective and conceiving his art as urban theory. Smith argues that Oldenburg adapted lessons of context, gleaned from New York's changing cityscape in the late 1950s, to large-scale objects and architectural plans. By examining disparate projects from New York to Los Angeles, she situates Oldenburg's innovations in local geographies and national debates. In doing so, Smith illuminates patterns of urbanization through the important contributions of one of the leading artists in the United States.

With 446 entries examining some 550 works of figural, architectural, and decorative sculpture in 27 museums and public institutions, this volume continues the Census of Gothic Sculpture in America started by Dorothy Gillerman in 1989. In addition to such large and well-known collections as the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Glencairn Museum, smaller collections and those not known for their medieval works, like the Barnes Foundation and the Explorers Club, are also inventoried. Generously supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Getty Foundation, this book includes entries by 35 individual specialists.

This book is a clear, lively and fun introduction to sculpting in wire. Very much aimed at beginners, there are 6 projects of increasing difficulty, aiming to teach the beginner how to sculpt in wire from the most basic starting point up through to soldering. The projects start off by learning about wire and using simply pliers, and then how to incorporate other materials such as tin, feathers and material. Finally the last project includes the use of some simple silver soldering. Clear step-by-step images show the processes involved in every project. Images of fantastic sculptures in wire by contemporary artists are scattered throughout, showing everything from hats and shoes, to life-size figures, sheep and even elephants.

Meaning in the visual arts centers on how the physical work makes its content or presence visible. The art object is fundamental. Indeed, the different object forms of each visual medium allows our experience of space-time, and our relations to other people, to be aesthetically embodied in unique ways. Through these embodiments, visual art compensates for what is otherwise existentially lost, and becomes part of what makes life worth living. The present book shows this by discussing a range of visual art forms, namely pictorial representation, abstraction, sculpture and assemblage works, land art, architecture, photography, and varieties of digital art.

Czech action art - a medium similar to performance art that does not require an audience - emerged out of the political and social turmoil of the 1960s. This movement has received little critical attention, however, as the Iron Curtain prevented its dissemination to an international audience. Here theorist and art historian Pavlina Morganova gives this art scene its due, chronicling its inception and tracing its evolution through to the present. Morganova explains the various forms of action art, from the "actions" and "happenings" of the 1960s; to the actions of land art that encompass stones, trees, water, or fire; to recent displays of body art; to the actions of the latest generation of artists, who are using the principles of action art in contemporary postconceptual and participative art. Along the way, she introduces the most prominent Czech artists of each specific niche, including Milan Knizak, Zorka Saglova, Ivan Kafka, Petr Stembera, Karel Miler, Jiri Kovanda, and Katerina Seda, and demonstrates not only the changes in the art forms themselves but also the shifting roles of artists and spectators after World War II. With over one hundred illustrations, Czech Action Art introduces this heretofore overlooked but fascinating art form to a global readership.

The groundbreaking sculptor's most comprehensive monograph to date

Jean-Michel Othoniel is an artist who creates sculptures that explore themes of fragility, transformation, and ephemerality. Using the repetition of such modular elements as bricks or beads, his work deploys various strategies that hint at loss and despair – cracks in his objects' perfect surfaces, negative spaces and, early in his career, transient materials such as sulfur. The most authoritative study of the artist's work to date, it includes intimate gallery pieces as well as monumental public commissions around the world.

There is no soundtrack is a study of how sound and image produce meaning in contemporary experimental media art by artists ranging from Chantal Akerman to Nam June Paik to Tanya Tagaq. It contextualises these works and artists through key ideas in sound studies: voice, noise, listening, the soundscape and more. The book argues that experimental media art produces radical and new audio-visual relationships challenging the visually dominated discourses in art, media and the human sciences. In addition to directly addressing what Jonathan Sterne calls 'visual hegemony', it also explores the lack of diversity within sound studies by focusing on practitioners from transnational and diverse backgrounds. As such, it contributes to a growing interdisciplinary scholarship, building new, more complex and reverberating frameworks to collectively sonify the study of culture. -- .

When using digital technologies, many types of dysfunction can occur, ranging from hardware malfunctions to software errors to human ineptitude. Many new media artworks employ various strategies of dysfunctionality in order to explore issues of power within societies and culture. When using digital technologies, many types of dysfunction can occur, from hardware malfunctions to software errors and human ineptitude. Robert W. Sweeney examines how digital artists have embraced the concept of the error or glitch as a form for freedom--imperfection or dysfunction can be an integral element of the project. In this book, he offers practical models and ideas for how artists and educators can incorporate digital technologies and integrate discussions of decentralized models of artistic production and education.

Noted sculptor Ian Norbury gives woodcarvers a thorough, how-to guide to bringing out the beauty of a female face from a block of wood. Using hundreds of photographs and drawings, the author provides in-depth instruction on carving two different adult faces - one European and one Afro-Caribbean - and one child's face. Both beginning and advanced woodcarvers and sculptors will find expert guidance on tackling the unique challenges of carving a female face. Included are sections on the anatomy of the female face, taking photographs and producing patterns, step-by-step instructions, and a photographic gallery of finished carvings to provide inspiration.

Inspired by Robert McCloskey's beloved children's book of the same name, the iconic bronze Make Way for Ducklings sculpture in Boston's Public Garden has come to serve as something of a record of the recent decades of life in the city itself. In a series of delightful photographs taken by members of the public, Ducks on Parade! chronicles many of the original, moving, humorous, and startling outfits that artistic Bostonians have dressed the ducks in. From summer hats to winter scarves, from the Women's March to Black Lives Matter, the ducks reflect the life of the city and our country. Featuring a text by sculptor Nancy Schoen, this book is a tribute to all Bostonians whose creativity and generosity have made this constant collaborative art possible. More than this, it is a revealing look at the lasting power of public art and how viewers can also be participants. Ducks on Parade! is perfect for whimsical readers of any age.

During the Great Depression, glass companies turned to machine-made methods to produce inexpensive, colorful glass. Due to its wonderful variety, availability, beauty, and usefulness, this type of glassware has endured to become one of the hottest collectibles on today's antiques market. This is the first book to extensively cover only Depression Era pink glass; pink was the most popular color of glassware then and has retained its popularity to the present day. It contains over 200 color photographs, examples of forty-five patterns, and brief histories of glass companies such as Bartlett-Collins, Cambridge, Federal, Fostoria, Hazel-Atlas, Imperial, Westmoreland, and others. This revised and expanded second edition features some new photographs and newly revised prices. It is an indispensable guide for all who collect Depression era glass and enjoy the beauty of pink glassware.

Despite at times being dismissed as tourist "kitsch, " Tesuque's popular rain god figurines have been continuously produced for more than 120 years, making them the longest-lasting figurative art tradition in the Southwest. What began in the 1880s as souvenirs, emerged decades later as an innovative traditional art form. Featuring more than 400 figures from 74 museums, this book traces the history of rain god makers past and present. Author Duane Anderson, director of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (Museum of New Mexico) and an anthropologist, discusses how the figures emerged from the shadow of tourist art, to be recognized as traditional art and sought after by collectors and museums, dozens of which are reproduced here.

Clay figures were part of Pueblo ceremonial life before the Spanish Conquest, and rain gods reflect design motifs long seen in polychrome pottery of the Rio Grande -- just two of the many dimensions explored in this book.