{"product_id":"the-war-of-art-a-history-of-artists-protest-in-america-pb","title":"The War of Art: A History of Artists' Protest In America","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"t-rte\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow artists have changed America through direct action\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArtists in America have long battled against injustices, believing that art can in fact “do more.” \u003ci\u003eThe War of Art\u003c\/i\u003e tells this history of artist-led activism and the global political and aesthetic debates of the 1960s to the present. In contrast to the financialized art market and celebrity artists, the book explores the power of collective effort — from protesting to philanthropy, and from wheat pasting to planting a field of wheat. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLauren O’Neill-Butler charts the post-war development of artists’ protest and connects these struggles to a long tradition of feminism and civil rights activism. The book offers portraits of the key individuals and groups of artists who have campaigned for solidarity, housing, LGBTQ+, HIV\/AIDS awareness, and against Indigenous injustice and the exclusion of women in the art world. This includes: the Black Emergency Cultural Coalition (BECC), Women Artists in Revolution (WAR), David Wojnarowicz’s work with ACT UP, Top Value Television (TVTV), Agnes Denes, Edgar Heap of Birds, Dyke Action Machine! (DAM!), fierce pussy, Project Row Houses, and Nan Goldin’s Prescription Addiction Intervention Now (PAIN). \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBased upon in-depth oral histories with the key figures in these movements, and illustrated throughout, \u003ci\u003eThe War of Art\u003c\/i\u003e is an essential corrective to the idea that art history excludes politics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLauren O'Neill-Butler\u003c\/b\u003e is a writer and editor. Her first book, \u003ci\u003eLet’s Have a Talk: Conversations with Women on Art and Culture\u003c\/i\u003e, (Karma, 2021) brings together nearly ninety interviews. A former Senior Editor of Artforum, she has also contributed to Aperture, Art Journal, and The New York Times. In 2020, she received an Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers grant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat People Are Saying\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-right: 1cm;\"\u003e“\u003cspan style=\"font-style: normal;\"\u003eAllows us to see the historical moment we live in through the lens of past struggles. It is a much-needed inquiry into the tremendous possibilities of art then and now to engender powerful social transformation.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ccite\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-style: normal;\"\u003eEva Díaz, Professor of the History of Art and Design, Pratt Institute.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-style: normal;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-right: 1cm;\"\u003e“A wonderfully smart, readable and informative study of a topic that matters to almost everyone interested in art, which is more than enough to recommend it. But gems like the luminous chapter on Agnes Denes and the eye-opening revisionary discussion of her relation to Smithson make it something even better—essential reading.” \u003ccite\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-style: normal;\"\u003eWalter Benn Michaels, author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003ccite\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Shape of the Signifier\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-right: 1cm;\"\u003e“In a deft and engaging account of artist-led activism in the us since the 1960s, Lauren O’Neill-Butler makes the case that artists bring something unique to struggles for social justice, alongside their passion and righteous anger: creativity. A necessary book as we find new ways to organize and resist.”\u003cspan style=\"font-style: normal;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ccite\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-style: normal;\"\u003eJulia Bryan-Wilson, professor of LGBTQ+ art history, Columbia university\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-style: normal;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-right: 1cm;\"\u003e“[\u003ci\u003eThe War of Art\u003c\/i\u003e] explores the interplay of activism and art in these thought-provoking case studies…O’Neill-Butler succeeds in cataloging the broad array of strategies artists have used to agitate for change, and she offers measured critiques of their works, which often reflected positions of privilege. Art historians will find much to chew on here.” \u003ccite\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-right: 1cm;\"\u003e“Invoking Sun Tzu’s \u003ci\u003eThe Art of War\u003c\/i\u003e, O’Neill-Butler explores the subversive, surprising, and often brilliant tactics of artists fighting for social change…A rare behind-the-scenes look at artist\/activists who took on the AIDS crisis, police brutality, and art-world elitism.” \u003ccite\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-right: 1cm;\"\u003e“Walk through New York’s gleaming gallery neighborhoods and the notion that art (or artists) could be considered edgy, provocative or dangerously political seems like a fantasy. But in the not-so-distant past, dedicated artists used their work to fight for everything from housing rights to AIDS awareness. Butler, a former editor at \u003ci\u003eArtforum\u003c\/i\u003e, has structured the book around oral histories from several key figures, charting their work from the 1960s to the present.” \u003ccite\u003e\u003ci\u003eBloomberg\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-right: 1cm;\"\u003e“This timely tome by Lauren O’Neill-Butler charts the history of artistic-activist debate going back to the 1960s, drawing on oral history work related to the Black Emergency Cultural Coalition, Women Artists in Revolution, ACT UP, and other organizations, as well as art by Agnes Denes, Edgar Heap of Birds, fierce pussy, and Nan Goldin, among others.” \u003ccite\u003e\u003ci\u003eArt in America\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-right: 1cm;\"\u003e“A book with backbone ... I hope that readers take \u003ci\u003eThe War of Art’s\u003c\/i\u003e generous insights to heart.” \u003ccite\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-style: normal;\"\u003eCassie Packard\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003ccite\u003e,  \u003c\/cite\u003e\u003ccite\u003e\u003ci\u003eFrieze Best Summer Reads\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-right: 1cm;\"\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe War of Art: A History of Artists’ Protest in America\u003c\/i\u003e comes at a moment when many of us are considering what tools we have to create the world we want to live in. Artists have long grappled with this question, O’Neill-Butler reminds us, as many have even fused their aesthetic inclinations with their desires for justice.\" \u003ccite\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-style: normal;\"\u003eGrace Ebert\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003ccite\u003e,  \u003c\/cite\u003e\u003ccite\u003e\u003ci\u003eColossal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-right: 1cm;\"\u003e“The book honors the passion and integrity of artists who identify a problem and conceive of creative ways to protest. It demonstrates that activist artists, when determined, can use their work to influence our thinking in positive ways, and effect change.” \u003ccite\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-style: normal;\"\u003eLauren Kaufmann\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003ccite\u003e,  \u003c\/cite\u003e\u003ccite\u003e\u003ci\u003eArts Fuse\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-right: 1cm;\"\u003e“Prescient, daring.” \u003ccite\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-style: normal;\"\u003eJemima Skala\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003ccite\u003e,  \u003c\/cite\u003e\u003ccite\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnOther Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-right: 1cm;\"\u003e“O’Neill-Butler offers an essential corrective to the idea that art history excludes politics, arguing instead that they are intricately linked. At a time in which many artists are understandably feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and unproductive, \u003ci\u003eThe War of Art\u003c\/i\u003e is an essential call to action and a reminder that our work has the power to create lasting change.” \u003ccite\u003eChicago Review of Books\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Verso","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44584247754845,"sku":"9781804296363","price":25.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0562\/0826\/1213\/files\/9781804296332.jpg?v=1751841792","url":"https:\/\/leftwingbooks.net\/products\/the-war-of-art-a-history-of-artists-protest-in-america-pb","provider":"Leftwingbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}