Cultural Arts Books

I am reading this book, Moral Conflict, and I recommend it very highly. Intercultural conflict in today's rapidly shrinking world is almost inevitable. The authors bring many practical models which help increase one's options in resolving conflict situations. I VERY highly recommend the book.

Winner of the 2006 Barnard Hewitt Award for Excellence in Theatre History, The Most American Thing in America: Circuit Chautauqua as Performance by Charlotte M. Canning (professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance, University of Texas, Austin) is part history, part evaluation of the Circuit Chautauquas, the iterant branch of an adult education movement created to spread culture and entertainment across America, particularly isolated rural areas. The Chautauquas flourished, despite some conflicts - their African-American members were in danger when they toured areas rife with KKK members and sympathizers - filling a much-needed role until the Great Depression, when the rise of radio and movies eclipsed them. Their performances included lectures, music, occasional political debate, and much more. Theatre historians have long neglected the Circuit Chautauquas because they didn't quite fit the mold of established theatre; Canning seeks to remedy this omission through an in-depth history examining not only the Circuit Chautauquas as performers, but also as facilitators of American community and democracy. Highly recommended.

Plant's book, along with Greil Marcus' "Lipstick Traces," served as my introduction to the ideas of Guy Debord and the Situationist International, so I'm not likely to be objective about its importance.

Plant argues that Debord's radical critique of capitalist/industrial society as spectacular is a precursor to postmodernism, or at least that these two positions share similar territory. This book is worth your time if you are interested in anarchism or libertarian socialism...it is also a nice study of dissident art in the last century.

Guy Debord is the most important political thinker of the second half of the twentieth century. His updating of Marx is worth investigating, and Plant's book is a nice introduction to this material.

Photographer Peter Marbach knows this mountain well--his shots are absolutely gorgeous. Mount Hood is the most popular mountain in Oregon, a symbol of the Pacific Northwest, and a source of inspiration because of this book. This would make an excellent gift for anyone in love with this mountain or who lives in the Northwest.

A heartfelt and harrowing examination of various cultural elements, as disparate as the Rose Theatre in london to the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings, in which Phelan has found the common thread of the public performance of mourning. "Mourning" for Phelan means not merely the connotative sense of sadness and crying, but rather a sense of longing, a sense of inaction, an inability to properly react, to remember.

The book stands along the intersection of two primary elements. First, it stands as an insightful series of performance criticism; she is especially illuminating in her dissection of the cultural and sexual implications in the uncovering of the Rose Theatre, in which Christopher Marlowe often had his plays performed. At times, however, the book itself becomes a forum for performance itself, most vividly and movingly in "Shattered Skulls", where, as many times in the book, the narrative turns into a first person perspective, although this first person is not quite Phelan herself. With the juxtaposition of thses two elements, Phelan effectively traces and exposes the inherent performance tropes which both infuse and infect out everyday relations.

This meager review cannot adequately describe the shimmering beauty of Phelan's prose and her laser-sharp insight. I cannot recommed it highly enough.

I had to buy this book for a graduate museum studies course but it was well worth it. I still have the book. Although some essays are outdated, it is a good look at issues in museums.

I was fortunate to stumble upon this book on Amazon.com. As a musician, it looked intriguing. I bought it and became immediately engrossed. I enjoyed the compelling introduction by Adam Krims. After reading that, I had to continue with the rest of the book. It has a fantastic compilation of essays by a wide variety of authors. As a woman, and an artist, many of these essays were valuable and meaningful to me. Never before have I seen a book that so clearly demonstrates how music ties into the broader conerns within the humanities. I highly recommend it.

What a beautiful book covering history in a new light. It is good to see in print heros who have seldom gained recognition in children's literaure. The illustrations are beautiful. A must for your child's growing library!

I read this book after reading "In The Life Together," the book that Dee and her (late) husband, Ossie Davis, wrote together. Most people know Ruby Dee as a beautiful, beautiful actress in films like "A Raisin in the Sun." She is also a funny, touching and very compelling wriiter. "My One Good Nerve" is a collection of short stories, poems and reflections, ranging in subject matter from racism to love. Dee also writes tributes to late, great legends like Marvin Gaye and Diana Sand (an actress who starred with her in "A Raisin in the Sun").

This book made me laugh, cry and really think. Ruby Dee's writing style is incomparable to any I have ever read. She is, both, whimsical and insightful. Ruby isn't afraid to frankly speak about racial violence, lust and family dynamics. I really think that more people should become more familiar with her as a writer, if they haven't already. I was really surprised that there weren't other reviews of this marvelous book. It is a quick read and very engaging. Read it today......

The book brilliantly discusses and displays photographs by Nadar and Warhol. It focuses briefly on the artist's biography and more on their collection of the photography (which are all portraits). A great buy for that photography lover or to be used for that photography history paper.