Dear Friends,
We are enveloped this July in abundant creativity as we celebrate the first English edition of a rare confabulation between a painter and a poet. A family of artists is helping us launch it, too, starting with an enticing
tertulia
in Dallas. This unique book among other rich and meaningful works beckon us to set a recliner in the shade, put aside the laptop, and give in to the deeper conversation of summer reading!
|
|
New Book!
Conversations with Diego Rivera
|
|
A year of weekly interviews, 1949–1950
by Alfredo Cardona Peña
Every Sunday for a year, Alfredo Cardona Pe
ñ
a sat with Diego Rivera in the artist’s San Angelín studio, where they discussed Rivera’s feelings about the elitist aspect of paintings in museums, his motivations to create public art for the people, and his memorable, unedited expositions on the art, culture, and politics of Mexico.
These historic interviews take the reader on a journey through the mind of one of the most influential and provocative Mexican artists. This work is a unique resource for a deeper understanding of Diego Rivera's motivations and world view, and is fundamental to researchers of Mexican art and Rivera's effect on politics and society in the twentieth century.
For the first time, this extraordinary exchange has been translated into English by Alfredo’s half-brother: poet Alvaro Cardona-Hine.
|
|
|
"If art is not made, there is a danger of death," Diego Rivera tells us in this splendid book, which is itself a powerful argument for life, and for the kinds of vital, authentic art without which fully human lives are impossible.
~Ben Fountain, author of
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
Alfredo Cardona Peña rightly captures in this book the sarcasm, knowledge, wisdom and ingenuity anecdotes and experiences of Diego's artistic, intellectual and political life in Mexico and the world.
~Rina Lazo, painter and last living student of Diego Rivera
|
|
Celebrate the launch with
Una Tertulia
in Dallas
|
|
|
|
Learn how Diego Rivera's views of the world,
art, and politics are relevant today!
Teatro Dallas and New Village Press are cohosting a
unique cultural event at The Wild Detectives Bookstore & Bar
for the launch of
Conversations with Diego Rivera.
The evening will feature dramatic readings from the book by Teatro Dallas actors, discussion with the late author's daughter Cora Cardona, granddaughter Sara Cardona, and writer Ben Fountain. A
rtist Rina Lazo, Rivera's last living student, who overheard many of these famous interviews in Rivera's studio will be an honored guest, as well as artist Barbara Cardona, widow of the book's translator, Alvaro Cardona-Hine.
The
Tertulia
will also feature live music and
an
original
¡Órale Diego!
cocktail. Program: 7:30–9:00 pm. Free and open to the public.
|
|
International Big History Association Conference
|
July 26–29, Villanova, PA: The International Big History Association strives to understand the interconnectedness of humanity and the earth. This fourth biennial conference will present on the theme: "Big History, Big Future: A Cosmic Perspective." Carl Anthony, author of
The Earth, the City, and the Hidden Narrative of Race
, and Paloma Pavel, author of
Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty
, will be presenting the experience of African Americans and African diaspora communities in today's world.
|
|
|
Teach Art for Social Change
|
Mat Schwarzman, coauthor of
Beginner’s Guide to Community-Based Arts
has designed an online course for middle and high school teachers on how to implement art in the classroom to use as a force for social change. Hosted by Xavier University, the course begins on October 3.
|
|
|
|
Sabra Moore in The Women's Art Journal
|
Openings is a thoughtful text that has filled a large gap in the telling of women’s art history and looks to inspire us all to think carefully about our own histories and stories and their place in the future.
~Gabrielle Warner
|
|
Displacement as the New Segregation
|
First it was bus seats, now it is homes.
On June 19, or "Juneteenth," Ronald Shiffman, coauthor of
Building Together
,
Beyond Zucotti Park
, and
What We See
, deliv
ered a
poignant
statement
about the displacement of minorities saying, "fifty-three years after Montgomery we use the same principle of racial segregation in a sophisticated way to sort out and segregate our society—not in buses but in our neighborhoods."
|
|
|
During ioby’s 10th anniversary celebration, they honored early project leader Mindy Thompson Fullilove, author of
Root Shock
and
Urban Alchemy
, for her work. She spoke later, “When a community is able to get together and advocate for a neighborhood, great things happen.”
|
|
Colorlines' Summer Must-Reads
|
Colorlines shared their
Summer Book Roundup
, an annual list intended to deepen understanding of the current political climate and how to fight back.
Homeboy Came to Orange
was featured as one of the “must-reads” of the summer in the activism category thanks to Ernest Thompson’s inspiring journey “to fight for labor rights and racial justice.”
|
|
Mindy Fullilove's Summer Reading List
|
|
Understanding and Overcoming Slavery's Legacy of Inequality
|
Mindy Thompson Fullilove, author and community activist, recommended a
summer reading list
to prepare
for the upcoming 400th anniversary of division in American society. On that list are three books that define our history and provide a groundwork on which to build our future:
|
|
|
Looking Ahead: Upcoming Books
|
|
|
|
In bookstores this September
|
A comprehensive illustrated guidebook for engaging children and youth in the process of designing their communities
B
y Victoria Derr, Louise Chawla, and Mara Mintzer
From a history of children’s rights to case studies discussing international initiatives that aim to create child-friendly cities,
Placemaking with Children and Youth
offers detailed practical guidance in how to engage children and youth in the planning and design of local environments. It explains the importance of children’s active participation in their societies and presents ways to bring all generations together to plan cities with a high quality of life for people of all ages.
|
|
Citizen artists revitalize place, celebrate culture, and inspire social change.
Edited by
Lynne Elizabeth and Suzanne Young
Releasing in September
With revised resources throughout the text, this richly-illustrated compendium of multicultural human-interest stories depicts an intersection of creativity and sense of place that offers an introduction to the field of community-based arts. The detailed profiles of nine diverse grassroots projects and their founders in
Works of Heart
will inspire and inform both community development professionals and citizen activists.
|
|
|
|
|
From now until August 1
Enter code at checkout to save:
SUMM20
|
|
|
Happy reading and best wishes from our summer team!
Gaby, Ignacio, Micaela, Meghan, and Lynne
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
