Read on for important details for this Brookline Booksmith event.About this Event
Join us at Brookline Booksmith to celebrate the release of The War of Art with author Lauren O'Neill-Butler.
Register for the event!
RSVP to let us know you're coming! Depending on the volume of responses, an RSVP may be required for entrance to the event. In the event that we reach capacity and have to close RSVPs, there will not be a waiting list.
Get your copy!
EVENT ATTENDEES: Preorder your copy of The War of Art through this page. Books will also be available for purchase at the event. Books can be picked up 30 minutes before the event in the event space.
CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE EVENT? Preorder the book here to have it signed, and choose to have it held for pickup or shipped from the store!
Book orders are processed for pickup or shipping after ticket sales have closed.
Event accessibility
- This event will take place at street level.
- If possible, events are livestreamed. Check out our store YouTube channel for livestream updates.
- ASL interpretation may be provided (based on the availability of interpreters) but must be requested at least 2 weeks in advance of the event.
- Please email us at [email protected] as soon as possible if you require ASL interpretation, guaranteed seating, or other accommodations. Seats are limited.We will do our best to serve your needs!
The War of Art: A History of Artists' Protest in America
Artists in America have long battled against injustices, believing that art can in fact “do more.” The War of Art 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.Lauren 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).Based upon in-depth oral histories with the key figures in these movements, and illustrated throughout, The War of Art is an essential corrective to the idea that art history excludes politics.
Lauren O'Neill-Butler is a writer and editor. Her first book, Let’s Have a Talk: Conversations with Women on Art and Culture, (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.
About Brookline Booksmith
Brookline Booksmith, thriving in the heart of Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Massachusetts, since 1961, is one of New England’s premier independent bookstores. We offer a vast selection of books, ranging from current bestsellers to the most eclectic titles. We are also known for our beautiful and inspired gifts. Customers buy and sell gently used books in our treasured Used Book Cellar and enjoy our bountiful bargain book selection. We host award-winning events series (including our groundbreaking Transnational Literature Series), offering more than 300 author talks, community conversations, and book clubs annually. Find more at brooklinebooksmith.com!
Event Venue
Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard Street, Brookline, United States
USD 0.00 to USD 47.30
