{"title":"Leslie Umberger","description":"\u003cp\u003eLeslie Umberger's work offers a captivating exploration of lives shaped by art, culture, and the intricate stories that bind us. Her compelling narratives bridge the gap between personal experience and broader artistic movements, inviting readers into intimate portraits that resonate deeply.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBlending elements of \u003cem\u003ebiography\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ememoir\u003c\/em\u003e, her books delve into the rich textures of creativity and identity. Readers can expect thoughtful reflections on the human spirit, framed by vivid storytelling and a profound appreciation for the arts.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"between-worlds-by-leslie-umberger-9780691182674","title":"Between Worlds","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA major new look at the work of one of America's foremost self-taught artists, Bill Traylor (ca. 1853-1949) came to art-making on his own and found his creative voice without guidance; today he is remembered as a renowned American artist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTraylor was born into slavery on an Alabama plantation, and his experiences spanned multiple worlds—black and white, rural and urban, old and new—as well as the crucibles that indelibly shaped America: the Civil War, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the Great Migration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBetween Worlds\u003c\/i\u003e presents an unparalleled look at the work of this enigmatic and dazzling artist, who blended common imagery with arcane symbolism, narration with abstraction, and personal vision with the beliefs and folkways of his time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTraylor was about twelve when the Civil War ended. After six more decades of farm labour, he moved, ageing and alone, into segregated Montgomery. In the last years of his life, he drew and painted works depicting plantation memories and the rising world of African American culture. Upon his death, he left behind over a thousand pieces of art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBetween Worlds\u003c\/i\u003e convenes 205 of his most powerful creations, including a number that have been previously unpublished. This beautiful and carefully researched book assesses Traylor's biography and stylistic development, and for the first time interprets his scenes as ongoing narratives, conveying enduring, interrelated themes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBetween Worlds\u003c\/i\u003e reveals one man's visual record of African American life as a window into the overarching story of his nation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePublished in association with the Smithsonian American Art Museum.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46799139766508,"sku":"9780691182674","price":180.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780691182674.jpg?v=1757219997"},{"product_id":"we-are-made-of-stories-by-leslie-umberger-9780691240428","title":"We Are Made of Stories","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA richly illustrated history of self-taught artists and how they changed American art\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eArtists without formal training, who learned from family, community, and personal journeys, have long been a presence in American art. But it wasn't until the 1980s, with the help of trailblazing advocates, that the collective force of their creative vision and bold self-definition permanently changed the mainstream art world. In \u003ci\u003eWe Are Made of Stories\u003c\/i\u003e, Leslie Umberger traces the rise of self-taught artists in the twentieth century and examines how, despite wide-ranging societal, racial, and gender-based obstacles, they redefined who could be rightfully seen as an artist and revealed a much more diverse community of American makers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLavishly illustrated throughout, \u003ci\u003eWe Are Made of Stories\u003c\/i\u003e features more than one hundred drawings, paintings, and sculptures, ranging from the narrative to the abstract, by forty-three artists—including James Castle, Thornton Dial, William Edmondson, Howard Finster, Bessie Harvey, Dan Miller, Sister Gertrude Morgan, the Philadelphia Wireman, Nellie Mae Rowe, Judith Scott, and Bill Traylor. The book centralizes the personal stories behind the art and explores enduring themes, including self-definition, cultural heritage, struggle and joy, and inequity and achievement. At the same time, it offers a sweeping history of self-taught artists, the critical debates surrounding their art, and how museums have gradually diversified their collections across lines of race, gender, class, and ability.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRecasting American art history to embrace artists who have been excluded for too long, \u003ci\u003eWe Are Made of Stories\u003c\/i\u003e vividly captures the power of art to show us the world through the eyes of another.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublished in association with the Smithsonian American Art Museum\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eExhibition Schedule\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSmithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC\u003cbr\u003eJuly 1, 2022–March 26, 2023\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47433299198188,"sku":"9780691240428","price":89.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780691240428.jpg?v=1774765260"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/leslie-umberger.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}