Art: 21: Art in the 21st Century 3

by Susan Sollins

Published to accompany the third season of the award-winning PBS television series, this lavishly illustrated volume offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at some of the most interesting artists working today. Interviewing the artists on the themes of Memory, Power, Play, and Structure, Susan Sollins, executive producer of the series, takes us into their studios and homes where they talk about their life and art in their own words. The 18 artists include established figures such as Ida Applebroog, Mike Kelley, Susan Rothenberg, and Fred Wilson, and emerging artists such as Laylah Ali, Arturo Herrera, and Josiah McElheny.

The innovative approach-bringing the viewer and reader directly into the world of these artists to hear their own unique voices-has already won the Art:21 series the prestigious Golden Hugo Award for "the best in international television," and a rave notice from the New York Times : "When the artists do the talking, something fascinating happens."

Genres: Art

232 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Susan Sollins has been well known in the field of contemporary art for more than 30 years for her innovations in public programming and museum education, and as a curator. In addition to her work for many art institutions as a curator and consultant, Sollins was the co-founder and Executive Director Emerita of Independent Curators International (ICI), a nonprofit organization that develops, organizes, and circulates traveling exhibitions of contemporary art presenting a broad range of recent trends and aesthetic concerns to viewers nationwide and abroad. During her 21-year tenure, ICI’s 75 exhibitions featuring more than 1,700 artists were seen at more than 360 institutions and alternative spaces in the US, Europe, Canada, and Mexico.
Sollins was formerly the Visual Arts Consultant for Thirteen/WNET‘s Emmy and Peabody Award-winning arts magazine, City Arts; served on the Boards of the MacDowell Colony and ICI; and has been a panelist for the NEA, NYSCA, and New York’s Percent for Art program. Early in her career, Sollins was the Curator of Education (Chief, Museum Programs) at the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum, and Curator of its Discovery Gallery, which showcased contemporary art. In her private life, as the wife of the late composer Earle Brown, she was actively involved in the world of contemporary music for many years.
Sollins founded Art21 in 1997 and served as executive director for seventeen years. She was the executive producer and curator through seven seasons of the organization’s flagship PBS-broadcast series, Art in the Twenty-First Century. Sollins passed away in 2014.

Reviews

[Malpal · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are trying to study art / strengthen your practice art:21 is the series. The videos on pbs are fantastic, but I am thrilled there are some companion books too. If you are trying to get up to speed on the Contemporary scene these are great resources. For me reading is quicker than watching, so i like having the availability of these. My only comment is that the show goes more into the process, and shows artists in their studios. Whereas the book focuses on pieces themselves. Definitely pros and cons to both.

[Aaron the Pink Donut · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the companion book to the PBS series of the same name. A good introduction to some really great art and artists. The series has a little bit of everything-ranging the gambit from performance to traditional 2d media to space age computer installations. I thought the artist in this installment of the series weren’t as strong as the previous 2 seasons. That being said I did really enjoy the works of Cai Guo-Qiang (I loved the gun powder works especially!) as well as the amazing huge scale video installations of Krzysztof Wodiczko.