News

For Immediate Release - Holly Johnson Gallery is pleased to announce the up-coming release (March 2017) of “the Artist as Culture Producer: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life”, edited by Gallery Artist Sharon Louden. 

The Artist as Culture Producer: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life is a collection of essays by 40 visual artists. Edited by artist and educator Sharon Louden, the book describes how artists extend their practices outside of their studios. All of these contributors have impactful, artistic activities as change agents in their communities. Their first-hand stories show the general public how contemporary artists of the twenty-first century add to creative economies through their 'out-of-the-box' thinking while also generously contributing to the well-being of others. Although there is a misconception that artists are invisible and hidden, the truth is that they furnish measurable and innovative outcomes at the front lines of education, the non-profit sector, and corporate environments. 

An extensive schedule of programming is planned to support the book’s publication in early 2017. Building upon the success of the previous 62-stop book tour that supported Ms. Louden’s first publication, Living and Sustaining a Creative Life: Essays by 40 Working Artists, panel discussions, symposia, and town-hall forums are being planned across the country and abroad. Artists will be cross-pollinated among regions through the expansive public conversations between important stakeholders in each community, including contributors to the book, local artists, critics, non-profit participants, thought leaders, and other members of the general public. Through these events, participants will learn about, lend voices to, and be inspired by the vast range of influence that visual artists exert on society. As with Louden’s last book tour, important data and information will be culled from these events, increasing our understanding and valuing of artists as culture producers today.

Sharon Louden is a practicing, professional artist who lives in Minneapolis, MN and works in New York, NY. Her work has been exhibited at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, the Drawing Center, Weisman Art Museum, Birmingham Museum of Art, Weatherspoon Art Museum and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, among other venues, and it is held in public collections such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, Weatherspoon Art Museum and the National Gallery of Art. 

The Artist as Culture Producer: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life

Essays by 40 Visual Artists

Edited by Artist and Educator Sharon Louden

Published by Intellect Books

350 pages | © 2017

To order this book online visit www.Intellectbooks.com