An American outpost : the Minnesota art scene, 1840-1989 / Katherine Goertz.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Goertz, Katherine, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Art and society--Minnesota--History--19th century.

Art and society.

Art and society--Minnesota--History--20th century.

Minnesota--Civilization--19th century.

Minnesota.

Minnesota--Civilization--20th century.

Physical Description:

263 pages : illustrations ; 32 cm

Place of Publication:

Edina, MN : Afton Press, [2024]

Summary:

"An American Outpost: The Minnesota Art Scene, 1840-1989 is an overview of the history of the visual arts in the state, focused on the mid-nineteenth century to the 1980s. Beginning with the early days of struggling local artists, the narrative progresses through the advent of American modernism, the mobilization of art for the public good in the 1930s, the domination of the abstract in the 1950s, conceptual art in the 1960s, feminist art in the 1970s, and the punk and alternative art of the 1980s. The narrative structure of the book focuses on the art scene of Minnesota, how it evolved, how it shaped the production and understanding of art, and how it connected and connects to local, national, and international trends. The story of Minnesota's art history is distinguished by distinct threads that recur throughout the narrative. One such significant throughline is a desire to define and portray a Minnesotan identity. Another is an emphasis on asserting Minnesota's place in the American art scene, affirming and displaying the state's cultural bona fides through the visual arts. While Minnesota art is very much the focus, equally important is how art in Minnesota related to and interacted with the larger national and international art scene, from the nineteenth-century collecting craze to the Armory Show to the Whitney Biennial. This book attempts to place Minnesota's artistic identity within the wider context of American art from the European-focused nineteenth century to the assertively American twentieth. Minnesota art is a distinct creature. It is also a product and part of, as the title of this book suggests, the American vision. This is the first such survey of Minnesota art. There are sources, popular and academic, that investigate short, specific parts of the story, but no comprehensive or in-depth works have been written"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction

Seeing Minnesota: The Minnesota art scene in the nineteenth century

The art of collecting: Wealth and cultural influence at the turn of the century

American collector: the Walker Collection

On our way up in the world: John Scott Bradstreet, Robert Koehler, and the Minnesota State Art Society

The Minnesota school: Professionalizing art in Minnesota

Art for life's sake: The Handicraft Guild and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Abroad and away: Controversy, les années folles, and radical New York

The modern artist at home: Minnesota Modernism

Art for the public: The Federal Art Project years

Making the scene: Galleries, annuals, and artists' spaces

The American boom: The rise of American abstraction

New happenings: Pop art, new realism, and the 1960s

Cool images: Youth, activism, and intermedia

New spaces: Conceptual art, alternative art, and new objectivity

Claiming an artistic voice: Art of marginalized identities

Alternatives: Neo-Expressionism and alternative art

Media takeover: Moving images, performance, and Minnesota's art network

Art of the state: Exhibiting in the 1980s

Afterword.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781736102176

1736102176

OCLC:

1437272691