Art At The Margins

This book is a descriptive and historical study of how Jennifer Kotter, Ray Materson and Bonnie Peterson, three late 20th century artists, use their experience, objects from everyday life, and the techniques of "womens work" to create "art at the margins." Levinson defines "art at the margins" as art that is perceived to be low art, rather than high art, because the artists use "womens work"-techniques stereotyped with domestic activities and craft. Her discussion focuses on how the artwork remains or transcends its status at the margins and moves among diverse categories of art. Interviews with the three artists reveal their life experiences and views on their art. Each artists medium is set in an historical context to show how the medium evolved, how certain perceptions became attached to it, and how the concept of mainstream art changed over time. Included are sections on female stereotypes, embroidery, art quilts, and pluralist art of the 1970s. Levinsons in-depth analysis sheds light on the pluralism of art, techniques and materials in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and should be useful to art critics, art historians, students and cultural studies professionals.