Dirty Art History

The history of art is filled with bad manners, worse attitudes and true, yet astonishing, stories that have been swept under the rug for centuries. This series of short, concise essays in chapbook form emphasizes that the refined, but often rigid, environment of a gallery or museum can trick the viewer into thinking that art is polite, pretty and soothing. However, in reality it’s a slippery and cagey troublemaker that can challenge the viewer’s sense of the world and self. Works that challenge convention can push the viewer far from their comfort zones and shift all senses of awareness. Art, the people who make it and the way in which it is made all tell us something, large and small, about humanity, material culture, social norms and rogue outliers, all while trying to answer the huge question of…what is the purpose of art?