Artists' Books

In this book, artist and art historian Michael Harris investigates the role of visual representation in the construction of black identities, both real and imagined, in the United States. He focuses particularly on how African American artists have responded to--and even used--stereotypical images in their own works.

A bold and personal literary exploration of America's racial history by "the single best writer on the subject of race in the United States" (The New York Observer). In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation's history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of "race," a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men--bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion.

Presents 37 artists, taking viewers into artists' studios, homes, and communities to provide an intimate view of their lives, work, creative processes, and sources of inspiration. Artists include Michael Ray Charles and Kara Walker.

Photographs and text by Robbie McClaran in University of Oregon Special Collections library. You can make an appointment to see them: spcarref@uoregon.edu.