Customer Reviews

Mary Colter: Builder Upon the Red Earth (Grand Canyon Association)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Builder upon the Red Earth" is not the slick tome of expensive color photographs and analytical drawings that Mary Colter's unique contribution to Twentieth Century American Architecture deserves. However, this essentially biographical book is the only one in print showing pictures and telling the history of Mary Colters extrodinary talent.It is not clear if Mary Colter's obscurity is due to the fact that she was a woman practicing architecture in a time when the field was dominated by men or if the remote Southwestern locations of her most interesting works kept them hidden form view, but it is high time more people took a serious look at her work. Colter's projects, which are "built ruins" foreshadow the work of Western deconstructionist architects like Antoine Predoc or Tom Maine. Showing the work of Colter which is almost 80 years ahead of its time "Builder upon the Red Earth" should be in every young architects library.

This book is exactly what you'd expect from a book purchased at a gift shop at the Grand Canyon, bland.

It is by no-means in-depth and spends more time describing the antiques that Colter decorated her buildings with than with her life. Colter was a fascinating woman and I would have liked to learn more about her than this book provided.

Being as how Colter isn't exactly someone you're likely to read more than one book about, I would recommend purchasing something with more pictures and information than this one, which is more just a basic outline.

Mary Colter was an amazing woman. As an architect, she built structures that blend into the native landscapes in ways that enhance the landscape rather than detract from it. Her sense of style is still very much with us today in her love for Native American furnishings and artifacts. Her attention to detail has been largely responsible for the recognition of Southwestern art by those of us who live outside the region.

That said, the book is a bit lean. It seems to be written for the casual reader rather than the scholar. But, given that it is marketed to the reading tourists, this is most probably appropriate. The many pictures (about half the pages) really help to bring the text to life.

This book is a wonderful souvenir from the southwest, especially the Grand Canyon. This is its scope. Much more could have been written about Colter as one who broke through gender restrictions, about the spirituality that informed her work, and other topics. Depending on the reader's interests, this could be a plus or a minus. To this reader, it was just about the right level of detail.

Although I agree with the reviewer who says that Mary Colter deserves a far better book, I still highly recommend this one, as at least it fills in a gap that's almost the same size as the canyon where Colter's buildings still stand today. More people should read it so that some will be inspired to write more!