Testimony: Vernacular Art of the African-American South: The Ronald and June Shelp Collection [Hardcover]

Kinshasha Conwill . (Author), Arthur C. Danto (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2002

Speaking powerfully and directly to a growing audience, African-American vernacular art is making its mark in the art world. In this outstanding collection of contemporary art, works by 27 self-taught artists bear eloquent testimony to the social, cultural, and spiritual experiences of Southern African Americans.

Thornton Dial Sr., Ronald Lockett, Bessie Harvey, Mose Tolliver, and Purvis Young head a roster of leading artists in this genre. Five scholars explore the significance of these emotionally charged, culturally complex artworks and their context in the larger art world; brief biographies and the artists' own statements are included.

Testimony accompanies a traveling exhibition organized by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and Exhibitions International.
171 illustrations, 101 in full color, 192 pages, 91/4 x 101/4"

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Once categorized as folk but more recently described as outsider or vernacular, the work of essentially self-taught artists has gained in reputation and value in the last half-century. Testimony is the catalog for a traveling exhibition organized by the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture that features 27 Southern African American vernacular painters and sculptors whose artwork is part of the Ronald and June Shelp Collection. Some of the featured artists are well known in the field, including Thornton Dial Jr., who appeared in the 2000 Whitney Biennial. Preceding the biographical information and catalog entries, which are accompanied by portraits of the artists and color reproductions of the objects in the exhibition, are a series of essays by leading scholars on this subject. Besides providing social, art historical, and interpretive commentary on the collection, several essays raise intriguing issues regarding the changing views of the concept of folk, outsider, and vernacular art in contemporary criticism. Although sometimes pedantic, this book can be recommended to any library with an interest in art or African American studies. Eugene C. Burt, Data Arts, Seattle
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The more attention art historians and critics pay to "outsider" or "vernacular" art, the fuzzier the boundaries become between "in" and "out." Contemporary art is all about going beyond the quotidian to illuminate the deepest reaches of the human condition; it has nothing to do with college degrees or artistic movements and ultimately transcends race, class, and geography. Interest in the work of self-taught African American artists living and working in the South has increased rapidly of late, recognition affirmed and bolstered by this expert consideration of 27 phenomenally talented artists. So potent and evocative are the sculptures and paintings shown here that without the prompting of commentary, the word vernacular wouldn't come to mind, a fact Arthur C. Danto elucidates with his signature verve in his clarion essay, "The End of the Outsider." Danto's is one of five insightful discussions that launch the body of the book, in which vibrant, beautifully reproduced works by such inspired artists as Thorton Dial Sr., Lonnie Holley, and Ronald Lockett are accompanied by biographical profiles. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810944847
• ISBN-13: 978-0810944848
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 9.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #607,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable information - insightful essays, December 30, 2002

By 

C Stillwell (Macon, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Testimony: Vernacular Art of the African-American South: The Ronald and June Shelp Collection (Hardcover)

Not your everyday book on Outsider Art. While most art books on this subject just showcase collectors' investments, Testimony includes critical studies on the ways collections have been organized and new historical information about the relationship between African American vernacular art and the Outsider movement. All of the essays address hard questions and give you something to think about. In a field noted for its ugly politics, collectors Ronald and June Shelp have been brave and responsible in supporting this kind of writing.

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Special, June 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Testimony: Vernacular Art of the African-American South: The Ronald and June Shelp Collection (Hardcover)

This is a weak survey of African-American "vernacular art". There are a few pieces of artwork shown for the various artists covered and a short bio. Nothing in depth in terms of the artwork shown or the information given. This is basically your standard collection of the usual suspects in folk art today. A little bit of Dial, Tolliver, Young, Burnside, Light, etc. And the pieces shown aren't that special. It's great they've got a couple of Mose Tolliver's, but they aren't that special in the overall spectrum of Mose's work. Since nothing is in-depth, I'm not really sure what the point of this book is as it adds nothing new to the field. It's great Ronald and June Shelp own all these pieces, but so what? Good for them, but the book adds nothing for the reader. A much better survey is Souls Grown Deep. Much more expensive, but well worth it.