Making American Art

Making American Art presents a thematic, interdisciplinary examination of art in the United States from the seventeenth century to the present day. The themes and issues explored in Making American Art pull together documentary material, art works and contemporary theory to enliven what can often be a complex and geographically overwhelming history. The abiding and connective theme of the book is an extended and multidimensional examination of the perennial and vexing question: what is American about American art? In attempting an answer, the book draws upon topics that are not always present in conventional art-historical accounts — the education of the artist, the mechanisms for promoting and institutionalising art work, the facilities for reproducing and disseminating American art, and the organisation of artistic activities. In considering the quest for an authentic expression of Americanism in the visual arts this book incorporates areas that normally fall outside the remit of high art, such as the conditions under which American art was produced.