Art, Engagement, Economy: the Working Practice of Caroline Woolard proposes a politics of transparent production in the arts, whereby heated negotiations and mundane budgets are presented alongside documentation of finished gallery installations.
Readers follow the behind-the-scenes work that is required to produce interdisciplinary art projects, from a commission at MoMA to a self-organized, international barter network with over 20,000 participants. With contextual analysis of the political economy of the arts, from the financial crisis of 2008 to the COVID pandemic of 2020, this book suggests that artists can bring studio-based sculptural techniques to an approach to art-making that emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration and dialogue.
Foreword by Patricia C. Phillips; introduction by Caroline Woolard; texts by D. Graham Burnett, Alison Burstein, Stamatina Gregory, Larissa Harris, Leigh Claire La Berge, Stephanie Owens, Cybele Maylone, Steven Matijcio, Sheetal Prajapati, Caitlin Rubin, Gabrielle Lavin Suzenski, and Caroline Woolard; interviews by Thyrza Nichols Goodeve and Tina Rivers Ryan.
Advance Praise
“I can’t think of a more relevant artist working today as her entire oeuvre operates at the intersection of art and the solidarity economy. What other work is there to do?”
Nato Thompson, Artistic Director of Philadelphia Contemporary
“Caroline Woolard is known for her open and inclusive process. Whether you are an artist, arts administrator, or anyone interested in interdisciplinary, collaborative work, this book is a dream come true; it pulls back the curtain on artistic production. It reveals Woolard's process from conception to team development to execution with details hard to find in any other source.
- Heather Bhandari, Program Director of The Art World Conference
“With her keen insight and expanded empathy, Caroline Woolard is a cultural leader for this moment and for future generations. Caroline’s new book is suffused with diverse voices that speak to a deep need for understanding the poetics of economic systems and how they influence and are influenced by diverse cultural and creative practices. There has never been a more important moment to see our world and what is possible through Caroline Woolard’s eyes than right now.”
Sanjit Sethi, President, The Minneapolis College of Art and Design
