Day Jobs

For all our sakes, I hope Deborah Roberts continues to stake a claim, through her work, for a more expansive view of Black children.

– Dawoud Bey

Deborah Roberts: 20 Years of Art/Work provides the definitive look at the artist’s practice over the past two decades. With newly commissioned texts and a thorough dive into Roberts’ archive, this monograph offers a comprehensive view of one of today’s most significant artists and social observers. An extensive plate section is accompanied by a personal, heartfelt foreword from Dawoud Bey on “the tragic mischaracterization of Black children”; an insightful essay from Ekow Eshun on the social and political histories of innocence, race, and the fractured nature of the contemporary Black experience; a celebratory tribute from Carolyn Jean Martin on the musicality, humility, and generosity of Roberts’ practice; and a free-ranging conversation between Roberts and Sarah Elizabeth Lewis.

Since the beginning of her artistic career, otherness has been at the center of Roberts’ consciousness. Her early ideals of race and beauty were shaped by and linked through Renaissance art and fashion magazines— mythical, heroic, beautiful, and powerful images that embodied a particular status not afforded equally to anyone Roberts knew. Influencing the way she viewed herself and other African Americans, those images led her to investigate the way their identities had been imagined and shaped by societal interpretations of beauty. Having one’s identity dismantled, marginalized and regulated to non-human status demanded action. This led Roberts to critically engage image-making in art history and pop-culture, and ultimately grapple with whatever power and authority these images have over the female figure.  

The first book to demystify the process of producing and publishing a book of photographs, Publish Your Photography Book was originally released in 2011 and subsequently sold out two editions. This highly anticipated third edition guides photo-based artists through the steps involved in publishing a book of their work. Industry insiders Darius D. Himes and Mary Virginia Swanson survey the current landscape of photography book publishing and point out the many avenues to pursue and pitfalls to avoid.

This updated, expert guide covers: a history of the photobook; an overview of the publishing industry; the process of bringing your project to the book form (with both traditional publishing and self-publishing options); how to market a photography book (including a dialogue with collectors on the limited edition and artist-made books); unique case studies with published photographers; and valuable resources on production materials, publishing and marketing timelines. Filled with educational wisdom, the book features interviews and contributions from artists, agents, editors, designers, printers, publishers, distributors, book sellers, curators and librarians who openly share their experiences and provide advice about each step on the path to publication and placement. A removable workbook helps readers address book preparation, draft submission guidelines, production timelines, and marketing plans. With over fifty years of combined industry experience and insights, the authors also provide both historical context and contemporary expertise about the international photobook scene, including awards, fairs, and grants.

Korean edition available from Datz Press.

LeWitt’s work calls our attention to the disparity between the world of language and that of objects and actions. By focusing on the disjunction between these terms, LeWitt bridged the gap between Minimalism and Conceptual art.

— Saul Ostrow, BOMB

Sol LeWitt: Not to Be Sold for More Than $100 explores the little-known but fascinating body of conceptualist pioneer Sol LeWitt’s folded, torn, and cut paper works, which he created from approximately 1971 to 1980. LeWitt referred to these works as the “R” drawings (for rip) and also as “hundred dollar drawings,” since he wanted them to be sold for $100 in perpetuity. “His wall drawings were already selling for thousands of dollars, so he wanted to have some artwork that everybody could buy,” notes Jason Rulnick. Thanks to extensive research throughout various private and public collections around the world, this volume includes over 100 color plates. In the high-flying commerciality of the contemporary art world, LeWitt’s intention and foresight for this body of work resonates more than ever.

… his masterpiece, the grandest exploration of pure color and form in a seven-decade career spent testing the boundaries of both.

— M. H. Miller, The New York Times

Envisioned by Ellsworth Kelly as a site for joy and contemplation, Austin is a cornerstone of the Blanton Museum of Art’s permanent collection and a new icon for the city in which it stands. This comprehensive book provides a thorough look at the project, from its inception to its current position as one of the artist’s most important and enduring works. Though mostly abstract, Kelly’s work is deeply rooted in his love of nature and his close observation of the world around him, and Austin’s design elements are no exception. 

An essay by Carter E. Foster, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs and Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Blanton Museum of Art, sheds light on how Austin fits with Kelly’s wider practice.

This book is now RARE | $150