Art At The Margins

This book is a descriptive and historical study of§how Jennifer Kotter, Ray Materson and Bonnie§Peterson, three late 20th century artists, use their§experience, objects from everyday life, and the§techniques of women s work to create "art at the§margins." Levinson defines art at the margins as§art that is perceived to be low art, rather than§high art, because the artists use women s§work techniques stereotyped with domestic activities§and craft. Her discussion focuses on how the artwork§remains or transcends its status at the margins and§moves among diverse categories of art. Interviews§with the three artists reveal their life experiences§and views on their art. Each artist s medium is set§in an historical context to show how the medium§evolved, how certain perceptions became attached to§it, and how the concept of mainstream art changed§over time. Included are sections on female§stereotypes, embroidery, art quilts, and pluralist§art of the 1970s. Levinson s in-depth analysis sheds§light on the pluralism of art, techniques and§materials in the late 20th and early 21st centuries,§and should be useful to art critics, art historians,§students and cultural studies professionals.