Hyperallergic's Banned Books Week Roundup Highlights Art Books and New York Art Book Fair
Lakshmi Rivera Amin of Hyperallergic reflects on Banned Books Week, drawing insights from her grandmother's experiences as a librarian in Texas for four decades. A report from the state reveals that during the 2003–4 academic year, several books were banned, notably Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. PEN America documented more than 11,900 book bans in public schools last year, with Texas accounting for over 8,100 of those. Reviews feature Tao Leigh Goffe discussing Turner and the Slave Trade, and Nageen Shaikh examining Ancient Egyptian craftspeople. Additional highlighted works include The Studio Museum in Harlem: A History, set for release on October 27, and Jasmine Weber's critique of Thinking From Black. Events scheduled include Hrag Vartanian's discussion on artistic freedom tonight and Catherine Liu's book launch on October 11.
Key facts
- PEN America tracked over 11,900 instances of book banning in public schools during the previous school year, over 8,100 in Texas.
- Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are (1963) is among thousands of titles still targeted for removal.
- Tao Leigh Goffe argues 'Turner and the Slave Trade' recasts Romanticism's relationship to nature and landscape painting as a vehicle for colonial propaganda.
- The Studio Museum in Harlem: A History will be published on October 27 by Yale University Press, chronicling the 58-year-old institution that reopened last November after a seven-year hiatus.
- Printed Matter's New York Art Book Fair held its 20th anniversary edition at MoMA PS1.
- Hrag Vartanian moderates a conversation on artistic freedom at Brooklyn Public Library tonight at 6:30pm.
- Catherine Liu launches 'Traumatized: The New Politics of Public Suffering' at Artbook at MoMA PS1 Bookstore in Long Island City, Queens, on October 11.
- Valentino asks fashion show attendees to bring favorite books, to be donated to local libraries, amid Banned Books Week.
Entities
Artists
- Lakshmi Rivera Amin
- Maurice Sendak
- Tao Leigh Goffe
- J. M. W. Turner
- Nageen Shaikh
- Henry Louis Gates Jr.
- Anna Lee
- Jasmine Weber
- Hrag Vartanian
- Catherine Liu
- Ken Chen
- Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
- Patricia Lockwood
- Chris Hayes
- Lisa Yin Zhang
- Stephanie Wambugu
- Arthur Jafa
- Rebecca Schiffman
- Phillip Pyle
- Izumi Suzuki
- Octavia Butler
- William Burroughs
- Alexandre Dumas
- Elaine Velie
Institutions
- Hyperallergic
- PEN America
- Studio Museum in Harlem
- Yale University Press
- Printed Matter
- New York Art Book Fair
- MoMA PS1
- Brooklyn Public Library
- Artbook at MoMA PS1 Bookstore
- Visual AIDS
- Valentino
- Yale Review
- The Walrus
- Grolier Club
- National Gallery of Art
Locations
- Texas
- United States
- Jamaica
- Harlem
- New York
- Long Island City
- Queens
- Manhattan
- Ancient Egypt
- Tokyo