Dan Elborne's brutal beauty

In this paper I give a critical account of the work of young Australian artist Dan Elborne. Drawing on the critical theory of Immanuel Kant, Walter Benjamin and others, I suggest that Dan Elborne's on-going project,500, brings together what critical theory and critical practice often treat as separate: beauty and the sublime. I argue that the deployment of the two seemingly opposed categories best explain the complex mix of aesthetics and politics in Elborne's art

Art in parallax: painting, place, judgment

[Abstract]The point of this thesis is to undertake a critical engagement with the art and life debate. This debate involves, in particular, the question of the location of art. Does art belong to an autonomous field removed from ‘everyday life’, or is art located amongst the objects and daily activities of our lives? Contributors to this debate usually defend one or the other position; either defending autonomy or arguing that art is, or at least should be, part of life. The debate is located through three historical points: the avant-gardes of the early 20th Century Europe; the neo-avant-garde of North America in the 1950s – 1970s; and American formalist art and criticism of the 1930s – 1970s. The thesis then engages the debate through more recent examples of art where the binary art/life is again the principal issue. Minimalism, Installation art, Site-specific art and Wall Painting are examined in the context of the ‘end’ of modernist painting. The argument presented by the thesis will be informed by a recently emerging theoretical frame which engages the reception of Kantian and Hegelian forms of aesthetic judgment. This critical context includes the Slovenian philosopher, Slavoj Zizek; the Marxist-Hegelian theory of the German critic, Peter Burger, and the U.S. formalist critic, Clement Greenberg. The positions held by these theorists and critics will be examined through examples of art from both the modern period and more contemporary works. Through this context, the thesis positions the art and life debate within a structural analysis, arguing that art, including objects of ordinary life understood as art, occupy places within an art structure. The thesis argues that the choice between art and life is not so much a positive choice of one or the other, but rather a choice between one and the same thing seen differently; that is, the one thing seen in parallax

Country Music Annual 2001

The swelling interest in popular music studies has far outpaced the outlets for publication. With the Country Music Annual, scholars, students, and interested readers have a place for sharing their research and ideas. The subjects of this second volume range from one of the very first musicians to make country records, Henry Gilliland, to the current avant-garde work of the alternative country band Uncle Tupolo. Ernest Tubb’s musical roots, the origins of one of Roy Acuff’s classic gospel songs, and the Carter Family’s rhythms are discussed in these pages. Even NASCAR makes an appearance. Advisory Board: Bill C. Malone, Nolan Porterfield, Jimmie Rogers, Curtis Ellison, William K. McNeil, Wayne W. Daniel, Joli Jensen. Charles K. Wolfe, professor of English and folklore at Middle Tennessee State University, is the author of numerous books, including A Good Natured Riot: The Birth of the Grand Ole Opry. James E. Akenson, professor of curriculum and instruction at Tennessee Technological University, is the founder of the International Country Music Conference. Provides a thoughtful and provocative discussion of country music. —American Reference Book Annual Wolfe and Akenson have provided another strong case for the infinite number of studies possible in this important genre of American music while presenting some of the talented researchers writing on country music today. —Arkansas Review Editors Akenson and Wolfe have scored a major hit by compiling such a diverse and enlightening group of essays. Reading this volume will be time well spent for anyone interested in this uniquely American art form. —Lexington Herald-Leader Although this compilation is designed for scholars of country music, the ten articles that comprise it contain enough anecdotes and odd facts to make the book appealing to all serious fans of the genre. . . . Uniformly thought-provoking, too. —Foreword The first and only country music publication of its kind. —Kentucky Living Reexamines what country music is and how it should be studies. . . . Provides cultural scholars and fans alike with thoughtful discussions about the musical genre that has taken its place as a fixture in American popular culture. —McCormick (SC) Messenger Delivers insight about the huge body of music falling under the term ‘country music’ and how the genre affects diverse aspects of the world. —Southern Living Those seeking a more rigorous scholarship will find the year’s Country Music Annual 2001 a useful challenge. —No Depressionhttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_music/1004/thumbnail.jp

The Women of Country Music: A Reader

Women have been pivotal in the country music scene since its inception, as Charles K. Wolfe and James E. Akenson make clear in The Women of Country Music. Their groundbreaking volume presents the best current scholarship and writing on female country musicians. Beginning with the 1920s career of teenage guitar picker Roba Stanley, the contributors go on to discuss Polly Jenkins and Her Musical Plowboys, 50s honky-tonker Rose Lee Maphis, superstar Faith Hill, the relationship between Emmylou Harris and poet Bronwen Wallace, the Louisiana Hayride’s Margaret Lewis Warwick, and more. Charles K. Wolfe, professor of English and folklore at Middle Tennessee State University, is the author of numerous books on music. James E. Akenson, professor of curriculum and instruction at Tennessee Technological University, is the founder of the international Country Music Conference. In this well-timed collection of essays, Wolfe and Akenson have compiled a solid representation of contemporary scholarship that focuses on the significant role female musicians have played in the development of country music. —Agricultural History Its contributors demonstrate that, although women have long been perceived to be on the periphery of country music, they have in fact been integral to its production from the earliest days of its commodification. —American Music Contains more than a dozen articles about famous, forgotten, or often ignored women who have shaped the country music industry. —Cookeville (TN) Herald-Citizen These well-researched 200-plus pages chronicle the pioneering women of country, whose immeasurable contributions and artistry have been allowed to gather dust for far too long. —Country Weekly A welcome addition to the modest resources available on women in country music. —Gulfstream Gathers a wide range of current scholarship in country music studies, reflecting disciplinary backgrounds from history, literature, musicology, and education alongside the scholarship of aficionados. —Indiana Magazine of History Needs to be placed for easy reference in the library of every country music scholar. —Lexington Herald-Leader This book is highly recommended for academic libraries and will make a fine contribution to both gender studies collections and collections with a focus on American vernacular music. —Library Journal A continually interesting series of articles about some of the best known performers as well as a few whose names were new to me. —Marietta (OH) Times Pays dues to these savvy new players, as well as to the performers who blazed a path for their success. —McCormick (SC) Messenger From the electric Roni Stoneman to the plucky Polly Jenkins, the womenpresented here pioneered trails for women in country music and receivedlittle attention as thanks—until now. The Women of Country Music turnsover new earth. —Michael Streissguth, author of Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Reader . In this serious but thoroughly readable anthology of the most outstanding writing and analysis of the careers and contributions of female country musicians, editors Wolfe and Akenson examine some world class and unforgettable performers, of any gender, in any musical genre. —Pegram (TN) Advocate Such a well-done and solid (yet fabulously readable) group of essays on an often-overlooked set of strong cookies that it deserves a lot more notice than it has received. —Rockland (ME) Courier Gazette What separates this book from most musical journalism is that its biographies cover great characters about whom few of us are aware, and its histories are almost universally unknown to us. —Splendid E-Zine Casting a net over country music’s better-known female performers and most interestingly over obscure pioneers, this collection . . . marks an important advance in the academic study of American popular music. —Tidal Wave Magazine A welcome resource in a field with too few. —Western Folklorehttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_music/1007/thumbnail.jp

Artistic freedom or animal cruelty? Contemporary visual art practice that involves live and deceased animals

This paper examines a selection of 21st-century international examples of exhibited visual artworks involving live or deceased animals. It seeks to reveal the risks and benefits of unique encounters with animals through art and to consider the ethical implications of artwork deploying animals. Australian and international animal protection laws are not explicit when it comes to the sourcing of animals for art nor for the direct inclusion of animals in artworks. This lack leads to a variety of artistic practices, some considered ethical while others are viewed as controversial, bordering on animal cruelty. Artwork selection is determined by a focus on high-profile artists who intentionally use animals in their practice and whose reputation has been fostered by this intention. The study provides insight into how the intentional use of ethically sourced animals within art practice can be a method of addressing hierarchal human–animal imbalances. Further, this study identifies unethical practices that may be best avoided regardless of the pro-animal political statements the artists put forward. Recommendations of how to better determine what is an acceptable use of animals in art with a view to informing legal guidelines and artistic best practice are presented