Full Description
Moving Stones explores the extraordinary life and work of Edmonia Lewis, the Black and Ojibwe sculptor who rose to international fame in the nineteenth century. Blending biography, history, and theory, Jennifer DeVere Brody approaches Lewis's legacy through a Black feminist and queer lens, illuminating how her sculptures and self-fashioning challenged constraints of her time. Living much of her life in Rome as a free Afro-Native woman, Lewis used neoclassical forms to carve out a life in art. Brody considers how Lewis's works were viewed historically and how they resonate with postmodern artists, engaging themes of race, materiality, sexuality, and embodiment. Rethinking one of the most important sculptors of her era, Moving Stones shows how Lewis's art continues to inspire contemporary artists and scholars today.
Contents
List of Illustrations xi
Foreword xv
Introduction 1
1. A Head of Her Time 21
Interlude: Faith Ringgold 48
2. Animating Stones 57
Interlude: Beverly Buchanan 69
3. With Holding Hands 73
Interlude: Kent Monkman 101
4. About the Nude 105
Interlude: Mickalene Thomas 135
5. A Rose Somebody Knows 139
Interlude: Simone Leigh 152
6. About Photography 161
Interlude: Zanale Muholi 186
7. Engraving Edmonia 191
Interlude: Maud Sulter 207
Afterword 215
Acknowledgments 217
Notes 221
Index
