AN ARTIST RESPONDS TO POLITICAL INJUSTICE, a quality book on how and why an artist makes political art to demystify this genre for new artists and a broader lay audience. This is done via a retrospective of my political art works over the last 10 years.
Political and cultural art was an integral contribution to the civil rights movement. In the world we live in today it is needed more than ever. Quoting Rev. Matthew Fox,in his article for in Progressing Spirituality:
“Today, I also ask the question: Is it possible to understand 21st century spirituality without looking at today’s art? And if so, to whom should we turn? I highly recommend turning to artist/activist Jennifer Hereth, who looked back at her recent art work benefitting Syrian refugee centers and teaching in war-torn Sri Lankan villages as well as the rugged streets of Chicago where she lives to gift us with a spiritual testament for our times.
“She calls her book AN ARTIST RESPONDS TO POLITICAL INJUSTICE and it is a true Testament to our troubled times. Not only her paintings and projects, but her stories and the telling of the process that moves her to act and paint is included.”
During the recent pandemic, like so many others I was a daughter cut off from her 92 year old father over the course of a year. Of course, I called him everyday at his facility but conversation became strained as the constraints of what we could do in the world made for very uninspired conversation after a while.
So I decided I would write this book on my ten years of political artwork every morning and then send it to my dad at lunch for him to reread and edit in his afternoons as he was trained as a writer before serving 40 years in the church as a minister known for the excellent sermons he wrote and his unbounding involvement in community service across Chicagoland since the civil rights movement of the 60’s. My Dad also got to really know me as an artist for the first time in 40 years which was beautiful!
I wanted my book to reach out to people who might not understand what drives a painter and performance artist to take on “ugly” subjects and try to represent them as “beautiful” through different methods of art making not because they are pleasant but because tuning into the subjects and representing them is a beautiful act of being a spiritual, caring human being. In a very flattering review of the book: by The Moving Words,“Author Jennifer Hereth, makes an effort to shake us from our apathy.
In her opportune book, AN ARTIST RESPONDS TO POLITICAL INJUSTICE, she brandishes with authority “paint, paper and canvas’ and gift-wraps them in dabs of no-nonsense prose to plead for the realization of an all-inclusive United States of America, a land of dreams where the downtrodden, like the refugees of all color, black Americans, and Me Too women are allowed their moments in the sun.
The author-cum-artist is the archetype of a modern-day Artemis, a nurturing woman warrior. Her art that adorns most of the books pages is severe in its appearance. There is an odd comfort, however, in knowing that the artist does care deeply. It makes reading the book a journey of self-reflection and discovery. How the author’s art collection spurs the reader to action may become her best work yet.”
I wish to thank “Author’s Lounge” for this wonderful opportunity to share my story and my artwork with you.
My book and videos about it can be found on my website Jenniferhereth.com or at Amazon books under the title AN ARTIST RESPONDS TO POLITICAL INJUSTICE.
To learn more about Jennifer Hereth and her books check out Amazon, Goodreads, and her Google Books page.
