The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture
(Hardback)
Publishing Details
The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture
By (Author) Karen Lemmey
By (author) Tobias Wofford
By (author) Grace Yasumura
Contributions by Elizabeth Hutchinson
Contributions by Claudia E. Zapata
Contributions by James Smalls
Contributions by Rene Ater
Contributions by Jacqueline Francis
Contributions by Tess Korobkin
Contributions by Jami Powell
Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press
19th February 2025
United States
Classifications
Tertiary Education
Non Fiction
History of art
Social discrimination and social justice
730.973
Physical Properties
Hardback
292
Width 241mm, Height 305mm
Description
A major new survey of American sculpture, exploring how it both reflects and redefines concepts of race and identity in the United States
When viewing a sculpture, how quickly do we tend to assign race to the subject The three-dimensional qualities of sculpture give it a distinct advantage over other art forms in capturing a subjects likeness, and our minds can swiftly conjure a body and racialize it from the most minimal of prompts. The Shape of Power examines American sculpture from the mid-nineteenth century to today, showing how this medium gives physical form to racist ideas and has shaped how generations have learned to visualize and think about race.
Exploring the relationship between sculpture and ideas about race in the United States, this book provides fresh perspectives on artists ranging from Hiram Powers, Edmonia Lewis, and Augusta Savage to Barbara Chase-Riboud, Titus Kaphar, Raven Halfmoon, Sanford Biggers, Betye Saar, Yolanda Lpez, and Simone Leigh. It reveals how sculptors use this versatile medium to challenge discriminatory ideologies and entrenched social and cultural constructions of race while offering bold new visions of community, identity, and selfhood.
Featuring superb illustrations of sculptural works in a broad range of media, The Shape of Power exposes the racist undertones inherent in American sculpture and reflects on the enduring power of sculpture in the making and unmaking of race in the United States.
Published in association with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC
Exhibition Schedule
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC
November 8, 2024September 14, 2025
Author Bio
Karen Lemmey is the Lucy S. Rhame Curator of Sculpture at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Tobias Wofford is associate professor of art history at Virginia Commonwealth University. Grace Yasumura is assistant curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
