Nonconformers : a new history of self-taught artists /

In this ambitious undertaking Slominski intervenes in histories of outsider art. She is an expert on the subject, and she succeeds in her goal of "present[ing] biographies, ideas, and interviews that disrupt the broad assumptions and stigmas applied throughout the categorization of self-taught." Complex in its organization, Nonconformers opens with productive introductory essays that clearly and concisely provide the framework for the book's three sections: "20th-Century Origins and Representation," "Disparate Boundaries," and "Compositions." Each section comprises three to four essays written by a cohort of nine contributors, including curators, gallerists, editors, directors, and others representing varied perspectives. A discussion of an individual artist or an interview follows each author's entry, along with five short vignettes of other creatives ranging from Lonnie Holley to Hilma af Klint. The result is a compendium that charts a good deal of fresh territory in how art of the self-taught can be productively discussed without recourse to a connoisseurship of dysfunction, valorization of the margins, or anxieties of authenticity. For all its structural intricacy, Nonconformers affords an accessible, thoughtful, and instructive provocation and synthesis. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals; general readers. --Bernard L. Herman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Some art experts may quibble at the designation of "nonconformer" to describe the artists presented here but will acknowledge that alternative descriptors like "outsider," "self-taught," and "folk" are equally problematic. Nomenclature aside, this volume serves as an expansive and thoroughly illustrated introduction to a selection of 65 artists not fully represented in the traditional art historical canon. Editor Slominski is former curator of the London-based Museum of Everything and lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. Introductions to each chapter are provided by nine art historians and experts, providing curatorial context for the artists' biographies and oeuvres. Slominski is an advocate for recognizing neurodiversity in art and includes multiple artist interviews to allow those voices to be heard. The book's scope is broad, chronologically and geographically; among its artists are the well-known Grandma Moses and Henry Darger and the less-familiar Mamadou Cissé and Marguerite Sirvins. VERDICT This useful volume is an important entry point to a more inclusive and accessible art world.--Nancy B. Turner