Art from Start to Finish: Jazz, Painting, Writing, and Other Improvisations
edited by Howard S. Becker, Robert R. Faulkner and Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett
University of Chicago Press, 2006 Paper: 978-0-226-04085-1 | Cloth: 978-0-226-04084-4 Library of Congress Classification BH39.A697 2006 Dewey Decimal Classification 700.1
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
When is an artistic work finished? When the copyeditor makes the final correction to a manuscript, when the composer writes the last note of a symphony, or when the painter puts the last brushstroke on the canvas? Perhaps it's even later, when someone reads the work, when an ensemble performs, or when the painting is hung on a gallery wall for viewing?
Art from Start to Finish gathers a unique group of contributors from the worlds of sociology, musicology, literature, and communications—many of them practicing artists in their own right—to discuss how artists from jazz musicians to painters work: how they coordinate their efforts, how they think, how they start, and, of course, how they finish their productions.
Specialists in the arts have much to say about the works themselves, which are often neglected by scholarsi n other fields. Art from Start to Finish takes a different tack by exploring the creative process itself and its social component. Any reader who makes art or has an interest in it will value this book.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Howard S. Becker is the author of several books, including, most recently, Tricks of the Trade, also published by the University of Chicago Press. Robert R. Faulkner is professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He is the author of Music on Demand and HollywoodStudio Musicians.Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett is professor of performance studies at New York University. She is the author of Destination Culture.
REVIEWS
“This refreshing, invigorating volume contains high quality, relaxed writing by an array of scholars and artists who have thought deeply about questions of framing and finishing in the arts. Art from Start to Finish works as a set of riffs on the theme: each author gets to shine in their own solos while rich cross references underwrite its integrity. It is a wonderful book to think and play with.”--Geoffrey Bowker, Santa Clara University
— Geoffrey Bowker
“By making ‘start’ and ‘finish’ analytically problematic, everything in between becomes more interesting. This volume flashes with new clarities and, inspired by the wit of its editors, makes art and society come together in novel ways.”--Harvey Molotch, New York University
— Harvey Molotch
"The contributors have produced something akin to 'free jazz.' They have collaborated on a profound meditation about art that suggests topics even more profound. . . . Beyond opening collective reflection on 'the artwork itself,' this volume opens a line of inquiry into the nature of beauty and the meaning of life."
— Mark D. Jacobs, Newsletter of the Sociology of Culture
"There are many stimulating ideas in these essays. As a whole, the book is an existence proof that we can fruiifully study a single artwork, and it challenges sociologists of art to explore this new domain."
— Grant Blank, American Journal of Sociology
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword by Stanley Katz
Preface by Howard S. Becker, Robert R. Faulkner, and Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett
Editor's Introduction: Art from Start to Finish by Howard S. Becker, Robert R. Faulkner, and Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett
1. The Work Itself
Howard S. Becker
2. Profiles of the Unfinished: Rodin's Work and the Varieties of Incompleteness
Pierre-Michel Menger
3. "How do I know I am Finnish?" The Computer, the Archive, the Literary Artist, and the Work as Social Object
Michael Joyce
4. Shedding Culture
Robert R. Faulkner
5. What Is What I Do
Scott Deveaux
6. Grasping Shona Musical Works: A Case Study of Mbira Music
Paul Berliner
7. Economic Analysis and Steps toward Completing the Work
Richard E. Caves
8. The Fragment Itself
Larry Gross
9. Object / Shadows—Notes on a Developing Art Form
Larry Kagan
10. "This is a stone from the endless beach": An Interview with Max Gimblett
Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett
11. Art Works
Michael D. Harris
12. Wallace Stevens's Jar
Bruce Jackson
List of Contributors
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
Art from Start to Finish: Jazz, Painting, Writing, and Other Improvisations
edited by Howard S. Becker, Robert R. Faulkner and Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett
University of Chicago Press, 2006 Paper: 978-0-226-04085-1 Cloth: 978-0-226-04084-4
When is an artistic work finished? When the copyeditor makes the final correction to a manuscript, when the composer writes the last note of a symphony, or when the painter puts the last brushstroke on the canvas? Perhaps it's even later, when someone reads the work, when an ensemble performs, or when the painting is hung on a gallery wall for viewing?
Art from Start to Finish gathers a unique group of contributors from the worlds of sociology, musicology, literature, and communications—many of them practicing artists in their own right—to discuss how artists from jazz musicians to painters work: how they coordinate their efforts, how they think, how they start, and, of course, how they finish their productions.
Specialists in the arts have much to say about the works themselves, which are often neglected by scholarsi n other fields. Art from Start to Finish takes a different tack by exploring the creative process itself and its social component. Any reader who makes art or has an interest in it will value this book.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Howard S. Becker is the author of several books, including, most recently, Tricks of the Trade, also published by the University of Chicago Press. Robert R. Faulkner is professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He is the author of Music on Demand and HollywoodStudio Musicians.Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett is professor of performance studies at New York University. She is the author of Destination Culture.
REVIEWS
“This refreshing, invigorating volume contains high quality, relaxed writing by an array of scholars and artists who have thought deeply about questions of framing and finishing in the arts. Art from Start to Finish works as a set of riffs on the theme: each author gets to shine in their own solos while rich cross references underwrite its integrity. It is a wonderful book to think and play with.”--Geoffrey Bowker, Santa Clara University
— Geoffrey Bowker
“By making ‘start’ and ‘finish’ analytically problematic, everything in between becomes more interesting. This volume flashes with new clarities and, inspired by the wit of its editors, makes art and society come together in novel ways.”--Harvey Molotch, New York University
— Harvey Molotch
"The contributors have produced something akin to 'free jazz.' They have collaborated on a profound meditation about art that suggests topics even more profound. . . . Beyond opening collective reflection on 'the artwork itself,' this volume opens a line of inquiry into the nature of beauty and the meaning of life."
— Mark D. Jacobs, Newsletter of the Sociology of Culture
"There are many stimulating ideas in these essays. As a whole, the book is an existence proof that we can fruiifully study a single artwork, and it challenges sociologists of art to explore this new domain."
— Grant Blank, American Journal of Sociology
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword by Stanley Katz
Preface by Howard S. Becker, Robert R. Faulkner, and Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett
Editor's Introduction: Art from Start to Finish by Howard S. Becker, Robert R. Faulkner, and Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett
1. The Work Itself
Howard S. Becker
2. Profiles of the Unfinished: Rodin's Work and the Varieties of Incompleteness
Pierre-Michel Menger
3. "How do I know I am Finnish?" The Computer, the Archive, the Literary Artist, and the Work as Social Object
Michael Joyce
4. Shedding Culture
Robert R. Faulkner
5. What Is What I Do
Scott Deveaux
6. Grasping Shona Musical Works: A Case Study of Mbira Music
Paul Berliner
7. Economic Analysis and Steps toward Completing the Work
Richard E. Caves
8. The Fragment Itself
Larry Gross
9. Object / Shadows—Notes on a Developing Art Form
Larry Kagan
10. "This is a stone from the endless beach": An Interview with Max Gimblett
Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett
11. Art Works
Michael D. Harris
12. Wallace Stevens's Jar
Bruce Jackson
List of Contributors
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE