{"product_id":"the-way-to-be-a-memoir-9781606068212","title":"The Way to Be: A Memoir","description":"\u003cb\u003eA firsthand account of the life and work of Barbara T. Smith, one of the most important yet underrecognized performance artists in the United States.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e For over fifty years, Barbara T. Smith has been at the forefront of artistic movements in California. Her work across many mediums explores concepts that strike at the core of human nature, including sexuality, physical and spiritual sustenance, technology, and death. In this memoir, Smith weaves together descriptive accounts of her pioneering performances with an intimate narrative of her life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Way to Be \u003c\/i\u003ecovers the years 1931 to 1981, up to the artist's fiftieth birthday, resulting in an exhaustive catalogue of her early work. It reveals the personal stories and events behind her pieces and the challenges she faced in an art world dominated by sexism and machismo. Drawing on Smith's archive at the Getty Research Institute, this enthralling book presents previously unpublished notes, documents, photographs, and firsthand accounts of her life and practice, as well as her more recent reflections on the past. \u003ci\u003eThe Way to Be \u003c\/i\u003edemonstrates Smith's lasting contributions to the field of contemporary art and provides an engaging commentary on a recent period of great cultural and political change. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e This volume is published to accompany an exhibition on view at the Getty Research Institute at the Getty Center from February 28 to July 16, 2023.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBarbara T. Smith is an American artist who has worked in the varied forms of painting, drawing, installation, video, performance, and artist's books, and often involves her own body as a vehicle for her productions.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Getty Research Institute","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50391573758226,"sku":"9781606068212","price":41.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_ead3b909-5c4b-49f9-b3ec-74e6824c6f3e.jpg?v=1728964140","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-way-to-be-a-memoir-9781606068212","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}