a book
Old in Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over
Nell Painter · 2018 · 353 pages
Following her retirement from Princeton University, celebrated historian Dr. Nell Irvin Painter surprised everyone in her life by returning to school--in her sixties--to earn a BFA and MFA in painting. In Old in Art School, she travels from her beloved Newark to the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design; finds meaning in the artists she loves, even as she comes to understand how they may be undervalued; and struggles with the unstable balance between the pursuit of art and the inevitable, sometimes painful demands of a life fully lived. How are women and artists seen and judged by their age, looks, and race? What does it mean when someone says, "You will never be an artist"? Who defines what "An Artist" is and all that goes with such an identity?--from publisher's description.
recommended by 2 people
sourced from public statements
Austin Kleon
“This was an experimental pick. I didn’t read it before choosing — I thought it’d be fun to read fresh, along with everyone else. Ironically, it wasn’t quite my cup of tea! I wanted Painter (talk about nominative determinism!) to be more critical of the whole idea of going to art school, but she’s an academic, after all, so I don’t think questioning the value of formal education is part of her project. I also wanted her to be more critical of the concept of being a ‘real’ artist, or what she calls ‘An Artist Artist.’ (Other readers really liked it and said they were exposed to a lot of artists they’d never heard of.)”↗
