dc staff bookclub

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Voung

“Just finished it. Amazing.” - Angela Hall, Director of Learning

Hot, Cold, Heavy, Light: 100 Art Writings 1988-2018 by Peter Schjeldahl

“He is the famed New Yorker art critic and this book is a compilation of three decades of writing spanning from Old Masters to contemporary art. It's a great read!” - Emily Edwards, Curatorial Associate

Breaking Hate: Confronting the New Culture of Extremism by Christopher Picciolini

“This is a fantastic book (written by a former skinhead leader) for people who want a peek into what makes people choose extremist views and what we can do to combat them.” - Elijah Nelms, Visitor Services

Working for the Clampdown: The Clash, The Dawn of Neoliberalism and the Political Promise of Punk, Edited by Colin Coulter

“When I was in London for meetings around the Vivienne Westwood exhibition I found a moment to visit an exhibition commemorating the 30-year anniversary of the release of London Calling by The Clash. I had the opportunity to meet The Clash in the 1980s when my father was involved with the music business in my teen years.  Their music and messages had a profound impact on my life.  

This book culls together 11 essays  by a multi-disciplinary range of scholars contextualizing the band in their own time, while also exploring their contemporary significance. The London Calling song lyrics speak to geopolitical change, social turbulence and issued strong calls to action.

I'll never forget lead singer Joe Strummer saying punk rock means exemplary manners to your fellow human beings.  And without people, you're nothing.  Seems like an apropos sentiment for our times.” - Laurie Ann Farrell, Senior Curator

La Señora Imber Genio y Figura by Diego Arroyo Gil

“The book captures three years of conversations with one of the most iconic journalists and museum directors in Latin America, Sofia Imber (1925-2017). Imber, who called herself "the intransigent," turned a garage into the world renowned Caracas Museum of Contemporary Art where she was founder and director from 1973 until 2001 when she was abruptly fired by then leader Hugo Chavez. Her tireless work allowed for the museum collection to have works by Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Vasily Kandinski, Fernand Léger, Piet Mondrian, Andy Warhol and Francis Bacon.” - Carolina Alvarez-Mathies, Deputy Director

Art & Revolution: Writing on Literature, Politics, and Culture by Leon Trotsky

“After visiting Frida Kahlo’s home and Diego Rivera’s collection in Mexico City last year, I became interested in their history and what inspired them. After some research on their travels to New York and Detroit, I discovered that the Soviet revolutionary leader Leon Trotsky had a significant impact on their art, political thinking and way of live. Trotsky moved in exile to Mexico City and befriended the couple. The book examines literature, art, and culture in a period of working-class struggles of the time. Yet, from the vantage point of a leader of the early Soviet republic and then its defender against the political counterrevolution led by Joseph Stalin and his supporters, Trotsky examines the place of art and artistic creation in building a new society.” - Peter Doroshenko, Executive Director