Art As Labor

ART WORKERS NEWSLETTER / ART WORKERS' NEWS / ARTWORKERS' NEWS

Edited by Laurin Raiken, Bernie Brown, Saunders Ellis, Pamela Bickart, Alex Gross, Peter Leggieri, Daniel Grant, Elliot Barowitz et al.

1974-1979

Fourteen issues of this important and long-running NYC art newspaper, described by Gwen Allen as "the first artists' publication to focus sustained attention on artists' rights."

Very good.

Price: $350.00

ART WORKERS NEWSLETTER / ART WORKERS' NEWS / ARTWORKERS' NEWS

During its nearly two-decades-long run, the paper changed its name, format, and editors several times, but remained above all political in its motivations and focused on the material conditions of working artists in New York (and throughout the United States). Frequently-covered topics included government arts funding and lack thereof, struggles for affordable housing, wage and payment disputes with galleries and museums, issues of copyright and obscenity law, and health hazards associated with art-making materials. The paper often examined regional developments in artist politics throughout the U.S. as well, reporting specific legislation of arts funding and the decisive political players involved, and thus forms a valuable record of arts policy throughout the '70s through the Reagan years (with frequent attention given to grants through the NEA and other organizations).

Issues included: Vol. 1 No. 3 (1971), Vol. 4 No. 4 (May-June 1974), Vol. 4 No. 7 (October 1974), Vol. 5 No. 8 (November 1975), Vol. 5 No. 9 (Dec-Jan 1976), Vol. 6 No. 1 (April 1975), Vol. 6 No. 4 (September 1976), Vol. 6 No. 5 (October 1976), Vol. 7 No. 3 (November 1977), Vol. 7 No. 4 (January 1978), Vol. 7 No. 5 (February-March 1978), Vol. 7 No. 9 (July 1978), Vol. 8 No. 2 (1978), Vol. 8 No. 6 (February 1979).

The newspaper forms a valuable record of the downtown arts scene's political side during the 70s and 80s — not only in its attempts to organize and advocate for its own labor rights, but through an increasing focus on questions of race and gender as well.

Read more: Allen, Artists' Magazines, 240.

The Object

First edition. New York: National Art Workers Community / Foundation for the Community of Artists, 1974-1979. 14 volumes; most 16'' x 12''. Newsprint self wrappers all. Various paginations, most 8-26 pages. Toned as usual, but largely clean and readable. Several suffer small rips, but no major losses. Generally well-preserved.

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