In Why Draw?, Carol Hendrickson explores the potential of drawing within the context of ethnographic fieldwork. The book aims to inspire readers to immerse themselves in the generative process of thinking while seeing while drawing.

To foster visual thinking and encourage experimentation, Hendrickson discusses a range of case studies that show the possibilities of drawing in the field and thinking through the resulting drawings. Richly illustrated, the book focuses on current theoretical and methodological considerations in the social sciences, including semiotic issues of representation and indexicality, embodiment and the senses, affect, collaboration, and temporality. Chapters are supplemented with exercises, practical advice, and short interludes that provide inspiration.

At its heart, Why Draw? asks readers to create visual notes in new and different ways; contemplate a range of contemporary issues through the act of drawing; and explore the potential of drawing to act as a bridge between fieldwork and finished works destined for public presentation.

About the Author
Carol Hendrickson is a professor emerita of anthropology at Emerson College.

Reviews
"This book is not just for those who know and care about art and cultural politics in Yugoslavia...The real value in the book is the explicit analysis of the western bourgeois conception of art, it's supposed counter in actually existing socialism, and the gradual erosion of the pay and conditions of art workers according to national political imperatives and rapidly shifting geopolitical trends. As such, it deserves a large and diverse audience and seems set to have a long shelf-life and value beyond the current systemic polycrisis." -- Jon Blackwood, Gray's School of Art, Robert Gordon University * Left Art Review *
"It is here that the main strength of Praznik's book lies: in Praznik's unwavering commitment to leaving no ideological stone unturned and to demystifying even the dearest stories told by and to artists as well as by and to art appreciators." -- Andrija Filipovic, Singidunum University * H-Net Reviews (H-Socialisms) *



Book Information
ISBN 9781487556594
Author Carol Hendrickson
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint University of Toronto Press
Publisher University of Toronto Press
Weight(grams) 1g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 25mm