Trading on Art - by Sarah E K Smith (Paperback)
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About this item
Highlights
- Explores how the art world navigated North American free trade.
- About the Author: Sarah E.K. Smith is associate professor in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at Western University, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Art, Culture, and Global Relations and leads the Practitioner Media Lab.
- 296 Pages
- Art, Art & Politics
Description
Book Synopsis
Explores how the art world navigated North American free trade. The 1989 Canada-US Free Trade Agreement and 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement reinvented the concept of North America as a cohesive whole, united by free trade. But within the bold concept of continental unity lay a paradox. While art was mobilized to frame the new narrative, culture itself was explicitly excluded from the agreements that implemented this vision. Trading on Art brings culture to the foreground by examining how artworks, exhibitions, and museum programs from the 1980s to 2010 mediated North American free trade, from government-supported cultural diplomacy initiatives to activist art that confronted impending US hegemony. Sarah E.K. Smith reveals how Canadian artists engaged with, contested, and reflected on free trade, paying particular attention to the ways in which art was used to forge ties between Canada and Mexico and to circulate ideas about North American identity. Her nuanced analysis convincingly makes the case for the centrality of art in conceptualizing continental unity.Review Quotes
"A tour de force of cultural analysis, Trading on Art will enrich the fields of Canadian studies, American studies, border studies, cultural studies, communications studies, and art history immensely."-- "Gillian Roberts, professor of contemporary literature and culture, University of Nottingham"
"Smith brings the conversation about North American cultural integration into an entirely new realm. Trading on Art is a book that will be read not only in its time but for years to come."-- "Melissa Aronczyk, professor of journalism and media studies, Rutgers University"
About the Author
Sarah E.K. Smith is associate professor in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at Western University, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Art, Culture, and Global Relations and leads the Practitioner Media Lab. She is the author of General Idea: Life & Work and coeditor, with Sascha Priewe, of Museum Diplomacy: How Cultural Institutions Shape Global Engagement. She is also a co-founder of the North American Cultural Diplomacy Initiative.Dimensions (Overall): 9.0 Inches (H) x 6.0 Inches (W)
Weight: 1.0 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 296
Genre: Art
Sub-Genre: Art & Politics
Publisher: University of British Columbia Press
Format: Paperback
Author: Sarah E K Smith
Language: English
Street Date: November 19, 2025
TCIN: 1006060907
UPC: 9780774868921
Item Number (DPCI): 247-33-0502
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
Shipping details
Estimated ship dimensions: 1 inches length x 6 inches width x 9 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 1 pounds
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