Taking Place: Building Histories of Queer and Feminist Art in North America by Erin Silver

Description

How do artists create space for voices and visions that traditional institutions have often overlooked?

In Taking Place: Building Histories of Queer and Feminist Art in North America, art historian Erin Silver examines the rich and complex history of alternative art spaces that have fostered queer and feminist creativity across Canada and the United States. Spanning more than five decades, the book traces how artists, curators, and activists have built communities and cultural networks outside conventional artistic structures.

Through a series of regional case studies, Silver investigates the evolving meaning of “alternative” space and the critical role these environments have played in supporting experimental practices, political engagement, and marginalized voices. From artist-run centers and community-based initiatives to independent exhibition spaces and activist collectives, these sites have helped shape contemporary understandings of art, identity, and social change.

The book also considers how contemporary queer and feminist artists engage with the histories they inherit. By revisiting past movements and institutions, they challenge established narratives while imagining new possibilities for artistic production, collaboration, and resistance.

Combining rigorous scholarship with accessible analysis, Taking Place offers valuable insights into the intersections of art history, queer studies, feminist theory, and cultural activism. It reveals how alternative spaces have functioned not only as locations for artistic expression but also as laboratories for social transformation and collective imagination.

An essential resource for students, scholars, artists, and readers interested in contemporary art, LGBTQ+ history, and feminist cultural movements, this book illuminates the enduring impact of spaces created by and for communities seeking to reshape the cultural landscape.

Book Details

• Author: Erin Silver
• ISBN: 9781526198136
• Format: Paperback
• Series: Rethinking Art’s Histories
• Genre: Art History, Queer Studies, Feminist Studies