Take a break from the news! Each week, we’ll be sharing a list of recommended readings, audiobooks and/or videos provided by a member of Ruby City’s community. We started by asking Randy Guthmiller, our Manager of Visitor Experiences, what’s on his bookshelf and video feed.

Dreaming Red: Creating ArtPace by Eleanor Heartney, Jan Jarboe Russell, and Linda Pace
I decided to focus my reading list on books and essays that will help visitors have a deeper connection to the collection, and mission of Ruby City and the Linda Pace Foundation. Dreaming Red tells the story of Linda Pace and it’s a key book in understanding her deeply personal motivations to dedicate her life to art - collecting art, supporting artists and creating her own work.

The Descent of Man by Grayson Perry
Grayson Perry’s book, The Descent of Man is about what it means to be a man in the 21st century. One of Perry’s works, Untitled (2001) an image utilizing the likeness of actress Sarah Jessica Parker on top of an entombed Egyptian mummy, is on view at Ruby City’s Studio

Leonardo Drew on Art21: Art in the Twenty-First Century
I love artist Leonardo Drew's appearance on season 7 of Art21, the award-winning PBS-broadcast television series about contemporary art. The series presents a beautiful portrait of the artist and includes mention of his time living and working in San Antonio.

Stranger in the Village by James Baldwin 
Stranger in the Village is the James Baldwin essay used, though barely visible, by Glenn Ligon in his Stranger series. Stranger in the Village #11 (1998) which is part of this series is currently on view in Waking Dream. Baldwin’s essay recounts his experiences as the first African American to visit a small Switzerland town in the mid 20th century.

Stranger in America by Carly Berwick for Art in America 
In addition to reading the Baldwin essay, I recommend reading Carly Berwick’s May 2011 Art in America essay Stranger in America which addresses Ligon’s practice of combining images and text to investigate how identity is constructed in America.