We thought you might like a little more insight into the editorial minds involved in our publishing process, so here’s a peek into the world of our Visual Culture team!
Editor Lisa Goodrum has been been a part of the I.B.Tauris cohort for five fantastic years, moving from production through to editorial. With a background in fashion, she is one of our most stylish staff members and brings a keen, critical eye to the Visual Culture list. Her remit covers art, critical theory, gender and popular culture – publishing on everything from Derrida to dungarees.
Lisa can usually be found at her desk in the ‘editorial square,’ headphones in, statement glasses on, and focus turned up to full, but this week she’s attending the College Art Association Annual Conference in Los Angeles (yes, we tried to stowaway). Inspired by this and the #WhyILoveArt hashtag trending on Twitter (yes, we are a team chock-full of millennials), we stole a few quick moments of her time before she decamped for the West Coast and asked her to share some of her favourite artworks with us. This is what she had to say:
“I love art because it can change our perspective on so many wider issues such as sex, gender, race and class. It acknowledges people who may otherwise be marginalised and recognises their humanity. The most obvious and timely example I can think of is Kehinde Wiley and his portraits of young African-American men where he transforms them into heroic historical figures. My favourite is Napoleon Leading the Army.
Another incredible piece is Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, which I was lucky enough to see at the Brooklyn Museum. She literally gives women who have been erased from history a seat at the table and restores them to their rightful place.
I’m a big photography fan and I have recently discovered LaToya Ruby Frazier whose images portray a side of American life that is rarely discussed and people whose situation successive governments have failed to improve. Particularly striking are her pictures from Flint in Michigan where lead contaminated the drinking water supply.
Finally, Tim Walker is my favourite fashion photographer. His work is magical and he situates his subjects in a fashion fairyland in which he plays with proportion and perspective to create truly unique images. This picture of Karen Elson, where she is transformed into a doll-like character is one of my favourites.”
So, if you share some of Lisa’s top picks, and are in LA for CAA 2018 too – pop by the I.B.Tauris booth (#521) to say ‘hi’! Those of you who aren’t so lucky (like the rest of us in the office), can pitch Lisa a project by email, or find her tweeting from @LisaGoodrum.
Check out our new Visual Culture catalogue to track down some of Lisa’s books, find a full list of our team members here, and stay tuned for more editorial insights coming soon…
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