Consuming stories Kara Walker and the imagining of American race Peabody, Rebecca creator author. text bibliography History. cau 2016 2016 monographic eng print 208 pages illustrations (some color) ; 27 cm "Rebecca Peabody uses the work of contemporary American artist Kara Walker to investigate a range of popular storytelling traditions with roots in the nineteenth century and ramifications in the present. Focusing on a few key pieces that range from a wall-size installation to a reworked photocopy in an artist's book, and from a theater curtain to a monumental sculpture, Peabody explores a significant yet neglected aspect of Walker's production: her commitment to exploring narrative depictions of race, gender, power, and desire. Consuming Stories considers Walker's sustained visual engagement with literary genres such as the romance novel, neo-slave narrative, and children's fairy tales, and internationally-known stories including Roots, Beloved, and Uncle Tom's Cabin. Walker's interruption of these familiar works, along with her generative use of the familiar in unexpected and destabilizing ways, reveals the extent to which genre-based narrative conventions depend on specific representations of race--especially as it is aligned with power, and desire. Breaking these implicit rules makes them visible - and, in turn, highlights viewers' reliance on them for narrative legibility. As this study reveals, Walker's engagement with narrative continues beyond her early silhouette work as she moves into media such as film, video, and sculpture--and when she works beyond the United States, using her tools and strategies to unsettle cultural histories abroad. Ultimately, Consuming Stories shifts the critical conversation around Walker away from the visual legacy of historical racism, and towards the present-day role of the entertainment industry--and its consumers--in processes of racialization."--Provided by publisher. Introduction : Kara Walker, Storyteller -- The end of Uncle Tom -- The pop of racial violence -- American romance in black and white -- The international appeal of race -- Storytelling in film and video -- Conclusion. Rebecca Peabody. Includes bibliographical references and index. Walker, Kara Elizabeth Themes, motives Walker, Kara Elizabeth Race in art African Americans in art Silhouettes United States History 19th century Installations (Art) United States African Americans in art Installations (Art) Race in art Silhouettes Themes, motives United States 1800 - 1899 fast N6537.W239 P43 2016 709.2 9780520288928 0520288920 2016020696 CU-S/DLC 160502 20170926151535.0 in00003714788 eng