"By definition, a Southern sculptor is someone with a strong emotional and cultural connection to place which serves as nourishment for their creative practice. But, especially in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a more literal picture of the Southern sculptor was an able-bodied, white male. The physical demands of sculpting, along with the accepted notions of feminine propriety, often barred women from participating and succeeding in this art field. Yet, every so often, a woman sculptor would come along to challenge the conventions and obstacles presented to other aspiring female artists. One such woman was Enid Yandell. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1869, Yandell fully embodied what it meant to be a Southern artist, establishing her identity by disrupting the molds that society and the art establishment had imposed upon so many of her female contemporaries and predecessors. The life and work of Yandell provides a framework for examining the limitations female artists confronted during the early twentieth-century, and shows how her disruption of the rigid definition of women sculptors blazed a trail for those who followed. A lack of personal documents has made piecing together Yandell's private life a difficult task and no complete biography has been written until now. In Enid Yandell: Kentucky's Pioneer Sculptor, author Juilee Decker provides the first full-length biography of the artist. Decker documents Yandell's transition from a young, Southern amateur into award-winning sculptor, independent female artist and activist, and pioneer sculpting her legacy. Decker brings the artist's life and work into conversation with her contemporary artistic and cultural setting: an era simultaneously known for its World's Fairs and World Wars. Yandell's story provides insight into what it meant to be a female sculptor during this historical moment and draws attention to the legacy that her identity has inspired. This book, timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of her birth, presents a full biographical treatment of Enid Yandell, introduces fresh research from archival material, and seeks to foster new scholarship around Enid and her sculptural milieu"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.