Book Launch and Reading: “James Prosek: Art, Artifact, Artifice”

In the multidisciplinary book “James Prosek: Art, Artifact, Artifice,” award-winning artist, writer, and naturalist James Prosek, B.A. 1997, places man-made and nature-made objects on equal footing aesthetically, suggesting that the distinction between art and artifact is not as vast as we may believe. Drawing on the collections of the Yale University Art Gallery, the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, and the Yale Center for British Art, Prosek juxtaposes objects like a bird’s nest and dinosaur head with Asian handscrolls, an African headdress, modern masterpieces, and more. Prosek reads from the introduction to the publication, in which he discusses the origins of his deep connection with nature and his lifelong investigation into the boundaries that humans draw on the world around them. The reading is followed by an audience Q&A moderated by Tiffany Sprague, Director of Publications and Editorial Services. Program made possible by the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation. Publication made possible by Donna and Marvin Schwartz. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition “James Prosek: Art, Artifact, Artifice.”