Join us! The DelArt Readers, a community-led book club, meets monthly to discuss, debate, celebrate, and share both works of fiction and non-fiction. Our selections are focused on art, artists, and/or the artistic process either in general or in response to the Museum’s collections or exhibits. In addition to our interest in art and artists, we also seek to create a sense of community, conversation, and connection.
Josephine Baker’s Last Dance by Sherry Jones. A fictionalized look at the life of the vivacious singer, dancer, actress, and activist. This book selection is a tie-in with the Distinguished Artist Exhibition featuring James E. Newton whose compositions explore social justice and American history. (Fiction)
A Rift in the Earth: Art, Memory and the Fight for a Vietnam War Memorial by James Reston Jr. The remarkable story of the “ferocious art war” that raged between 1979 and 1984 over what kind of memorial should be built to honor the men and women who died in the Vietnam War. (Non-fiction)
Attribution by Linda Moore. An art historian finds a mysterious Spanish painting hidden in a university basement and takes the painting to Spain to try to uncover the clues to a historical puzzle from 17th century. (Fiction)
All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley. A portrait of the Metropolitan Museum and its treasures by a staffer who spent a decade as a museum guard. He shares his insights into the artwork, encounters with museum visitors, and the rigors of museum work. (Non-fiction)
Alena by Rachel Pastan. In a modern take on Daphne du Maurier’s classic Rebecca, a young curator at a Cape Cod art museum finds herself haunted by the legacy of her predecessor. (Fiction)
Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle by Clare Hunter. A globe-spanning history of sewing, embroidery, and the people who have used a needle and thread to make their voices heard. The topics include World War I soldiers coping with PTSD, the AIDS quilt, Hmong story clothes, and maps sewn by schoolgirls in the New World. (Non-fiction)
“Stealing is Easy. Giving it Back is Hard” – a three part Freakonomics podcast series on stolen art repatriation. Interviews include scholars, economists, museum staff, and government officials. We will discuss Episode 541 (“The Case of the $4 Million Gold Coffin”), Episode 542 (“Is a Museum Just a Trophy Case?”), & Episode 543 (“How to Return Stolen Art”) originally broadcast in May 2023. You can listen to them on freakonomics.com or via your favorite podcast provider. (Non-fiction)
Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen. A life-altering journey through the science of neuroaesthetics, which offers proof for how our brains and bodies transform when we participate in the arts. (Non-fiction)
Empress of the Nile: The Daredevil Archeologist Who Saved Egypt’s Ancient Temples from Destruction by Lynne Olson. The remarkable story of the intrepid French archaeologist who led the international effort to save ancient Egyptian temples from the floodwaters of the Aswan Dam. (Nonfiction)
Still Lives by Maria Hummel. Set against a culture that often fetishizes violence, this mystery novel tells the story of a missing artist and a museum staffer determined to find her. (Fiction)
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel. The true story of the world’s most prolific art thief who carried out more than 200 heists over ten years. (Non-fiction)