Synopses & Reviews
Change is no stranger to us in the twenty-first century. We must constantly adjust to an evolving world, to transformation and innovation. But for many thousands of creative artists, a torrent of recent changes has made it all but impossible to earn a living. A persistent economic recession, social shifts, and technological change have combined to put our artists — from graphic designers to indie-rock musicians, from architects to booksellers — out of work. This important book looks deeply and broadly into the roots of the crisis of the creative class in America and tells us why it matters.
Scott Timberg considers the human cost as well as the unintended consequences of shuttered record stores, decimated newspapers, music piracy, and a general attitude of indifference. He identifies social tensions and contradictions — most concerning the artist's place in society — that have plunged the creative class into a fight for survival. Timberg shows how America's now-collapsing middlebrow culture — a culture once derided by intellectuals like Dwight Macdonald — appears, from today's vantage point, to have been at least a Silver Age. Timberg's reporting is essential reading for anyone who works in the world of culture, knows someone who does, or cares about the work creative artists produce.
Review
“Scott Timberg’s Culture Crash is a valuable book because it describes the plight of American arts and culture as an ecological catastrophe, a disaster rooted in the conquest of a trickle-down mentality, intellectual as well as economic....This book should be read by anyone in the world of culture who wants to peer beyond the profitable illusions of middle class contentment touted by our various snake oil salesmen, from Richard Florida to universities, the mainstream media, and arts organizations....A passionate look down at the future.” Bill Marx, ArtsFuse
Synopsis
When artists and artisans cant make a living, the health of America's culture is at risk.
Synopsis
When artists and artisans can t make a living, the health of America s culture is at risk
Change is no stranger to us in the twenty-first century.We must constantly adjust to an evolving world, to transformation and innovation. But for many thousands of creative artists, a torrent of recent changes has made it all but impossible to earn a living. A persistent economic recession, social shifts, and technological change have combined to put our artists from graphic designers to indie-rock musicians, from architects to booksellers out of work. This important book looks deeply and broadly into the roots of the crisis of the creative class in America and tells us why it matters.
Scott Timberg considers the human cost as well as the unintended consequences of shuttered record stores, decimated newspapers, music piracy, and a general attitude of indifference. He identifies social tensions and contradictions most concerning the artist s place in society that have plunged the creative class into a fight for survival. Timberg shows how America s now-collapsing middlebrow culture a culture once derided by intellectuals like Dwight Macdonald appears, from today s vantage point, to have been at least a Silver Age. Timberg s reporting is essential reading for anyone who works in the world of culture, knows someone who does, or cares about the work creative artists produce."
About the Author
Scott Timberg, a former arts reporter for the Los Angeles Times, writes on music and culture and contributes to Salon and the New York Times. Over the past six years he has been an award-winning freelance journalist, a blogger on West Coast culture, and an adjunct writing professor. He runs ArtsJournal's Culture Crash blog and lives in Los Angeles.