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"[O]ne doesn't want to insist that the conceptualist movement is without point. It may, indeed, be heralding the complete collapse of art into philosophy. Several possibilities suggest themselves. Perhaps we should now leave art to philosophers who would seem to be, on this thesis, especially well suited to the tasks of "framing propositions," "advancing investigations," "initiating inquiries," etc. Or perhaps we should recognize that a Hegelian dialectical apocalypse is coming to pass, and that the apologia pro vita artis conceptualis documented in this anthology signals the death of art." --The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 1974

Artist and author, Ursula Meyer originally wrote and edited Conceptual Art in 1972. Though reviewers of the time were convinced neither of the budding movement's viability, nor of Meyer's analysis of it in her introductory essay, they did concede the book's value as a "small, cheap, portable museum" of post-object art as it captured the conceptual work of some 40 different artists of the time. 25 years after its original publication, Conceptual Art has establish its place in the canon, Meyer's thesis endures, and only the book itself has fallen (needlessly) out of print.

Thanks to artist Alex Klein for reminding us of Meyer's book in her essay "Remembering and Forgetting Conceptual Art", posted at Words Without Pictures, April 2008.

Project Notes:
For this project, contemporary artist, professor and author Owen Smith proposes: "updating and expanding the basic project as it is concerned with presenting and documenting the forms and nature of conceptual art.... the basic idea is to create a contemporary version of the book in which updates or analogs of the past work in contemporary form are gathered and presented in an homage to Meyer's classic edition."

The team could potentially produce this project in two separate volumes (one classic, one new);  or as a single, bound volume with the texts interspersed; or in a single volume of only the new text, subsequently packaged with vintage copies of Meyer's original. One of the first tasks for the team will be to contact the author's estate to determine copyright status and seek their approval of the project.

The Project Team (Contact )

• Project Manager: Krista Molnar
  
• Editor/Author: Owen Smith
  
• Publicist: apply
• Designer: apply
• Bookstore Sponsor: apply