My summer curriculum
Four themes for a summer of art & reading
I am prone to consuming media in an intuitive manner, or not at all. I max out my allotted library holds with books I’ve heard from newsletters or podcasts, then pick whatever tickles my fancy when they become available. I watch little bits of movies and TV shows, quick to abandon them when I’m not “feeling it” anymore.
All of this leads to not watching or reading as much or as purposefully as I’d like. Watchlists and TBR shelves go ignored in favor of snappily edited Youtube videos and buzzy book releases. I have it as a goal this autumn to read Swann’s Way, so I’d like to develop more patience for reading and watching more demanding material.
After reading postcards by elle’s seasonal media guide, I’ve outlined a media curriculum of my own this summer. A syllabus, if you will, sans any specific progression so that inspirations combine into compost, inseparable from each other.
Below you’ll find the four themes I’ll be studying, each with a moodboard and lists of artists, books, movies, and summer exhibitions in New York. I’ve also included an artwork of my own, which turned out to be a helpful exercise in seeing how my curiosities emerge in the art I create.
01: Solitude & belonging
I am forever interested in the borders of isolation and withdrawal, the art of being alone, and the ways in which the self endures through belonging. There is a visual melancholy to solitude which I find so beautiful—yes, I’m an INFP—but I’m also curious if it’s possible to depict a lone figure as truly content, a la Perfect Days.
📚 BOOKS: A Year with Rilke translated by Joanna Macy & Anita Barrows, Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, Journal of a Solitude by May Sarton, To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
🎥 FILM: Aftersun, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Tokyo Story, 20th Century Women
🖼️ NYC EXHIBITS:
Salman Toor’s Wish Maker at Luhring Augustine Gallery (through June 21)
Tove Jansson and the Moomins: The Door Is Always Open at Central Library (June 28 to September 30)
🎨 ARTISTS: Pierre Bonnard, Vanessa Bell, Agnes Martin, Do Ho Suh
02: Period classics
I have not read a single book written before the 20th century since I graduated high school. This summer will be my redemption arc, starting with Jane Austen who’s turning 250 this year! My recent UK trip sparked a newfound interest in Regency and Victorian era fashion, so I’m very delighted by the visual feast of period dramas.
📚 BOOKS: Pride & Prejudice and Persuasion by Jane Austen, The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
These books are in the public domain and thus available to read for free via Standard Ebooks!
🎥 FILM: A Room with a View, The Age of Innocence, Atonement, Emma (1996), Marie Antoinette, Sense & Sensibility (1995), Shakespeare in Love
🖼️ NYC EXHIBITS:
A Lively Mind: Jane Austen at 250 at Morgan Library & Museum (through September 14)
Sargent & Paris at The Met (through August 3)
🎨 ARTISTS: Berthe Morisot, James Tissot, Mary Cassatt, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
03: Nature in color
I still feel like a complete beginner when it comes to landscapes. I so badly want to get a pleasing balance of abstraction and color, but my flowers and trees often turn into a muddy mess! But I’m determined to draw more nature this summer, with the help of these inspirations and the vibrant outside world.
📚 BOOKS: Rootbound: Rewilding a Life by Alice Vincent, Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton, Spring Cannot be Cancelled by David Hockney, Summer & Fall Wildflowers of New England by Marilyn J. Dwelley, Trees: An Illustrated Celebration by Kelsey Oseid
🎥 FILM: The Secret World of Arrietty, Little Forest
🖼️ NYC EXHIBITS:
Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind the Flowers at MOMA (through September 27)
Beatriz Milhazes: Rigor and Beauty at the Guggenheim (through September 7)
Van Gogh’s Flowers at New York Botanical Garden (through October 26)
🎨 ARTISTS: Etel Adnan, Milton Avery, Monika Forsberg (who’s on Substack!), Tucker Nichols, Fairfield Porter
04: Art as action
This week has felt especially helpless. I’m deeply frustrated by what’s happening in LA and nervous about the growing intensity of ICE raids. War continues in Gaza with no end in sight.
In order to pay attention and to fight, I find I need to renew my sense of hope for the future and believe I can have an impact. Through art I am reminded time and again that anger and grief can be transmuted to show, inspire, and make a difference.
For those in the US, please read "Know Your Rights" and share with immigrant friends and neighbors. For those in NYC, please vote on June 24 for the mayoral primary. And for those who like to draw, I’ll be joining Sarah Dyer’s Palestine Charity Draw over Zoom this Sunday and I encourage you to do the same.
📚 BOOKS: Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang, Cactus Pear for My Beloved by Samah Sabawi, The Price of the Ticket by James Baldwin
🎥 FILM: Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet, No, Malcolm X, Persepolis
🖼️ NYC EXHIBITS:
Ben Shahn, On Nonconformity at Jewish Museum (through October 12)
Christine Sun Kim: All Day All Night at Whitney Museum (through September 21)
🎨 ARTISTS: Seymour Chwast’s political posters, Jacob Lawrence, Ai Weiwei
That concludes my summer curriculum roundup—I hope you enjoyed it! I’m hoping that by sharing this publicly, I can keep myself accountable. Would you be interested if I were to share some notes, reviews, and related works in progress throughout the summer?
If you have any media recommendations or strong endorsements for any of the four themes, do reply or let me know in the comments!
I would!!!
Love this! I also created a Summer Curriculum for myself, but I didn't really settle on a strict theme. I love the idea of doing this though, maybe for Fall :)