Following her retirement from Princeton University, historian Dr. Nell Irvin Painter surprised everyone by returning to school--at the age of 64--to earn a BFA and MFA in painting at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design. Dr. Painter shares how she finds meaning in the artists she loves, even as she comes to understand how they may be undervalued, and struggles with the unstable balance between the pursuit of art and the demands of a life fully lived. She also explores questions such as: How are women and artists seen and judged by their age, looks, and race? What does it mean when someone says, "You will never be an artist"? Who defines what "An Artist" is, and all that goes with such an identity? How are these ideas tied to our shared conceptions of beauty, value, and difference?
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