Last Artist Standing

'I recommend digging into the refreshingly candid essay collection Last Artist Standing, in which artists over 50 open up about the joys and struggles of making work amid personal, financial, and creative hurdles — a gem of a resource during a time when artists continue to defy the art world’s inequities.

Is there anything more tedious than the myth of a linear artistic trajectory: “emerging” to “mid-career” to, at last, “established”? As artist and educator Sharon Louden points out in the introduction to Last Artist Standing, such mythology fuels so many outdated perceptions about artists’ relationships to success and age. This latest installment in her Living and Sustaining a Creative Life series rejects these fantasies, instead presenting something much more precious and honest — artists over 50 telling their own stories. The trove of intimate, personal essays is as varied as the voices of its contributors, among them Sonya Kelliher-Combs (Iñupiaq/Athabascan), Maren Hassinger, Colleen Coleman, and the late Audrey Flack. Each artist walks us down the path of their singular practices and lives, all bound together by the community they’ve cultivated along the way.'

-- Lakshmi Rivera Amin, Associate Editor, Hyperallergic

'Sharon has assembled a collection of voices so rarely heard but who should be shouted from the rooftops—activism, artmaking, creative thought, and inspiration find their fullest manifestation among artists who have the benefit of both hindsight and the freedom that comes with no longer having to play the art world game. The artists featured in this anthology remind us that it is only through years of hard work, risk-taking, setbacks, and doubt that the best art emerges.'

-- Beth Venn, Director of the University of Wyoming's Neltje Center for Excellence in Creativity and the Arts

'I have always admired how Sharon Louden gives vital voice to artists. Her latest anthology affirms the enduring creative force artists over 50 represent, both individually and collectively. Younger artists will find authentic inspiration in these essays, which offer reassurance: amid global and generational change, there will never be a last artist standing, at least, not alone.'

-- Sascha Gianella, Founder and Curator of We, The Muse

'Louden is unique in her ability to build rich and multifaceted communities, which is reflected in this diverse anthology that shows us that artistic reinvention, creative problem solving, and the daily practice of art and life only benefits from experience and time.'

-- Nisa Mackie, The Edward John Noble Foundation Deputy Director of Learning and Engagement, Museum of Modern Art

'I don’t recall the last time I was so moved by a collection of art essays. These mini-memoirs remind us that every artist’s life is an epic journey through hurdles both private and institutional. From their first breaks to the challenges of continuing a practice while working other jobs, raising families, and getting older, the artists in this collection never gave up on their true calling. This is a valuable resource for art scholars and an essential read for artists of all ages.'

-- Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor, Hyperalle