FACULTY NEWS | February 2, 2023
Clinical Associate Professor Jacqueline Bishop published a new book entitled "Patchwork: Essays and Interviews on Caribbean Visual Culture." This collection of essays delves into the works of contemporary Caribbean writers, scholars, and curators with a focus on needleworkers and visual artists. This focus on various types of contemporary art and artistic techniques also serves to examine underlying social concepts embedded in or affecting Caribbean society.
Through this art-focused lens, Bishop's novel explores wider social issues—from colonialism to sustainability to the placement of women within Caribbean visual art. Bishop also explores race, color, and class alongside gender, with a particular focus on Jamaican art.
The title, "Patchwork," is a metaphor for "the process of Caribbean societies forging identity and identities out of the plural and sometimes conflicting groups that call the region home." This concept is considered in conjunction with the visual art traditions of the Caribbean, with a particular focus on vernacular needlework artists. Bishop's work is an exploration of Caribbean social issues, artistic expression, and the intersection between the two.