by Jon Lackman | 24 May 2006 | Theory
From the “mission” of Purdue University art history professor Elizabeth K. Mix (Menon): “I am proud of the fact that most people, when they first learn I’m an art historian, say ‘You don’t look like an art historian.’ I always say ‘Thank-you’ … What is the difference between someone in academia who invents jargon and George W. Bush? The general public UNDERSTANDS what Bush MEANT to say. He’s a better communicator despite the frequent ‘grammar-cides’ he commits … I propose that we begin to, as a discipline, interrogate the creation of the language of the ‘New Art History’ as an elitist prospect. Are we trying to make Art History into a form of ART by taking away its FUNCTION? Are we trying to hide our fear that there is little substance behind the jargon?” Mix has a new book out: Evil by Design: The Creation and Marketing of the Femme Fatale (University of Illinois Press).
