Nov.-Dec. 2011 - Maryland Institute College of Art

30
CONNECTIONS
New Publications
by MICA Alumni and Faculty
the aCCidental Genius of Weasel hiGh
this illustrated novel for young adults was authored by cartoonist and 1974 alumnus Rick
Detorie, creator of the nationally-syndicated comic strip, One Big Happy, set in Baltimore. The book
follows Larkin Pace, a 14-year-old student who finds himself in typical teenage situations: his parents
don’t seem to understand him, his sister—whom he calls “The Beast”—is a drama queen, and his
girlfriend turns out not really to be his girlfriend at all. Although the book is aimed at teenagers,
adults—especially parents—will find Detorie’s book to be laugh-out-loud funny. Detorie has written 14
adult humor books, and his freelance cartoons have appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, TV Guide,
Working Woman, and National Lampoon.
ContemPorary art and ClassiCal myth
the 14 essays in this book exPlore, and in a large part establish, the intersection of
contemporary art and classical myth. This often overlooked relationship is discussed through a variety
of methodological frameworks and across an impressive range of artists, including Roy Lichtenstein,
Luciano Fabro, and Francis Alÿs. Jennie Hirsh, assistant professor of modern and contemporary
art, commissioned the essays and edited the book, along with her colleague, Isabelle Loring Wallace,
associate professor of contemporary art and theory at the University of Georgia. Hirsh’s own essay
that appears in the book, Double Take, or Theorizing Reflection in Felix Gonzalez-Torres, addresses the
confluence of the myths of Narcissus and Orpheus through the literal and metaphorical staging of
reflective encounters in the work of Gonzalez-Torres, the late Cuban-born, United States-based artist
who succumbed to AIDS in 1996.
hoW they Croaked:
the aWful ends of the aWfully famous
aCComPlished Children’s book author Kevin O’Malley ’83 lent his illustration skills for this
engaging chronicle of gruesome deaths written by Georgia Bragg. The book opens with a line that reads:
“If you don’t have the guts for gore, do not read this book.” A flip through the page-turning book shows
that O’Malley’s clever drawings add just the right tones of humor to keep the descriptions from getting
over-the-top. O’Malley’s snarky, offbeat humor has also come through in the 13 books he’s authored, as
well as the 20 books by other authors he has illustrated, including the popular Miss Malarkey titles. He
lives in Baltimore with his wife, Dara O’Malley, who also graduated in 1983.
beautiful/deCay
What started as a humble zine painstakingly photocopied by 16-year-old Amir H. Fallah
’02 grew into a full-color, internationally distributed magazine. Now, Beautiful/Decay takes the
form of a limited edition, hand-numbered art book series that features the work of emerging artists
and subculture art. Besides producing Beautiful/Decay, Fallah is an accomplished artist who has
launched Something In The Universe, a design agency that connects artists who have been involved in
Beautiful/Decay with high-profile clients.