Mimi Plumb is an American artist
Episode 310: Mimi Plumb returns to speak about her most recent book The Golden City published by Stanley/Barker.
This marks another in a series of fascinating talks with the Bay Area-based artist whose work I am a huge fan of. I think of Mimi as such a great example of perseverance and reward with three books under her belt and a marked celebration of her career through her recent Guggenheim grant. Her last two books, both published by Stanley/Barker, are prime examples of excellent layout, design, and sequencing, which we spoke about at length in the episode. I am a huge fan of Mimi and her work.
Throughout the episode, we spoke about The Golden City and reminisced about her making the work found in the book from the 80s until very recently. The book, at first glance, feels like typical Mimi. The images are mysterious, but underneath the images of rubble, removal, and the razing of buildings in the hinterland of San Francisco lies a larger conversation about wealth disparity, housing, and gentrification. Though the work is lucid, beautiful, and formal in composition, there are layers built into the work that significantly add to the socio-economic conversation of The Golden City of San Francisco. You will want to tune into this and track down Mimi’s books.
