Cathy Weber
Dillon, Montana
Racial Holy War, 2007
Oil on paper

This piece is the book Racial Holy War emptied of its contents, turned on its side, and spilling forth images of the blood and tears that are the human cost of hatred and injustice.

For me, the power of the “Speaking Volumes” project is rooted in the impact of books as both conveyors of ideas and as iconic objects. The volumes we have transformed were conceived and published in the service of the most base of human impulses: fear, violence, hatred, cultural isolation, and racial superiority.

As an artist, the opportunity to derail the evil intentions of the original authors, to remake these books in service of our better possibilities, was a thrilling and empowering experience. Much of my motivation for making art comes from a feeling of urgency to make things of beauty in response to war, injustice, greed, and violence. Making images of common simple objects gives me comfort and hope for weathering the human condition.

Bio
Cathy Weber grew up in the Midwestern U.S., studied at the Herron School of Art, and Indiana University. She later completed a formal painting apprenticeship in Mexico City. In 1981, she moved to Dillon, Montana, where she maintains a studio in the historic downtown. Weber makes oil paintings, artist’s books, watercolors, and ceramic objects.

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