An international, interdisciplinary, peer- and blind-reviewed open-access online journal
of contemporary theory, research, and application in aesthetics.

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Wendy Red Star, The Soil You See…, (2023)
glass, granite 92 x 38 x 36 in.
Courtesy of the artist and Sargent’s Daughters
Photo by Steve Weinik
Commissioned by Monument Lab; in the permanent collection of the Tippet Rise Art Center (Fishtail, MT)
Installed in Washington, DC, near the Declaration of Independence Memorial. The latter includes the signatures of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. In contrast, Redstar’s memorial comprises the names in the form of a monumental thumbprint of 50 Apsáalooke tribal representatives who brokered treaties with the US government between 1825 and 1880. These Indigenous leaders ratified the treaties with an X or a thumbprint. Red Star–herself Apsáalooke–evokes settler land appropriation and broken treaties in the heart of the nation’s capital.

In recent years aesthetics has grown into a rich and varied discipline. Its scope has widened to embrace ethical, social, religious, environmental, and cultural concerns. As international communication increases through more frequent congresses and electronic communication, varied traditions have joined with its historically interdisciplinary character, making aesthetics a focal center of diverse and multiple interests. These need a forum that is universal and inclusive, easy to access, and unhampered by financial, political, and institutional barriers. An on-line publication offers an ideal opportunity for advancing these purposes and Contemporary Aesthetics endeavors to provide that forum.

Contemporary Aesthetics is an international open-access journal that is free to all readers and authors. While CA is mostly volunteer-driven and is partially supported by the Rhode Island School of Design, significant costs are involved in making this journal available to the scholarly community, and we welcome contributions large and small. Your support helps Contemporary Aesthetics continue to offer a high quality online scholarly journal. As a non-profit organization, we are dedicated to staying an independent publication free from the costs and compromises of for-profit publishing operations. The full amount of your contribution will go directly to support the journal. If you would like to help support this effort, please click on the button below. Thank you for your generous support.