Rodney McMillian: History is Present Tense

Author: Rodney McMillian (Artist), Heather Pesanti (Contributor), Adrienne Edwards (Contributor), Bennett Simpson (Contributor), Cherise Smith (Contributor), Julia Hendrickson (Contributor)
Publisher: Radius Books/The Contemporary Austin 
Year: 2018
Pages: 372
ISBN: 978-1942185390

Spanning the past two decades, the book presents an index of Rodney McMillian’s performance-based work, as well as a fresh look at Against a Civic Death, a 2018 exhibition of McMillian’s at The Contemporary Austin. McMillian’s art is direct and unflinching. Works like his hand-sewn vinyl work The White House Painting, 2018, challenge viewers to confront societal and individual narratives—whether those narratives are personal, political, or institutional, whether they are “true” or fly in the face of truth.

Designed and researched with the artist’s close participation, the book itself serves as both a testament to and a manifestation of McMillian’s disruptive, revealing art.