Library
Antonio McAfee ‘22 and David Martine ‘22 explore the contents of our library. Photo by Séan Alonzo Harris ‘22.
Surf Point's library is a combination of Mary-Leigh Smart and Beverly Hallam's libraries, compiled over their combined lifetimes of 190 years. The library is divided into three parts:
monographs and group exhibitions of Euro-centric and American 20th-century artists
catalogs about Maine-based exhibitions and artists, Maine history, and non-Euro-centric art
poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, and the complete works of May Sarton, who lived on the Surf Point property for 22 years.
Reflecting Mary-Leigh and Beverly's close friendship and lifelong conversations about art, many of the books contain newspaper clippings about the subject of the books themselves, with handwritten notes. These treasures often fall out of the books as one opens them, engaging residents with a snapshot of conversation between Surf Point's founders, and connecting residents with Surf Point's unique history.
A contribution of $50 supports the purchase of one book on the recommendation list below.
Unpurchased Recommendations
Donations of unpurchased recommendations are greatly appreciated. If you would like to support Surf Point by donating one of the books below, please contact yael@surfpoint.me, or make a donation of $50 per book using the donate button below, noting the title of the book(s) purchases you would like to sponsor. If you do not have a specific book you would like to sponsor, we will make the selection.
Als, Hilton. White Girls.
Bashkoff, Tracey. Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future.
Boakye, Lynette, Larne Gogarty, Rashid Johnson, and Rafael Squirru. Sam Gilliam: The Music of Color: 1967–1973.
Borthwell, John. Seaweeds of the World: A Guide to Every Order.
Bourgeois, Louise, Marie-Laure Bernadac, and Hans-Urlich Obrist. Destruction of the Father / Reconstruction of the Father Writings and Interviews, 1923–1997.
Bringley, Patrick. All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me.
Carson, Rachel. The Sea Around Us.
Chu, Melissa, and Asia Society. Nam June Paik: Becoming Robot.
Darkeem, Dennis RedMoon. Good Trade.
Decosta-Willis, Miriam. Erotique Noire/Black Erotica.
Emin, Tracey, and Carl Freedman. Tracey Emin: Works 1963-2006.
Fanning, Leesa. Encountering the Spiritual in Contemporary Art.
Garrels, Gary. Vija Celmins: To Fix the Image in Memory.
Geldzahler, Henry. Making It New: Essays, Interviews, and Talks.
Guerrero, Marcela, Adam D. Weinberg, Yarimar Bonilla, Carina Del Valle Schorske, Ramón H. Rivera-Servera, Macha Colón, Angélica Negrón, et al.. no existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria.
Halberstam, Jack. The Queer Art of Failure.
Hupfield, Maria. Maria Hupfield The One who Keeps on Giving.
Jodidio, Philip. Zaha Hadid. Complete Works 1979 - Today.
Kudielka, Robert. The Eyes Mind: Bridget Riley collected writings 1965-2019.
Lathrop, Perrin. African Modernism in America.
Lemon, Ralph. Come Home Charley Patton.
Lippard, Lucy. The Lure of the Local: Sense of Place in a Multicentered Society.
Milroy, Sarah. Tom Thompson.
Morris, Frances and Tiffany Bell. Agnes Martin.
Morrow Lindbergh, Anna. Gift From the Sea.
Murphy, Fiona. The Shape of Sound.
Norton, Margot. Wangechi Mutu: Intertwined.
Noyes Vanderpoel, Emily. Color Problems: A Practical Manual for the Lay Student of Color.
Park Harrison, Robert and Shana. The Architect’s Brother.
Rohrbach, John, and Will Wilson. Speaking with Light: Contemporary Indigenous Photography.
Schmuckli, Claudia. Judy Chicago, In the Making.
Schwabsky, Barry. Landscape Painting Now.
Stilgoe, John. Outside Lies Magic: Regaining History and Awareness in Everyday Places.
Stryk, Suzanne. The Middle of Somewhere: An Artist Explores the Nature of Virginia.
Temkin, Ann. Alice Neel.
Thompson, Carol, and René Barilleaux. Radcliffe Bailey: Memory as Medicine.
Thompson, Jane. Design Research: The Store That Brought Modern Living to American Homes.
Tinari, Philip. Art and China After 1989: Theater of the World.
Vitra Design Museum. Atlas of Furniture Design.
Acquired Recommendations
Abrams, Matthew Jeffrey. Stanley Whitney.
Als, Hilton. Christopher Knowles: In a Word.
Andersson, Mamma. Mamma Andersson: The Lost Paradise.
Beckwith, Naomi and Valerie Cassel Oliver. Howardena Pindell, What Remains to Be Seen.
Blocker, Jane. Where is Ana Mendieta?.
Donated by Myron Beasley.
Boal, Augusto. The Theatre of the Oppressed.
Bois, Yvette-Allain. Painting As Model.
Bourland, W. Ian. Bloodflowers: Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Photography, and the 1980s (The Visual Arts of Africa and its Diasporas).
Brosterman, Norman. Inventing Kindergarden.
Brown, Adriene Marie. Holding Change.
Donated by Benjamin-Émile Le Hay.
Bryan-Wilson, Julia, Adrian Heathfield, and Stephanie Rosenthal. Ana Mendieta: Traces.
Donated by Myron Beasley.
Byers, Dan. Anna Oppermann: Drawings.
Campt, Tina M. Listening to Images.
Donated by Sonya Clark.
Catlett, Elizabeth. Sculpture: a fifty-year retrospective.
Donated by Andrew Schirrmeister and Robin Young.
Cixin, Liu. The Three Body-Problem.
Donated by Jamie Roux ‘22.
Cooke, Lynne. Outliers and American Vanguard Art.
Cooper, Martha and Henry Chalfant. Subway Art.
Cullen, Deborah and Elvis Fuentes. Caribbean: Art at the Crossroads of the World.
De Burgos, Julia. Song of the Simple Truth: The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos.
Dean, Tacita. Tacita Dean: Selected Writing and Complete Works & Filmography.
Doherty, Maggie. The Equivalents: A Story of Art, Female Friendship, and Liberation in the 1960s
Donated by Charles Rockwood.
Drew, Kimberly, and Jenna Wortham. Black Futures.
Donated by Edmund Glass.
Fuss, Adam. Adam Fuss: Water.
Gabriel, Mary. Ninth Street Women.
Donated by Lisa Fishman and Caroline Sulzer.
Gipson, Ferren. Women’s Work.
Gladman, Renee. Plans for Sentences.
González, Jennifer. Pepón Osorio.
Griffey, Randall, Kelly Baum, Meredith A. Brown, Susanna V. Temkin, Julia Bryan-Wilson. Alice Neel: People Come First
Han, Byung-Chul. The Scent of Time: A Philosophical Essay on the Art of Lingering.
Hartney, Eleanor. After the Revolution: Women Who Transformed Contemporary Art.
Hirsch, Faye. Lois Dodd (Contemporary Painters Series).
Donated by Alice Gauvin and Christine Vincent.
hooks, bell. Teaching to Transgress.
Donated by John Berry.
Jones, Kellie and Roxane Gay. Mickalene Thomas.
Julavits, Heidi. The Folded Clock.
Kendi, Ibram X. Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America.
Donated by Andy Bachman.
Kitto, Svetlana. Sara Penn’s Knobkerry: An Oral History Sourcebook.
Donated by Mary Louise Schumacher.
Leith, Caoimhin MacGiolla. Ellen Gallagher.
Lerner, Ben. The Hatred of Poetry.
Levine, Philip. Breath: Poems by Philip Levine.
Donated by Andy Bachman.
Matsui, Midori, Kathy Halbreich, and Douglas Fogle. Painting at the Edge of the World.
Donated by Trina Bellavance.
Molesworth, Helen. Leap Before You Look: Black Mountain College 1933-1957.
Morris, Frances. Louise Bourgeois.
Donated by Edmund Glass.
Oppen, George. Collected Poems.
Ottmann, Klaus. Rackstraw Downes, Onsite Paintings 1972-2008.
Donated by Christine Vincent.
Prescod-Weinstein, Chanda. The Disordered Cosmos.
Donated by Sonya Clark.
Sellers, Libby. Women Design.
Shechet, Arlene. Arlene Shechet: All at Once.
Sheldon, Chana. Africobra: Messages to the People.
Sillman, Amy, Charlotte Houette, Francois Lancien-Guilberteau, Lynne Tillman, and Benjamin Thorel. Amy Sillman: 'Faux Pas'.
Solomon-Godeau, Abigail, Linda Montano, Nancy Princenthal, Mary Sabbatino. Ana Mendieta: Blood & Fire.
Donated by Myron Beasley.
Sontag, Susan. A Susan Sontag Reader.
Stritzler-Levine, Nina. Sheila Hicks: Weaving as a Metaphor.
Truitt, Anne. Daybook: The Journal of an Artist.
Tuite, Diana. Bob Thompson: This House is Mine.
Donated by Diana Tuite.
Venn, Beth and Adam Weinberg. Unknown Terrain: The Landscapes of Andrew Wyeth.
Wahler, Marc-Olivier, Carla Acevedo-Yates, Steven L. Bridges. Michigan Stories: Mike Kelley and Jim Shaw.
Whitten, Jack. Notes from the Woodshed.
Donated by John Berry.
Wulf, Andrea. The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World.
Donated by Jeanne Paterak.
Resident Recommendations
Upon assessing the contents of our 20th-century library and thinking about how it could engage with today's discourse and practitioners, Surf Point invites each resident to suggest one art-related book to be purchased for the library that reflects their interests and inspiration. Therefore, the library will continue to grow with timely volumes that build upon our founders' vision and with new residents as they spend time at Surf Point. Each new book is dedicated to the resident who suggested the book.
See books recommended by our alumni below.
SP is able to purchase many of these books due to a generous $5k grant from the Reinharz Family Foundation.