Art can seem very separate from our daily lives today, and, as our society careens its way through change and conflict, it may seem increasingly irrelevant. Art advocate Kevin Wallace, director of the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts, provides reminders of how and why we thrive when we connect art and life, including first-person insights from 150 contemporary artists like Binh Pho, Kay Sekimachi, Avital Sheffer, Lino Tagliapietra, Jan Hopkins, Beatrice Wood, and dozens more. Throughout history, art was naturally intertwined with people's daily lives: a bowl for water, a carving to record a war, objects to capture religion and identity. This handbook juxtaposes our past with "big ideas" relating to contemporary art, helping to demystify them so that we can repair the connection, and turn our lives into art. AUTHOR: Kevin Wallace is director of the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts in Ojai, California. He writes books and articles, and guest curates exhibitions for museums and art centers. His life and work are intertwined. SELLING POINTS: * What your daily life is missing ifyou're disconnected from art, and how you can fix it * Insights from dozens of contemporary artists from Binh Pho to Louise Hibbert * More than 280 photos of artworks that help you reforge the art/life connection 281 colour images.