Akron Art Museum 

How does presentation affect our interpretation of a work of art? Consider and discuss these three interpolations of Jenny Holzer's Inflammatory Essays. 

Con(Text)ualize

Jenny Holzer poses in front of her artwork "Inflammatory Wall" during a presentation of the "Jenny Holzer: Thing Indescribable" exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. 2019. ANDER GILLENEA/AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Who is Jenny Holzer? An Artist Biography

Find another artist who uses text and language in their work. What was it that made you choose that artwork? What connects these three works to one another? 

Comparative Study

All Fall (2012) - Array of five double-sided LED Signs with stainless steel housings: blue and green diodes on front, red and yellow diodes on back  103 1/2 x 95 x 103 1/2 in. (262.9 x 241.3 x 262.9 cm)  Collection of the Akron Art Museum  Museum Acquisition Fund with funds from The Mary S. and Louis S. Myers Endowment Fund for Painting and Sculpture  2018.14  © 2023 Jenny Holzer / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

All Fall

Using the information you've gathered throughout the resource kit, solve a series of puzzles to collect five clues that will help you escape the room.

Putting It All Together

Use the information gained from the last activity to complete this worksheet.

Inflammatory Text Translations

This timeline describes the major milestones of Jenny Holzer's career as well as important events in American history and the canon of Art History. 

Jenny Holzer's Professional Milestones & The History of Art

Between 1979 and 1981, the artist produced several variations of text inspired by the words of various outside thought leaders throughout world history. Some of these texts were published in book format, and others, like Inflammatory Essays, were mass distributed by the artist all over the Soho neighborhood of New York City. These short, colorful bursts of language intend to provoke, intrigue, and inspire the viewer to reconsider their existing ideas surrounding power: what is it, who has it, and how it can transform. 

Inflammatory Essays 

Jenny Holzer (1950 -) is an American artist with work in major museum collections across the globe. This resource kit explores her practice as an artist, the intersection of art and advertising, and the role of language in our understanding of the world around us. 

How does art speak truth to power?

What connects language to the visual arts and where do they intersect?

How does the meaning of a text change over time? 

How do artists bring other's words to life?


Educator Overview - Women in Art Spotlight_ Jenny Holzer & The Language Arts .pdf

Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Women in Art Spotlight: Jenny Holzer & The Language Arts

Con(Text)ualize

Background Knowledge