A national book tour for “RADIANT: The Life and Line of Keith Haring” is coming to the Jamestown Arts Center on May 4. The book, released on March 5, 2024 by Harper, is considered to be the definitive account of the American artist.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature a conversation between Brad Gooch, the author of the book, and Luis Hernandez, host of Rhode Island’s NPR station The Public’s Radio. The two will discuss the short and meteoric career of the iconic artist.
“I saw my first Keith Haring circa 1980, though I can’t say exactly when, only that from the first crawling babies spotted in SoHo, his artworks were a marker, a sort of placeholder in my memories of the decade,” writes Gooch.
Haring’s instantly recognizable images are on everything from kid’s sneakers to Coach backpacks. In his thoroughly researched account, Gooch states: “With his early belief that art could change the world for the better, and wishing to make accessible and affordable for everyone, Haring, against all odds, succeeded at his democratizing mission.”
The Jamestown Arts Center’s Talk series brings together artists and creative minds to share their stories with the Jamestown community and beyond.
Tickets for the event are available for $15 and can be purchased at jamestownartcenter.org/events.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.