What can the lived experience of acclaimed painter Beverly McIver teach us about life as an African American woman artist raised in the American South, and what insights can we glean about the wider art world?

Expanding on their original conversation stemming from the artists’ retrospective exhibition, Full Circle, painter Beverly McIver and curator Kim Boganey delve into Beverly’s life journey from her origins in Greensboro, North Carolina, to her struggles in education, her growth as an artist and caretaker, and her development as a professor. Exploring captivating, shared stories, the friends touch on themes of identity, race, caretaking, death, and depression, and how this has impacted Beverly’s artistic practice.

Offering thought-provoking insight into the art world, how it functions, the challenges artists of color in particular can face, and the opportunities there are for the next generation, this book is ideal reading for students of Art and Design, Art Practice, Art History, Black Studies, Gender Studies, and Disability Studies, as well as Art practitioners and curators.

Beverly McIver is a painter and Professor of the Practice of Art, Art History & Visual Arts at Duke University.

Kim Boganey is an Independent Curator and Art Consultant.