The Uncertain States of America ReaderPublished by , New York, 2006ISBN 10: / ISBN 13: 9781933128214

"This is undoubtedly a moment marked by a serious interest in
the actions America is taking on the world stage--actions that have been
described as a cause for `grave concern.' We do not attempt to
authoritatively engage these concerns here nor do we wish to insinuate that
elevated interest in America's cultural affairs is somehow unique to our
present historical moment. We do, however, think that this sampling of
discourse by and about a country's visual artists leads to insights about
its politics and society not gained elsewhere. [...] At the very least, it
gives a sense of what it is like to live in the United States today, and
results in some inspired debate. We hope that this book serves not only as
a valuable compendium of recent writing about contemporary art, but also as
inspiration to seek further understanding of these `Uncertain States.'"

So Noah Horowitz and Brian Sholis note in the introduction to this unique
compilation of writing around art and cultural politics in America since
2000. Published as an addendum to the traveling exhibition "Uncertain
States of America," curated by Birnbaum, Kvaran, and Obrist, the USA Reader
presents texts by Giorgio Agamben, Dora Apel, Jack Bankowsky, David
Barringer, Bernadette Corporation, Daniel Birnbaum, John Bowe, Marisa Bowe
and Sabin Streeter, Johanna Burton and Isabelle Graw, Paul Chan, Critical
Art Ensemble, Trisha Donnelly, Andrea Fraser, Alan Gilbert, Tim Griffin,
Matthew Jesse Jackson, Chris Kraus, Gunnar B. Kvaran, Miwon Kwon, Pamela M.
Lee, Robert Morris, Molly Nesbit, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Seth Price, Kymberly
N. Pinder, Retort, Ralph Rugoff, Gregory Sholette, Julian Stallabrass, Kirk
Varnedoe, Hamza Walker, and Matt Wolf, and was designed by Dexter Sinister.
It is a thought-provoking collection that will become an important
sourcebook on American culture at the start of the new millennium.