LAURIE ZUCKERMAN'S ALTAR APPEARS IN: "A BEAUTIFUL NECESSITY: THE ART AND MEANING OF WOMEN'S ALTARS," by Kay Turner

"Marriage Altar" Detail, by Laurie Zuckerman

If you are looking for the best book on the history of women's home altars, try A Beautiful Necessity: The Art and Meaning of Women's Altars, by Kay Turner. I was proud to be profiled along with 99 other American, African-American and Hispanic-American woman altarmakers in this book. A photo of my Marriage Altar appears in the book, along with some quotes by me, but it is a different detail of this altar.

Each artist received a small profile. Mine reads: Laurie Zuckerman "all but abandoned" her career as a painter when she turned to altar-making in the early 1990s, but she approaches her altar aesthetic with a painter's concern for form, color, line, texture, and concept. She regularly spends time "adjusting" her altars: "They are the most fluid part of my home. Altars are intended to be altered, to grow and respond to life's persistent changes."

Several famous altar artists are in the book, in particular internationally acclaimed Betye Saar. Her work is a must see. Two of my friends were also included in the book. Kay's book was published in 1999 by Thames & Hudson and is available on Amazon.com.