Artist Kristy Battani and Professional Coach Jen Mauldin join in conversation about America’s obsession with self-help literature.

Exhibit Statement:

As a nation built on goal-setting, resolutions, and self-motivation, how have we come to define what it means to be successful, polite, respected…American?

In How To Be, Kristy Darnell Battani depicts America’s obsession with self-help literature in the form of abstract textile-inspired vessels, weavings, and wall hangings. Using Jess McHugh’s 2021 book Americanon: An Unexpected U.S. History in Thirteen Bestselling Books as a source of inspiration, Battani’s collection invites viewers to engage with the pages of these classics and reflect on the way these writings have influenced how we, as Americans, have historically defined success, desirability, and happiness.

From Benjamin Franklin’s definition of work ethic to Emily Post’s rules of society and Dale Carnegie’s outline for success, Battani reimagines these instructional texts as textiles and vessels, thus highlighting the subtle way these ideas have woven themselves into our daily lives and a shared cultural narrative. In re-contextualizing these words, Battani allows us to reconsider the motivation for and continued applicability of these ideals.

About The Artist:

Kristy Darnell Battani creates colorful tapestries and forms made from the pages of outdated textual materials and paint. A mixed media artist with professional experience in design and law, Battani collects historically utilitarian papers—manuals, diaries, textbooks, ledgers, and advertisements—to weave into immersive narratives designed to draw viewers into new conversations with the original source materials and the ideas they represent. Residing in Austin, Texas, Battani is also the host of the popular ARTish Plunge podcast. Battani’s work is included in numerous corporate, university, and private collections nationally.