Supported by the 2020 Creative Capital Award, A Dead White: An Argument Against White Paint launches at Book Culture in New York City on October 13, 2026.

Wendy S. Walters’ (2020 Creative Capital Awardee) A Dead White: An Argument Against White Paint is a new work of criticism that explores the ubiquity of white paint in our built environment. One of the most prevalent yet unexamined materials of society, white paint is often believed to be neutral or a signifier of calmness, cleanliness, and purity. In this work, Walters interrogates what the collective impulse towards white paint tells us about culture, politics, and individual desire. 

A Dead White follows the influence of white paint into the home, the halls of the workplace, galleries and studios in the contemporary art world, and forums of mass culture. In traversing a wide array of subjects, Walters urges audiences to consider the unquantifiable impact of white paint in our shared imagination. Incorporating Walter’s sensory experiences, instincts, and lucid prose, A Dead White is a fresh and encompassing work that challenges a substance often taken for granted.

October 13: Book Culture, New York, NY
October 20: Riffraff Books, Providence, RI
October 21: Rizzoli Books, New York, NY
October 28: Harvard Bookstore, Cambridge, MA