Volume 31, No. 3, Dec 2008
Artist Book News
NEWS
Claire J. Satin will be showing her books in an International Biennial in Chartres, France April/May 2009. And she will be in residency in Venice, Italy for 7 weeks March 27 - mid May 2009 sponsored by the Emily Harvey Foundation. She has also been offered a one person exhibition at the Susan Hensel Gallery, Minneapolis, MN July/August 2009.
SHOWS JUST PAST
Life is a Page, which closed on 5 July was dedicated to Ruth Laxson’s 30th artist book, “Ideas of God” and fifteen new drawings from the ongoing “God Doll” series. The exhibition included a survey of Laxson’s work over the years and the entire collection of thirty artist books, all dealing with commentary on the artist’s reaction to contemporary culture. In addition, her sculptures, paintings, mail art, and prints were on exhibit. The catalog, “Life is a Page: Ruth Laxson Past and Present 1965-2008” is a must for any collection. Available from Marcia Wood Gallery, 263 Walker St., Atlanta, GA 30313. Marciawood@marciawoodgallery.com or go to www.marciawoodgallery.com
It is Up to us If we go on as is: Ruth Laxson’s Persistent Muse is the result of Ruth Laxson giving the Fleet Library at Rhode Island School of Design a gift of Laxson’s bookmaking process archives and added over 20 of her artists’ books to their collection. Simultaneous with Laxson’s exhibition at Marcia Wood Gallery, the Fleet Library at RISD mounted this. Dates for the RISD exhibition were May 9 through July 3. Contact; Laurie Whitehill Chong, Special Collections Librarian, 401-709-5927, lwhitehi@risd.edu for information about the catalog.
Ruth Laxson’s earliest work — in sound poetry, sculpture, drawings and etchings — was deeply rooted in language as a working material. Thus, in the early eighties, artists’ books became a natural repository for her ideas and consideration of the contemporary human condition. In the tradition of Concrete Poetry and Visual Writing, Laxson considers the materiality of the written and typed word and it’s deployment on the page. Using a variety and mixture of typefaces, Laxson creates visual structures – one might even say drawings – out of words. (Printed Matter Inc, 2008) As communication is a major theme of Laxson’s work she uses language as a working material. Automatic writing and pattern poetry are the hallmarks of Laxson’s artistic style as she merges text and image into text as image. The artist states “I hope to test the language for meaning and merge text and image in the spirit as the surrealists. But I want to take it a step farther to text as image.” Exquisite, meticulous craftsmanship and playful yet thorough exploration, are the hallmarks of Laxson’s work. She combines handset type on a Challenger letterpress with handwritten text, drawing, etching, stitching, layering, chine collé, ink, watercolor and more in perfectly hand bound small editions. Contact Laurie Whitehill Chong for details on this exhibition catalog as well, which is necessary for any artist book collection. lwhitehi@risd.edu
CURRENT EXHIBITS
An open exhibition of experimental artists’ books at Artworks MK, Milton Keynes, UK from 14 July - 14 August, Herefordshire College of Art (Summer 2008) www.weloveyourbooks.com
Unfolding - an exhibition of Book Art and Artists Books at The Art Shop in Abergavenny, South Wales from 19 July - 23 August. www.artshopandgallery.co.uk
Bookworks by Olalfur Eliasson at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, La Jolla, CA with selections from the Erika and Fred Torri Artists’ Books Collection through 26 July.
Typografika: The Work of Erik Brandt through 3 August at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts.
Livros do Cordel: Books on a String, a collection of Brazilian street poems in dynamically illustrated chapbooks at San Francisco Center for the Book through 1 August.
Tomas Schmit: Dreizehn Montagsgespraeche, drawings and editions at Barbara Wien Galerie, Berlin through 20 August 2008. An homage to the artist who died in 2006, and a celebration of his last book project, which has just been released by Wiens Verlag. Barbara Wien, Linienstrasse 158, Berlin. www.barbarawien.de
Artist Books by Susan Lowdermilk at 23 Sandy Gallery in July: artist books by Eugene artist Susan Lowdermilk. An art instructor at Lane Community College, Lowdermilk is both a print maker and a book artist working primarily in relief media such as woodcut and wood engraving. Her artist books appear in many public collections including the Getty Museum, the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library. Her artist books utilize abstract marks and objects as visual metaphors or allegories to explore tenuous qualities of human interaction, struggles and experience at 623 NE 23rd Avenue, just three doors north of Sandy Boulevard in central eastside Portland.
Banned and Recovered: Artists Respond to Censorship at the San Francisco Center for the Book, 300 De Haro St., San Francisco from 15 August - 26 November. www.sfcb.org
Toni Morrison, J. K. Rowling, and Mark Twain are among the most suppressed authors of the 21st century, according to the American Library Association. In our schools and communities, intellectual freedom and freedom of expression are increasingly under attack. Banned and Recovered: Artists Respond to Censorship will present work by visual artists in response to books that have been repressed, censored or banned. Fifty artists, including many well-known names such as Emory Douglas, Favianna Rodriquez, Sandow Birk, Naomie Kremer, and Enrique Chagoya are participating. To raise awareness of censorship as a constant and continuing threat to intellectual freedom, we will offer public programs this fall at several venues.
The Center is collaborating with the African American Museum and Library at Oakland on this exhibition, which will span the two venues. Through Nov 26. This exhibition is also hosted by the African American Museum and Library at Oakland. On view Sep 5-Dec 31.
The Center for Book Arts in New York City announces two shows:
Artist as Publisher examines art publications produced by artists and collaboratives in a spirit of collaboration, experimentation and a DIY ethos.
Fun & Games (and Such…), the Center’s 2008 Artist Member exhibition, features book and related arts that use playful and witty means to convey dark or humorous social-political commentary at the Center for Book Arts, New York City.
Artist as Publisher, an exhibition organized by independent curator Omar Lopez-Chahoud, examines art publications produced by artists and collaboratives. These publications embody a spirit of collaboration, experimentation and a DIY ethos. Independent publication allows artists to bypass the gallery system, and to make art cheaply and distribute it on their own terms.
For this exhibition, three curatorial teams were formed to create reading rooms at the Center. Diego Fernandez, Rodrigo Salinas (La Nueva Grafica Chilena), Felipe Mujica (Galeria Chilena), Ivan Navarro & Ian Szydlowski (Instituto Divorciado) compose the New York-Santiago de Chile panamerican curatorial team. Rachel Mason from NY forms the second team with John Knuth from Circus Gallery in Los Angeles. Scott Hug (K-48) and Billy Miller, both from NY, team up to create the third reading room. For a complete list of participants, please visit our website.
Fun & Games (and Such …) examines book and related arts that have a playful, game-like, interactive characteristic, and/or convey fun, dark, or humorous social-political commentary. Artworks featured in this exhibition include prints, books, mixed-media installations, videos, and performance art. For a complete list of participants, please visit our website. www.centerforbookarts.org
6 Artists in the Summer 2008, Central Library Exhibition at Brooklyn Central Public Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn. Includes Barbara Barnes Allen, Randy Duchaine, Nathan Kensinger, Fay Ku, Chanika Svetvilas, and Marilyn R. Rosenberg. www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org
Book It artists’ book exhibit at Harrison Gallery, Harrison Center for the Arts opens on 1 August, sponsored by the Herron Art Library and IUPUI University Library in Indianapolis.
FUTURE EVENTS
The Hybrid Book: Intersection & Intermedia from 4 - 6 June 2009 at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA. Events include a program of panels and speakers on the varied identities of the book and the implications of its interdisciplinary nature, a book fair at which artits, publishers and vendors exhibit and sell current work, a showcase of several internationally known artists/designers, and a juried exhibition of recent work by alumni of the University’s MFA Book Arts/Printmaking program. For details, go to www.hybridbook.org
10th Biennial Pyramid Atlantic Book Arts Fair and Conference to be held at Cafritz Foundation Art Center, 930 King St., Silver Springs, MD 8 - 9 November 2008. Exhibitions as well as Book Fair. www.bookartsfair.org
Artist Book show at MOCA, Los Angeles in September.
Call for Submissions: Visual Reading - Sensing meaning.
A one-of-a-kind and altered book project organized by the Artspace and Moufflon Bookshop and Publications in collaboration with the Goethe-Institute Nicosia, Cyprus.
Working title: A book for a lifetime.
Dimensions: No bigger than 30 x 30cm in size and one additional A4 page related to your book will become part of a collective book.
Presentation: November 2008 at The Artspace, The Moufflon Bookshop and the Goethe-Centre in Nicosia, Cyprus.
The collective artist book will be presented at the Goethe Centre as part of lectures, text and poetry readings within the context of “Visual reading and Sensing meaning”
Please contact Horst Weierstall, Curator, Artist & Senior Lecturer at Frederick University, Nicosia, Cyprus. E-mail: art.wh@fit.ac.c
Call for Entries: Juried Book Arts
Bright Hill Literary Center in Treadwell, NY, announces a call for its 7th Annual Americas Juried Book Arts Exhibit. The exhibit will take place from October 5 - 31 in the Center’s Word & Image Gallery.
Books submitted to the 7th Annual Book Arts Exhibit should contain both words & images in a book format. Jurors are looking for a clearly stated concept, thought-provoking text, engaging visual presentation, the relationship of the words and images to each other, exceptional technical presentation, an imaginative approach, and an integrated overall delivery of the message. Two books will be selected for special recognition, in the form of Best of Show ($200 cash award)and Second Place ($100 cash award). There will be a show catalog, and each accepted artist will receive one complimentary copy.
Entries, which must be postmarked no later than August 11, 2008, will be judged by images on cds. Entries will be limited to three artists’ books (traditionally-bound books, artists’ books, sculptural book works, hanging books, etc; books must have been created in the period 2004-2008 and must never have been exhibited at Bright Hill Literary Center in Treadwell, New York). Each book entered may be represented on the CD by three views. If the books are accepted and are designed to be hung, artist must provide them ready to hang; if flat, they will be displayed on pedestals. Entries will be limited to books created by artists residing in the Americas.
Keith Smith has been making books since 1967. They range from artist books to poetry, textbooks and dictionaries. He has made over 150 one-of-a-kind artists books, most of which are in his own collection, seen by only a handful of people. Smith has published over two dozen small editioned artist’s books and book-length poems and written ten small dictionaries to aid structure and vocabulary in his poetry. The only books to have widespread distribution are his eight books-on-books: Structure of the Visual Book, Text in the Book Format, Bookbinding for Book Artists and the five volumes of Non-Adhesive Binding: Books without Paste or Glue, 1- 2- & 3-Section Sewings, Exposed Spine Sewings, Smith’s Sewing Single Sheets and Quick Leather Bindings.
Bertha Roger’s paintings, drawings, and artist’s books have been exhibited in more than 250 juried, invitational, and solo shows nationally and abroad. Her word-and-image work is collected privately and in museums, including the Harry Ransom Archive at the University of Texas. Her awards include fellowships to the MacDowell Colony, the Millay Colony for the Arts, Caldera Foundation, and NYFA and NYSCA grants for presentation and exhibits.
For complete guidelines and required entry form, or for questions, please email Bright Hill Literary Center at wordthur@stny.rr.com or call 607-829-5055.
Artist’s Book Festival
Call For Submissions to exhibit and for entry to Artist’s Book Competition
Over £200 worth of prizes including Winsor & Newton Art Supplies and Fabriano paper
At The Temple Gallery
20 Dunkeld Street
Aberfeldy
Perthshire
PH15 2AA
Scotland
Further details at www.thetemplegallery.co.uk or e-mail: temple.gallery@zen.co.uk
RESOURCES
Afterimage now has a searachable index of the past 35 years of issues at www.vsw.org/afterimage
Granary Books has a full catalog of their titles, plus information about writers, artists, and other creative individuals they publish and with whom they work at www.granarybooks.com
Bertram Rota Ltd. has two new illustrated catalogs of artist books at www.bertramrota.co.uk
Tom Sowden’s movie of his new book Some of the Buildings on the Sunset Strip is avialable on youtube at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUkpimYT1Do
Volume 2 of The Pocket Paper Engineer is now available as How to Make Pop-Ups Step-by-Step by Carol Barton. This volume covers four of the most important structures used in many of the fabulous pop-up books on the market today. Popular Kinetics Press is an independent publishers of artist books and how-to books. This is available for $26.95 plus shipping from www.popularkinetics.com
Popular Edge Book Arts Blog covers an expansive range of paper engineering and book arts subjects, from the humorous to th avant garde to the serious critique. Call for postings about videos, websites, paper crafts, innovative design, and text-based art. You can have an RSS feed.
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www.popularkinetics.com
Jaffe Collection of Book Arts has a newly improved website designed by JCBA web designer, Seth Thompson. www.jaffecollection.org
