Artists books: centers of activity

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Contents

[edit] United States

[edit] Alabama

In 1985, University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama began to offer an MFA Program in the Book Arts in the School of Library and Informational Studies. This program offers printing/publishing, bookbinding, papermaking, and the history of the book and "emphasizes the art and craft of making books by hand." The 2.5 year program admits about 8 students per year. An important recent contribution to the field of artist's books has been the program's podcasts of interviews with "book people". Mary Ann Sampson was one of the first book artists to have an interview here.

Edith Frohock taught Book Arts at University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama. Frohock, who specialized in painting, printmaking and Book arts and was the first instructor to teach book arts in the South. There is a scholarship set up in Frohock's name. The scholarship is for students interested in the art of the book. Past recipients of this scholarship include Joel Seah, Alan Skees, Janice Weeks and Leslie Wheatley among others. Mary Ann Sampson credits Frohock for steering her in the direction of book arts.

Space One Eleven in Birmingham, Alabama is a not-for-profit under the direction of Anne Arrasmith and Peter Prinz. The organization has exhibited books as art on numerous occasions including the work of Larry Gens Anderson, Pinky Bass, Jon Coffelt, Edith Frohock, Anne Howard, Joni Mabe, Mary Ann Sampson, David Sandlin, Joel Seah and Marie Weaver among many others who have worked in book arts.

Agnes 1992-2000 was the first commercial gallery to show book arts in the South and one of only a handful in the country. During its eight years, the gallery exhibited the book work of many noteworthy book artists including Sara Garden Armstrong, Pinky Bass, Mare Blocker, Elisa Bryan, Denise Carbone, Al Edwards, Susan Hensel, Jenny Holzer, Davi Det Hompson, Lee Isaacs, Sally Johnson, Susan E. King, Jim Koss, Ruth Laxson, Miranda Maher, Emily Martin, Vicki Ragan, Tut Altman Riddick, Anita Ronderos, Jessica Rosner, Ed Ruscha, David Sandlin, Claire Jeanine Satin and Joel Seah.

[edit] California

Los Angeles is considered one of the founding homes of the artist's book. "Twenty-Six Gasoline Stations," created by Ed Ruscha in California in 1964 is considered by many to be one of the first artist's books. His "Every Building on the Sunset Strip" of 1966 captured a landscape of Los Angeles that conveyed the complex task of defining a landscape without an explicit center." This also helped define the genre of artists' books. [1]

The Women's Graphic Center began at the Woman's Building in 1973 and provided presses, studio space, and support for women artists to create artists books. Exhibitions were also held in the Woman's Building galleries. The center closed in 1991.

Under the direction of Joan Hugo, Otis College of Art and Design began collecting and exhibiting artists' books in the 1960s. The Lab Press was founded in the 1970s by Sheila Levrant de Bretteville to teach printing and the making of books.

In Northern California, the San Francisco Center for the Book began 1996. The Center actively exhibits artists' books and offers workshops and exhibitions. The SFCB was based on The Center for Book Arts in New York and the Minnesota Center for Book Arts in Minneapolis.

[edit] Georgia

Nexus Press, in Atlanta, was a major publisher of artists books. Founded in 1978 by Michael Goodman and Gary Lee Super, Nexus Press encouraged artists to make books as original works of art. Nexus Press was one of the few artists book publishing centers that provided artists with access to offset lithography as a creative process. Though the press also had letterpress equipment, it never was a center for fine print production. It was a center for experimental book production and produced more than 150 titles, including I Want to Take Picture, by Bill Burke. The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center suspended all Nexus Press operations in 2003.

[edit] Illinois

The Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper, founded in 1994, offers a wide range of classes in papermaking, bookbinding, and printing, in addition to an active exhibition program, artists' residencies, and a lecture series. The Center is also home to the Interdiscipinary Arts MFA in Book and Paper, a graduate program focused on using the book arts in the production of contemporary art.

The Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection, which is housed within the John M. Flaxman Library at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, is a large collection of artists' books. Click here to access the collection online. International in scope, the collection is strongest in works by American and European artists with work dating from the early 1960s to the present. In addition to over 4,000 artists' books, periodicals and multiples, the collection also houses reference materials to support the study of artists' books, various archives related to the field, and an extensive array of exhibition catalogs as works of art, pamphlets, and other ephemera. Anyone is welcome to visit the artists' book collection; all items may be viewed in the study room only. Hours of access vary slightly by semester.

[edit] Iowa

The University of Iowa Center for the Book offers an undergraduate degree in Book arts as well as a Master's degree, a Master of Fine Arts degree and a PhD in book-centered studies, including library and information sciences. UICB offers courses in papermaking, book arts, calligraphy, and printing. It has the UICB Research and Production Paper Facility, UICB Fine Press, and Amana Print Shop & Bindery.

[edit] Minnesota

Minnesota Center for Book Arts in Minneapolis is the nation's largest and most comprehensive book arts center, offering extensive programs in papermaking, binding, printing, and other book-related art forms. The center has a large gallery space and sponsors a number of artist programs, including residencies, fellowships, and lecture series. In addition, educational opportunities are offered to both youth and adult learners through classes, tours, workshops and onsite visits.

Susan Hensel Gallery has a full scheduled book arts program in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The mission for Susan Hensel Gallery is to bring together different subjective matter and discourse into the field of artist's books with a concentration on group and solo exhibitions concerning narrative issues, installation as well as artist participation, and creating exhibitions that expand our notion of what is an artist's book. Artists from all areas of the book arts field participate in the gallery's programming.

[edit] Mississippi

Mississippi Artists Colony The colony, established in 1948 is one the oldest continuing artists colonies in the United Stated.[2] Notable instructors are Edith Frohock who taught book arts as well as, Larry Gens Anderson, Moe Brooker, Howard Goodson, Fred Mitchell, Shirley Romer, Johnnie Winona Ross and Hugh Williams.

[edit] New Jersey

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey has several significant programs that support artists' books. The Brodsky Center (formerly, Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Paper), in New Brunswick, NJ founded by Judith K. Brodsky teaches classes in book-making with an emphasis on both traditional and non-traditional (artists') books. The Rutgers University Libraries support an annual event in the fall on its Newark, NJ campus, it calls The New Jersey Book Arts Symposium. Begun in 1994, the NJBAS consistently showcases artists' books by artists who reside, work, or were born or educated in the state, although its inclusive focus falls on every facet of the book arts. As well as featuring presentations by New Jersey artists, the NJBAS includes extended considerations of topics deemed of moment to students and practitioners of the book arts. The NJBAS goes beyond state borders and invites presenters from all parts of the world to speak when their expertise dovetails with that year's topic. The Symposium has posted numerous web pages including a photographic essay on a recent symposium on the relation of artists and collectors of artists' books.

[edit] New York

Women's Studio Workshop is a major center for artists' books residencies and distribution in upstate New York.

The Center for Book Arts in New York City was founded in 1974, and since that time it has mounted over 140 exhibitions of artists’ books. It runs an active lecture series, provides services to artists (including internships, residencies, and apprenticeship programs), and currently offers over 100 classes and workshops in bookbinding, letterpress printing, paper marbling, typography, and related fields. It is “dedicated to preserving the traditional crafts of book-making, as well as exploring and encouraging contemporary interpretations of the book as an art object.” Among the many artists who have exhibited at the Center for Book Arts is the Swiss born and New York based illustrator Warja Honegger-Lavater.

Franklin Furnace and Printed Matter were both founded in 1976, originally as one organization which quickly splintered into two projects: the Franklin Furnace as a major collection of artists' books; Printed Matter as a publisher and distributor. The Franklin Furnace Collection is now held at the Library of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Printed Matter continues to publish and distribute artists' books, but also mounts exhibitions of artists' books, hosts book launches, and acts as an advisory service to both artists and collecting institutions.

Founded in 1999, Booklyn is an artist-run, nonprofit organization headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. Booklyn's mission is to promote artist books as an art form and educational resource; to provide educational institutions and the public with programming involving contemporary artist books; and to assist artists in exhibiting, distributing, and publishing innovative bookwork. Unarguably, two of the major contemporary book artists living in Brooklyn are Judy Hoffman and Doug Beube.

In the Fall of 2007, SDCA (Seaport District Cultural Association) under its founding directors, Richard Sack, Jim Wintner and Florence Wack, opened SPACE gallery on Front street in the downtown seaport area of Manhattan. Jon Coffelt is the curator/director of SPACE upstairs book arts venue. Anne Bean exhibited a tie-in exhibition with Franklin Furnace here in the Summer of 2007. SPACE' inaugural exhibition was "Cuerpos Santos" by Pinky Bass followed with an organic book installation by Judy Hoffman. SPACE venue represents artists books as an out-of-the-vernacular experience seeing how far one can push the envelope of what is considered a book.

[edit] Ohio

Cincinnati has an active book arts community that formed The Cincinnati Book Arts Society approximately 9 years ago. Small but active, the society offers study groups, opportunities to exhibit, workshops and a friendly community of artists ranging from fine bookbinders, librarians, visual artists and novices. Visit the website for more information. The Cincinnati Book Arts Society in conjunction with the Cincinnati Public Library has for the past eight years sponsored an annual "BookWorks" exhibit at the downtown main library. Typically held in the spring, the exhibit features a wide range of books from small edition to one of a kind books.

[edit] Pennsylvania

Philadelphia has an active book arts community centered around the Book Arts/Printmaking graduate program at The University of the Arts and the Philadelphia Center for the Book, a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to the medium.

[edit] Texas

College of the Mainland in Texas City, Texas just hosted a critical overview of the field of book arts called "The Book "ever after"". Co-curators Janet Hassinger and Jon Coffelt selected 38 artists for this exhibition, an overview starting from the beginning of the book arts movement with works by Ed Ruscha, John Cage, Yoko Ono and Dieter Roth to contemporary works by Pinky Bass, Coffelt, and Mary Ann Sampson. [1]

[edit] Wisconsin

Activity in the book arts in Wisconsin is centered around the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For many years, Walter Hamady taught in Madison, and countless notable book artists studied with him. His Perisahble Press, Ltd. is located nearby in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. Today, a considerable community of book artists live and work in and around Madison. Madison is also home to the Wisconsin Center for Book & Paper Arts and the Silver Buckle Press .

[edit] Canada

Art Metropole was founded by the three artists of General Idea in 1974 for the collection, distribution, publishing and promotion of artists' books. It continues today as one of the primary institutions for artists' books, with a regular exhibition programme, in addition to its publishing and distribution activities. The Art Metropole Collection, comprised of some 13,000 items, is now held by the Library of the National Gallery of Canada as a special collection.

[edit] United Kingdom

Annual artist's book fairs in the UK include: 1. London Artists Book Fair ("LAB"), run by Marcus Campbell Art Books. 2. Small Publishers' Fair (London) 3. Dean Clough (Halifax) 4. Oxford Brookes University (Oxford) 5. Manchester Artist's Book Fair (Manchester - new; first fair to take place Autumn 2006) 6. COVERED! The Artist's Book Fair (London - 31 January - 3 February 2008)

[edit] London

Three of the earliest and most extensive collections of artists books worldwide are those of the National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Library of Chelsea College of Art and Design, and the Hyman Kreitman Research Centre at Tate Britain. The Tate's collection numbers about 4,000 items, includes books dating from the 1960s onwards and is international in scope with an emphasis on British artists.

Since the mid 1990s, Camberwell College of Art (part of the University of the Arts, London) has run a 1-year master's degree programme in Book Art, graduating 10-15 students annually.

The London College of Communication (part of the University of the Arts, London) runs a 3-year BA degree programmer in book arts.

The bookartbookshop is a non-profit organisation founded in 2002 by Tanya Peixoto (co-founder of the Artist's Book Yearbook) and sells publications of artist presses and publishers of artists’ books.

[edit] Bristol

The University of the West of England in Bristol publishes the bi-annual Artist's Book Yearbook, as well as a monthly newsletter on artists' books. It began a new MA degree programme in artists' books in 2006.

[edit] Lithuania

5th International Artist's Book Triennial Vilnius 2009. The theme - Text. Curator Kestutis Vasiliunas. Information: www.arts.lt, e-mail: vasiliunask@bokartas.lt

History: 5th International Artist's Book Triennial Vilnius 2009 is organised as a continuation of the last Triennials. The 1st International Artist's Book Triennial took part in 1997, in Gallery “Kaire Desine”. The theme of it was “Diary: Eight Days”. 65 artists from 13 countries took part in the Triennial. The 2nd International Artist’s Book Triennial took part in 2000, in Gallery “Arka” and in “Galerie 5020” in Salzburg. The theme of it was “Apocalypse”. 138 artists from 29 countries took part in the Triennial. The 3rd International Artist’s Book Triennial took part in 2003, in the Contemporary Art Centre in Vilnius. The theme of it was “23 Sins”. 118 artists from 37 countries took part in the Triennial. After the exhibition in Vilnius the Triennial was showed in 2004 in Frankfurt Art Fair in Frankfurt on Main, Germany; in 2004 in Thomas Mannas’ House in Nida, Lithuania; in 2004 in Gallery “Le Carre” in Lille, France; The 4th International Artist’s Book Triennial took part in 2006, in the Gallery “Arka” in Vilnius. The theme of it was “Rabbit and House”. 130 artists from 29 countries took part in the Triennial. After the exhibition in Vilnius the Triennial was shown in 2007 in Leipzig Book Fair in Leipzig, Germany; in 2007 in Seoul International Book Arts Fair in Seoul, South Korea.

[edit] Australia

[edit] Australian Capital Territory

The E+ABS at the Australian National University (ANU) School of Art is the one of the most active centres of production for artists’ books in Australia, encouraging collaboration between artists, writers and printers, allowing them the freedom to explore ideas and experiment with materials and techniques. The results are considered to be among the finest examples of the book arts in Australia.

The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) holds 1049 Australian artists' books (July 2007), the largest institutional collection of Australian artists’ books. The NGA is also one of the most active centres for discussion on artists’ books via their triannual Australian Print Symposium

The National Library of Australia (NLA) holds one of the most notable and accessible collections of Australian artists’ books in the ACT, with the collection numbering over 300. The NLA has also held regular exhibitions promoting the collection and further study on the collections, e.g. Beyond the Picket Fence: Australian women’s art in the National Library’s collections.

[edit] New South Wales

Southern Cross University in Northern NSW [2] has established a growing Artists Book collection housed in the University Library, the annual Southern Cross University Artists' Book Acquisitive Award and " the Codex Events" aimed at promoting papermaking & artists' books.

The Sydney Art on Paper Fair (SAPF), inaugurated in 1989, is boutique-sized art fair with over 35 exhibitors held every two years. SAPF is the only international art fair in Sydney, and the only one of its kind in the Asia Pacific region.

[edit] Queensland

In Australia, Artspace Mackay, houses one of Australia’s most significant regional collections of artists’ books, with over 400 held, and also hosts Focus on Artists Books, a program that includes special exhibitions by leading Australian book artists, and an annual conference on artists’ books.

The State Library of Queensland holds one of the most notable collections of Australian and overseas artists’ books in Australia, with approximately 800 (July 2007), housed within their Australian Library of Art, incorporating both the James Hardie Library of Australian Fine Arts and the History and Art of the Book Collection. The State Library of Queensland has also initiated the Artists’ Books Online project with Education Queensland’s e-learning environment, the Learning Place, to:

  • showcase the State Library’s collection of artists’ books
  • provide access to people who are not able to visit the library in person
  • provide high quality curriculum materials to assist teachers to integrate artists books into the classroom
  • preserve the original works of art by minimising handling

Noreen Grahame opened Grahame Galleries + Editions in 1987. The gallery specialises in prints, artists’ books and other works on paper. Since it opened the gallery has mounted 120 exhibitions; organised five artists’ books fairs in Australia; mounted a travelling exhibition of Australian artists’ books to Noumea in 1999 as part of Reaching the World, the Australian Olympic Arts Festivals 1999; participated in the Sydney Works on Paper fairs and the London Artists’ Books Fair. The publishing arm, Numero Uno Publications, was established in 1994 to publish artists’ books and catalogues. The gallery also houses The Centre for the Artist Book, housing over 500 Australian and international artists’ books and may be accessed on request.

[edit] Victoria

The State Library of Victoria holds a notable collection of artists’ books, which although approximately 300 in size, is being very actively developed and exhibited. Exhibition held include Lost & Found - Peter Lyssiotis and John Wolseley: the adventures of two artists in the State Library of Victoria.

[edit] Korea

The Korean Book Arts Association[3] sponsors the Seoul International Artists’ Books Fair.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "The Book" College of the Mainland Fine Arts Gallery, Texas City, Texas 2007
  2. ^ collection
  3. ^ Korean Book Arts Association