Special Collection Exhibit - Artists Books

The Book as Art:

A selection of works by contemporary book artists

The field of book arts is a vibrant sector in the world of contemporary art. Work produced by book artists is diverse in both form and content. The physical and conceptual variety characteristic of artists’ books is the focus of the current exhibition in Walker Library’s Special Collections Department which features works drawn from the Dimensional and Artists’ Books collection.

Artists’ books have a rather curious dual nature. They are part of the visual world of art but, at the same time, rooted in the functional world of books and text. If we envision a line with “art” at one end and “book” at the other, many artists’ books fall somewhere in the middle, incorporating properties from both sides of the scale.  The 21 works on display in Special Collections represent various points on the book arts continuum and incorporate a wide range of materials, structures and subjects but share one important characteristic—they are compelling, expressive objects.

All of the books in this exhibit are part of The Dimensional and Artists’ Books Collection, an eclectic assembly of works which also includes pop-up, movable and miniature books. In various ways, items in this collection explore the character of the book and the nature and boundaries of its form.

The exhibit, which runs through May of 2015, will be open during Special Collections’ regular hours, Monday through Friday from 8:30 - 4:30.