Artists’ books
The book as art : artists' books from the National Museum of Women in the arts
Krystyna Wasserman ; with essays by Johanna Drucker and Audrey Niffenegger.
New York : Princeton Architectural Press, c2007.
Artists' books have emerged over the last twenty-five years as one of the most engaging contemporary art forms, addressing subjects from poetry to politics, incorporating a full spectrum of artistic media and bookmaking methods, and taking every conceivable form. Female painters, sculptors, calligraphers, and printmakers have played a primary role in developing this new mode of artistic expression. The Book as Art presents more than one hundred of the finest artists' books culled from the collection of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. These exquisitely crafted objects are certain to provoke unexpected and surprising conclusions about what constitutes a book. Book jacket.
Alphabetica : an A-Z creativity guide for collage and book artists
Lynne Perrella.
Gloucester, Mass. : Quarry Books, c2006.
Mixed media techniques have come to forefront again, with artists in every field combining materials and effects to create journals, altered art, collage pieces, memory art and more. With all the creative experiementation developing at such a fast pace, it is pertinent to know how various techniques and combinations work and whether they are right for your latest project. Alphabetica illuminates new techniques through detailed visuals and rich, explanatory text. From cover to cover, readers absorb the specialties of each contributing artist, such as Judi Riesch's use of vintage photographs, and Lesley Riley's sophisticated fabric transfers, and are able to get an "over the shoulder" glance at how these artists work.
Creating artists' books
Sarah Bodman.
New York : Watson-Guptill Publications, c2005.
This overview of artists' books presents a general background and some methods for beginners. Bodman (research fellow for artists' books, Centre for Fine Print Research, U. of the West England, Bristol) discusses such topics as collaboration between artists and writers, making books with limited materials and equipment, and display, marketing and exhibiting. She also provides many lists of resources and uses examples from a variety of artists. Annotation #169;2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
The decorated journal : creating beautifully expressive journal pages
Gwen Diehn.
New York : Lark Books, c2005.
There are many ways to record and document feelings, experiences, and reflections. Most of us resort to words alone, believing we lack the time or artistic talent to create illustrated pages that can make our journals more meaningful. But longtime writer and visual journaler Gwen Diehn believes that is simply not the case. She suggests many simple methods for making books more artistic, beautiful, and expressive using visual elements to enhance the written word.
Artists get their inspiration from many objects. The book’s form has spawned a whole genre of art expression called “Artists’ books.” These sculptural pieces are based on the familiar book, but their creator pushes the physical boundaries of a book to make something different.
Book artists are limited only by their imagination. One artist writes about her childhood of the 1950’s and fixes those words on an icon of the time: Wonder Bread slices. Is this a “book?” What defines a “book” and how is that separate from “art?” This piece blurs clear lines of demarcation
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Who Collects?
Should libraries collect and display Artists books? Or do they belong only in art galleries and museums? There is no clear answer.
Some libraries buy them because they are books. When the artist has created both physical form and content that is important, the object may fit within a library’s scope of collecting. |
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Art museums collect them as an important expression of contemporary art. Artists’ books are increasingly popular in art and craft circles, and museums that wish to reflect contemporary trends have been collecting them for years. |
Any medium is fair game for creating these unusual art objects. Traditional materials of paper and leather form many Artists’ books but you may find wood or porcelain books in an exhibit. Metal, glass, and plastic have been utilized by artists. Fabric lends itself easily to replicating parts of a book, and fiber artists sew their product using traditional fabric techniques like quilting as well as embellishments of buttons and ribbon.
Books that have been changed in some way are known as “Altered books,” part of the world of Artists’ books. Craftsmen start with an existing book and refashion it using any number of artistic means, molding it into something that has meaning. Beautiful specimens show off painting, paper folding, or decoupage techniques where pages have been torn or glued and covers embellished.
Artists’ books appeal to book lovers as well as those who appreciate interesting art expression.
Article by: St. Louis Public Library staff.
