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MCBA/Jerome Foundation Book Arts Fellowship

Witness the continuing evolution of contemporary book art in an exhibition of work by the 2007-2008 MCBA / Jerome Foundation Book Arts Fellowship recipients. The explorations of these five artists will be on display at MCBA as part of a culminating exhibition opening Friday, October 3, 2008. The exhibition will be on display through January 10, 2009.

An installation by Brian Aldrich will include several individual projects, several of which require unique interactions by an eventual “owner-user”: a book of random numbers, the text of which is generated through the use of a bingo game cage; a cipher text to decipher; a paper charm to be completed through the process of carrying for two months; and crated fruit-like “Art Balls” which are made of boiled art and other ingredients, some of which include fat and spices. While not in traditional book forms, each work performs the function of a book: it tells the user what it is and how to use it.

"A book, a map, a pair of pliers... I want my objects to have the same feeling — that if you lived in their world, you would know how to use them." – Brian Aldrich

Sarah Peters has editioned a sculptural book that explores the Arctic region as a space of many mythologies: political, historical, and cultural. The piece is made primarily from cast cotton fiber, and includes letterpress printed text, drawings and embossed symbols. The individually cast pages are housed in five boxes that together make an edition. When unpacked, the non-traditional structure of the book creates a viewing experience that invites the reader to wander through unbound pages of image and text.

"My work is a meditation on a place where I have never been; the book reads like a series of quandaries, a collection of research facts, and a sketchbook." – Sarah Peters

Distance, memory, love and longing are some of the themes explored by Katya Reka. Her project consists of two books, each containing 12 illustrations and poems. Illustrations are printed from linoleum block prints, and each book in the edition of 15 will be presented in a handmade case. The project includes another component: a short video that continues the themes of memory, love, distance and time.

To bring poetry and art to new audiences, CB Sherlock and Regula Russelle’s “Sidewalk Folios: Something Beautiful for Free” project will disperse 5,000 letterpress-printed folios in several urban neighborhoods in the Twin Cities. Five different folios are being produced; though each folio is able to stand alone, together they form a “community book” addressing the theme of kinship. A companion installation in the gallery will explore the same theme.

 

Fellowship Program Details

Since 1985 the Jerome Foundation has provided MCBA support to fund creation of new bookworks, an important underscoring of the organization's mission to incite enthusiasm for the book as a vital contemporary art form. Under the program, Minnesota artists of diverse disciplines – including printers, papermakers, binders, painters, sculptors, poets, photographers and essayists – have explored and are encouraged to continue exploring the book as a vehicle for personal expression.

The fellowship program is open to artists of all disciplines interested in exploring the book form. Fellowship recipients receive project funding, studio and equipment use, artistic support from MCBA staff and artists, as well as a one-year MCBA membership. Recipients have one year to complete the proposed work, which is subsequently to be exhibited at MCBA. Recipients will also give public presentations relating to their work.

For more information about the MCBA/Jerome Book Arts Fellowships, please contact MCBA artistic director Jeff Rathermel at 612.215.2526 or jrathermel@mnbookarts.org.

 

Book Arts

Book arts is a dynamic discipline within the larger landscape of contemporary art. At Minnesota Center for Book Arts, the definition of book arts is broad and inclusive. We’re interested in all things “bookish.”

Though book arts often require bookbinding, printing or paper-making to come to fruition, contemporary book artists use these traditional practices and others in surprising and exciting new ways.The creative evolution of book arts is limitless.

In an exhibition a few years at MCBA, visitors were posed the question, "What makes an artist's book an artist's book?" Blank cards were provided for composing answers, which were posted on a board within the gallery for all visitors to read and consider. Two major themes arose out of the ongoing dialogue.

First, the concept of intent was deemed important. Artists' books are such because their creators intended them to be works of art.

Pages may be viewed as paintings and volumes as galleries. Some books may explore sculptural ideas. Still other works may be conceptual in nature. In all cases, such careful intent implies several factors: the artist has a clear vision for the work, content has been adequately considered and refine, and readers/viewers have been anticipated. This last point is perhaps most critical. Art is neither created nor experienced in a vacuum. If work is intended to be art – a form of communication – it is necessary to think about an audience. How will viewers approach the work? What will readers take away? What relevance does the work offer?

A second theme from the gallery postings involved the considerations an artist makes when creating an artist's book. To make the best choices for supporting the content, an artist must consider all elements of a book's construction – physical, visual, and conceptual. The format of the book, binding style, size, paper, typography, colors, textures, and text must work together to strengthen the artistic message. All components should come together in a harmonious whole – one never overshadowing the others – to create a completed work that is much greater than the sum of its individual parts.