Archabet: An Architectural Abecedarium
Archabet: An Architectural Abecedarium, is a 6-foot high drum leaf bound book that presents the cityscape as an alphabet book.
It comprises hundreds of digital photographs of building façades taken over 20 years of travel, discovering details and structures that mimic letter forms. Occupying the window of MCBA’s Outlook Gallery, it is large enough to invite the viewer into the space of the book. But this is a nearly impenetrable city, with compressed space organized by hierarchical perspective. Centered in each spread are Johann Steingruber’s letter-shaped plan drawings of buildings from Architectural Alphabet, published in 1773. The condensed plane of the city is flattened as a sheet of paper, the images and letters read across its surface. Turn the page, and turn into another city. Archabet accompanies Building / Books, a Retrospective Exhibition by Karen Wirth, at MCBA and Open Book, April 12 through June 8, 2025
Free and open to the public
WhereMCBA Outlook Gallery
WhenApril 12, 2025–June 8, 2025
Viewable from the street (and from inside the shop during open hours)
Karen Wirth is an artist and educator whose artwork ranges from books and sculpture to architecture.
She co-designed the sculptural staircase at Open Book and four blue line light rail stations, all in Minneapolis. Her books include offset editions, one-of-a-kind sculptural pieces, and room-sized installations. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and is in many collections, including the Museum of Modern Art Library, The Walker Art Center, the Getty Center, and Yale University. She is a 2024 McKnight Fellow in Book Arts.
Upcoming Exhibitions
