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Art of the Book: Creative Art Formations

Benjamin D. Rinehart, Team Ramey (detail), 2015, pop-up book, courtesy of the Art of the Book Collection at Seeley G. Mudd Library, Lawrence University and the artist

Benjamin D. Rinehart, Team Ramey (detail), 2015, pop-up book, courtesy of the Art of the Book Collection at Seeley G. Mudd Library, Lawrence University and the artist.

Art of the Book, an exhibition opening March 29 in the Wriston Art Center Gallery at Lawrence University, will highlight the Seeley G. Mudd Library’s growing collection of artist books. Artist books are works of art that use books as the medium.

“This exhibition is an opportunity to see unique and exciting examples of artist books that are not usually on view,” says Beth Zinsli, the gallery’s director and curator. “Because they take a variety of forms, artist books can be displayed in unusual ways, making them particularly visually interesting.”

Visitors will learn about artist books and perhaps be inspired to make their own book creations. The artist books in the exhibit feature a variety of forms such as accordion fold, pop-up and flip books, as well as different techniques like collage, letterpress, watercolor and woodcut printing.

“One particularly interesting artist book is ‘Eno’s’ by Marlene Weisman, which takes the form of a bracelet,” Zinsli says. “Another is Barbara Tetenbaum’s ‘Artist’s Book Ideation Cards’ [which] is two decks of off-set printed playing cards that feature categories and adjectives intended to spur creative ideas. Katie Ries’s ‘The Land Scouts Guide Book’ is a sash with handmade badges for skills like observation, orientation, digestion and cultivation sewn onto it.”

Art of the Book will be on display through May 6. The Wriston Art Galleries are free and open to the public. The galleries are open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, visit lawrence.edu

Arts & Culture

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