The Publishers' Roundtable: Book Artists in Dialogue
January 14 - March 31, 2007
In conjunction with the Yale Collection of American Literature

This exhibition features the work of the six presses that will be participating in the Publishers' Roundtable discussion during an upcoming conference on the intersection of poetry and art in the book format.

Coracle Press
Cunieform Press
In Cahoots Press
Ninja Press
Sutton Hoo Press
Ugly Duckling Presse

To start the conversation, a list of questions was circulated among the publishers; those questions and their responses are posted on the conference blog. http://publishersroundtable.wordpress.com/

The conference Metaphor Taking Shape: Poetry, Art & the Book took place on March 13 & 14, 2008, on the Yale campus. For more information, please visit the web site: http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/metaphor/index.html

Views of Los Angeles, The City Beautiful: Ed Ruscha's Artists' Books
October 8 - December 20, 2007
Guest Curator Ian McDermott, 2007 Kress Fellow in Art Librarianship

Starting in the early 1960s, Ed Ruscha’s artists’ books have addressed issues concerning land development in the American west, particularly Los Angeles. Water, cars, real estate, and fossil fuels all prominently factor in the evolution of the west from the rugged final frontier to L.A.’s embodiment of the sprawling American city. In books such as Twentysix Gasoline Stations, Some Los Angeles Apartments, and Every Building on the Sunset Strip Ruscha employs deadpan photos of gas stations, parking lots, apartment complexes, swimming pools, and other banalities to depict the Los Angeles landscape, physical and psychic. These works announce their ostensible subject matter, yet the books also confound expectations by engaging the social, ecological, and political stakes of mid-twentieth century Los Angeles. This exhibit will examine several of Ruscha’s publications and situate them in their particular time and place, along with additional documentation, to create a then/now portrait of the Los Angeles region.

Born in 1944, Sharon Gilbert engaged with many of the most pressing social and cultural currents of her time. As a child of both the Cold War and the civic upheavals of the 1960s in America, she used the medium of artists’ books to tackle national anxieties ranging from nuclear waste to sexism to the American workday. Often executed with textual wit and visual puns, her production engaged a variety of aesthetic strategies, most notably, repetition and collage. Gilbert’s frequent use of the photo-copy machine was both innovative and effective, a demonstration of her interest in mechanization and her skill in moving between forms of graphic media. Poison America, a title taken from one her works, presents a selection of her books from the late 1970s to the present. Included with Gilbert’s artists’ books are other artists’ books that are in aesthetic, media, or contextual dialogue with hers. These include her contemporary Dona Ann McAdams, her colleague in the political art collective, Political Art Documentation & Distribution Archive (PAD/D), and other copy-art artists Mariona Barkus, Louise Neaderland, and John Wood. In addition to the bookworks on display, the exhibition features an essay by Martin, available on our web site: http://www.library.yale.edu/aob/SharonGilbert/PoisonAmericaExhibitEssay.html

Courtney J. Martin is an art historian and a curator. Most recently, she curated an exhibition of artists’ books, the C-Series: Artists’ Books and Collective Action, in New York at the Nathan Cummings Foundation. The C-Series traveled to the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, England (2005); Neon Campobase in Milan, Italy (2006); and the Liverpool Biennial (2006). In 2004, she co-curated, an exhibition of abstract art, Sunrise/Sunset at Smack Mellon in Brooklyn, New York. Currently, she is completing a doctorate on late twentieth century British art at Yale University. Prior to her arrival at Yale, she was the Interim Head Curator at the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum and worked in the media, arts, and culture unit of the Ford Foundation in New York. She has written for several publications, including Artforum, Flashart, Frieze, and NKA.

Pictorial Webster's: An Artist's Book by John Carrera of Quercus Press
November 13, 2006 - February 22, 2007

Inspired by a 19th century family dictionary discovered at his grandparents’ house, John Carrera set out to learn more about the history and making of the American Dictionary of the English Language, originally complied by Noah Webster, and published in illustrated editions by the Merriam-Webster Company of Springfield, MA, starting in 1859. His research led him to Yale University Library, the recipient of a gift from the Merriam-Webster Company in 1977. Archival and manuscript materials relating to the several editions of the dictionary are housed at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Wood engravings and copper electrotypes used to print the illustrations for the dictionary are housed at the Arts of the Book Collection, Arts Library.

Carrera identified the images by checking for their inclusion in the illustrated editions of 1859, 1864, and 1890. He then alphabetized the images according to the dictionary entry they illustrated and printed, directly from the original blocks, his artist’s rendition, which is over 400 pages. The result is the Pictorial Webster’s, hot off the press in October 2006. The 100 copies in the edition will be hand bound by the artist who trained in the bookbinding program at the North Bennet Street School in Boston. The edition is so new, it is not completely bound yet. See one of the first completed copies in our exhibit cases.

The exhibition showcased the process of creating this contemporary artist’s book and also presents historical ephemera related to the creation of the original illustrated edition of 1859 and several 19th century editions. See the blocks from which the artist printed the thousands of images in his work, learn about the process of letterpress printing, and the development of this unique artist’s project.

Yale University is pleased to be one of the many libraries celebrating this milestone anniversary for one of the most important innovators in contemporary book arts. A survey of books and broadsides printed by Claire Van Vliet at the Janus Press showcases her range of work featuring handmade paper and woven book bindings.

Janus Press was founded in 1955 in San Diego, CA. Since then, Claire Van Vliet has been working with traditional formats and creating innovative new structures for her publications, which often feature first edition poetry. The exhibition starts with her earliest publication, An Oxford Odyssey with poems by John Theobald and woodcuts by Claire Van Vliet, and shows selected works from all decades of the press, including the most recent publication, The Gospel of Mary, 2006.

A full color catalog written by Ruth Fine and published by the University of Vermont Libraries contains a detailed listing of Janus Press work from 1991-2005, as well as indexes for her work from 1955-2005, which is documented in several previous publications. The catalog is available for $35. Call or email for ordering information.

The Emma Joy Dana Collection of Anna Mackova
May 1 - May 31, 2006

Selected examples from this impressive collection of the work of artist Anna Mackova showcased the artist's range in drawing and printmaking. The artist lived and worked in what is now the Czech Republic in the first half of the 20th century. Her work reflects her love of the beautiful landscape that surrounded her, which she depicted in lushly colored woodblock prints. Mackova also had a great interest in the bookplate format and created hundreds of designs.

Production Not Reproduction: The History of Offset Printed Artists' Books
November 7, 2005 - January 31, 2006 Sterling Memorial Library Nave
November 7, 2005 - April 20, 2006 Arts of the Book Collection
Guest Curator: Tony White, Art & Architecture Librarian, Pratt Institute

Photographers, printmakers, graphic artists, and others have used the process of offset lithography - historically used as a means of commercial picture reproduction - in creative and unique ways. By using the offset print process book artists have had the option to produce properties and effects unattainable by other processes. Since 1995 the explosion of desktop publishing has allowed many artists to produce color-printed artists' books without relying on offset lithography as a means of picture production. This exhibit will include selected offset printed artists' books from 1960 to 2005

Greer Allen: A Celebration of His Life and Work
October 3-31, 2005
This exhibit showcased a selection of books, posters, and other works designed by Greer Allen, former Yale University Printer. Highlights include publications for Yale University institutions such as the Center for British Art, the Yale University Art Gallery, and the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, as well as work for other institutions.

Tales and Illuminations: The Art of Mark Podwal
August 2005-October 2005
Sterling Memorial Library Exhibition Corridor
In conjunction with the Judaica Collection

This exhibit showcases the work of illustrator Mark Podwal, including original paintings, drawings, and prints, many of which were used as book illustrations. Books including the work of Podwal and other media to which his artwork has been adapted are also on display. The exhibit includes a section highlighting some of the books Podwal illustrated for Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Elie Wiesel. His drawings have appeared in the New York Times since 1972. He has authored and illustrated a number of books including Jerusalem Sky, A Book of Hebrew Letters, A Jewish Bestiary and A Sweet Year. He has also collaborated with such authors as Cynthia Ozick, Francine Klagsbrun and Francine Prose. His art has been exhibited in solo exhibitions at the Jewish Museum in Prague, the Skirball Museum in Los Angeles, and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. His work is in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Harvard Fogg Museum, the Carnegie Museum of Art, among many others.

A Flourish of Form: New and Traditional Structures in Artists' Books
May 2005-September 15, 2005
Curated by Jonathan Lill, 2004 Kress Fellow in Art Librarianship

While traditional book binding techniques form the basis of most artists' books, artists have not limited themselves to merely these. In recent decades artists have expanded their search for novel forms, thus expanding the possibilities of the book arts. This exhibit presents a sample of such new forms from the Arts of the Book collection and focuses on several types. Some of the forms utilize familiar styles most commonly associated with children's books or novelty toys. Other forms are logical progressions from the standard codex. These forms enable artists to juxtapose distinct texts, complicate the narrative sequence, and enlarge the possibilities of reading while demonstrating the unlimited potential of book arts.

Yalephabet: The Twenty-Six Roman Characters from Inscriptions at Yale University
May 2005-August 2005
The final project of the Art of the Printed Word college seminar is on display in the vertical cases in the Arts of the Book Collection. The portfolio consists of a series of 26 broadsides, each depicting a letter of the alphabet as found carved on the Yale campus. Students wrote commentary about each letter including information on its location, relationship to Yale tradition and history, and typographic importance.

Edible Book High/Low Tea
April 1, 2005 [Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library]

The Edible Book Festival and Tea provided an opportunity for book lovers, writers, artists, and library enthusiasts to come together to celebrate books as both the transmitters of words and images and as familiar and beautiful objects. Throughout history, the human drive to communicate and record ideas has led to the innovative use of materials at hand to construct books in all manner of imaginative and unlikely formats. In the twenty-first century, alternative modes of publication abound and the idea of "the book" is more flexible than ever. At the Tea, food served as a metaphor, reminding us that to nourish, art and ideas must be consumed and digested. See the entries online >>

The Belgian Illustrated Book: 1918-2004
February 4 - April 29, 2005 [Sterling Memorial Library Nave & Arts of the Book Collection]

The international exhibition exploring the intersection of book arts and graphic art in Belgium is jointly sponsored by the Arts of the Book Collection, Yale University Library; the Departments of French and Comparative Literature; Le Commissariat Général des Relations Internationales (Belgium); and Les Archives et Musée de la Littérature (Bibliothèque Royale Albert Ier). The exhibition explores the evolution and flourishing of illustrated books in the Flemish and French-speaking regions of Belgium and pays special attention to the astonishing development of the bande dessinée (comic strip or book) in Belgium during the twentieth-century. Situated between the major cultural centers Amsterdam and Paris and with a population divided into two major linguistic groups, Belgium has a strong tradition of book illustration, as well as the publication of illustrated books priced for popular sale. A tradition of images with or without words has emerged and contemporary artists, such as Olivier Deprez, continue the lineage, which boasts artists such as Frans Maseerel, Henri Michaux, and Marcel Broodthaers. An important part of this tradition, the bande dessinée, establishes its first great claim with the Tintin series by Hergé and continues via many other artists such as Jijé and Franquin, appealing to a wide adult as well as a younger audience. View the exhibit narrative and checklist online.

Women's Studio Workshop Turns 30
November 2004 - January 2005 [A+A Library & Arts of the Book Collection]

As a repository for all the books created at The Workshop, are hosting an exhibit to celebrate this important acheivement, which makes The Workshop one of the oldest American not-for-profit dedicated to creating artists' books. See the bookworks online at the WSW web site.

Holding In, Holding On: The Work of Martha Hall
Organized by Martin Antonetti, Smith College
August - October 2004

A traveling exhibition that showcased the bookworks created by this artist as a way to deal with the pain of breast cancer. Hall's work is a powerful and poignant example of how the creative process can heal.

Selections from the Joseph W. Reed Collection
May 2004 - July 2004 [Sterling Memorial Library Nave & Arts of the Book Collection]

Highlights from the Joseph W. Reed Collection, including several of his famous alphabets and unique artists' books, were on display in honor of his 50th reunion at Yale. Joseph W. Reed '54 has had a prolific and varied career. He is a self-taught artist who works primarily as a painter. A professor of English and American Studies at Wesleyan University, his paintings often have historical themes or evidence of the artist's extensive scholarly knowledge. His work is also imbued with a wonderful sense of humor. See selected work at the artist's website.

Selections from the John O.C. McCrillis Collection
February 2004 - April 2004 [Sterling Memorial Library Nave & Arts of the Book Collection]

The work of John McCrillis '52 MFA has been celebrated previously in exhibitions in New Haven, but is certainly worth additional time in a showcase, as he continues to create work in a career that spans over 60 years. A wide selection of materials showcasing the versatility of John McCrillis in his professional career as a graphic designer, as well as items from his early days and personal graphic pursuits, were brought together for this exhibition on the occasion of the artist's 90th birthday.

Selections from the Irene D. Andrews Pace Bookplate Collection
October 2003-January 2004
Curated by Jennifer Brannock, 2003 Kress Fellow in Art Librarianship

A selection of bookplates from one of the major components of the Bookplate Collection. The bookplates were grouped according to theme with examples commissioned by famous patrons or created by famous artists. Additionally, the design process was highlighted with correspondence, sketches, proofs and final prints of one particular bookplate.

From Copper-Plate to Chromolithograph: Nineteenth-Century Commercial Art and Graphic Design
December 2, 2002- January 23, 2003 [Sterling Memorial Library Nave]; January 24 - September 30, 2003 [Arts of the Book Collection]
Curated by Katherine Haskins, Director, Arts Library

The nineteenth century, the first to encounter mass industrialization of visual imagery, provided a rich and compelling history of commercial art. The products of commercial art and graphic design in the nineteenth century were among the most often-noticed and widely-used of all nineteenth-century visual production. While there are a few well-known names associated with the commercial art of the period, among them, Currier and Ives, and Louis Prang, it was the work of uncounted anonymous designers and the prolific printing and publishing establishments that greatly enriched the visual encyclopedia defining the nineteenth-century world.

This exhibit draws from the rich and diverse holdings of plate work and printed ephemera in the Arts of the Book Collection (Room 177, Sterling Memorial Library). It features nineteenth-century American and British exemplars and represents only a small sample of the diversity of material available to the scholar and student of the book and printing arts.

Anatol Girs
September 3 - November 29, 2002
[Sterling Memorial Library Nave]

This exhibition showcases the work of the Polish book designer and publisher, Anatol Girs (1904 - 1990). The books published by Girs before and after World War II are extraordinary, not only in their craftsmanship and clarity of design, but in their relationship to the major world events of the time. They also illustrate the enduring creativity of an artist during the most harrowing period of the twentieth century. This exhibition brings together works from all periods of Girs' career, highlighting the groundbreaking book of short stories, "We Were in Auschwitz" (1946).

Before the war, Girs worked in collaboration with fellow artist Boleslaw Barcz to design and publish books and other works of graphic art at their firm, the Girs-Barcz Atelier. Their designs won international prizes including the Grand Prix in Florence (1933) and the Grand Cup in London (1934). The success prompted them to open their own press in 1938, the Oficyna Warszawska. However, this new venture did not survive the unstable politics of the time. Barcz was killed and the press burned during the Warsaw Uprising. Girs was arrested and imprisoned in several concentration camps, including Auschwitz. After the war, Girs encouraged fellow survivors Tadeusz Borowski, Janusz Nel Siedlecki and Krystyn Olszewski to write down their experiences, which resulted in the 1946 publication. Girs moved to the United States in 1947, and continued creating printed and graphic works until his death.

This exhibition was made possible by the generous loan of works from the collection of Barbara Girs. Alicia Nitecki, associate professor of English at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts, and translator of the 2000 English translation of "We Were in Auschwitz," was also a major contributor.

The Holocaust in Contemporary Artists' Books
[Sterling Memorial Library Elevator Exhibition Cases]
September 3 - November 6, 2002

A selection of bookworks from the Arts of the Book Collection in which the creators explore issues connected with the Holocaust.

By Chance: Serendipity and Randomness in Contemporary Artists' Books
August 12 - November 6, 2002
Guest Curator: Robin Price, Printer & Publisher, Middletown, CT
[Arts of the Book Collection and the Sterling Memorial Library Exhibition Corridor]

Chance is often a factor in the creation of artwork. Making books and other art works by hand allows serendipity and randomness to become part of the process. Over the years many artists have purposefully incorporated chance operations into their creative method. This exhibit shows examples of works that use chance in different ways: blind collaboration (working separately on the same project, without knowing what the other is doing), chance in the concept or content of the book, found materials as instigators for creation, randomness determined by reader interaction with the work, careful documentation of a chance moment in time, chance developments from purposeful spontaneity, and calculated chance operations. Using both historical and modern examples, the show illustrates different approaches by artists who have embraced unpredictability.
See the checklist. >>

The Tradition of Lettepress Printing at Yale
November 19, 2001 - February 28, 2002
Our most recent exhibition showcases the work of former student printers at Yale University. The tradition dates back to the 1930's when several of the college presses were founded. Letterpress was the media of choice for communication about college activities. Posters, flyers, cards and more were printed by students to advertise events or just to showcase their creativity. A selection of works from the Arts of the Book Collection archive of student printing is currently on display.
See the online exhibition. >>

From Printer's Devil to Artist-Printer: The Letterpress Work of Robin Price
July 21, 2001 - October 31, 2001
This exhibition showcased the work of Robin Price through the length of her career. The presentation of ephemera, broadsides, and books started in 1984 with the first piece of printing on which Robin laid her hands. The growth of her experience and talents are followed through stints working with various presses on to her own productions. With the numerous works housed in the Arts of the Book Collection and the works on loan from the artist, the range of materials highlighted Price's versatility and inventiveness.

John Eric Broaddus
April 25, 2001 - June 25, 2001
This exhibition was the first showing of a nearly complete representation of the artist's work in over a decade. One-of-a-kind books, costumes, paintings, and ephemera presented a picture of this versatile artist. The exhibition was made possible by generous loans from Arthur Williams and the estate of the artist and from the estate of Tony Zwicker. The exhibition was opened with a screening of the film "Books of Survival" by Gabriella Mirabelli. The file documented Broaddus' life and art. A catalog with a checklist and essays from Johanna Drucker and Renee & Judd Hubert also accompanied the exhibit.

Scott McCarney: Artists' Books from the Arts of the Book Collection
December 4, 2000 - March 30, 2001
This exhibition featured the eight works by Scott McCarney held by the Yale University Library. These works span from the early 1980's to 1999. Works by artists who influenced Scott McCarney were displayed alongside the featured artists' books.

Poetics, Politics, and Song: Contemporary Latin American/Latino(a) Artists' Books
September 14, 2000 - November 27, 2000
This exhibition was curated by D. Vanessa Kam, the 2000 Kress Fellow in Art Librarianship.
See the online exhibition >>