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November
2-December 22, 2001
Outwest II : SO CALled Books
An Exhibition of Artist's books from Southern California
Click on the picture to go
to the illustrated
catalog of
work in the exhibition.
Read the Introduction by
the curator, Gloria Helfgott
Out West II showcases diverse artists from Southern California who are making a
distinct contribution to the book as an art form. The exhibit features works
that resemble books in form but push the limits of what we might consider to
be a book. The concepts of structure, deconstruction, poetry-in-motion and
imagery have been explored through themes that range from the urban
environment to the kinetic rhythm of flipping pages. A range of documented
forms such as the scroll, clay tablet, girdle book, pop-ups, and a variety
of media including pen and ink, photography, collage, xerography, prints,
paint, wood, clay and metal are used to
create these diverse works.
Right:
Katherine Ng, Spirit Vessel |
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The featured artists include:
Kim Abeles
Mariona Barkus
Terry Braunstein
Jean Burg
Carolee Campbell
Barbara Drucker
Linda Eckstrom
Sam Erenburg
Mary Heebner |
Gloria Helfgott
William Hendricks
Jessica Holada
Susan King
Katherine Ng
Pia Pizzo
Michal Reed
Harry/Sandra Reece
Sue Anne Robinson
Lezley Saar |
Genie Shenk
Janet Shipper
Stephan Sidelinger
Elena Siff
Tim Stempel
Emiko Tanaka
Beth Thielen
Barbara Hashimoto
Yolanda Valenzuela
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SO
CALled Books opened Friday evening, Nov. 2, 2001. To the right is a
photo of at the opening reception of CBA artist member Ed Hutchins
(left) meeting artist William Hendricks of Ventura, California, whose work
is in the exhibition. CBA artist member Evelyn Eller read the introduction
to the exhibition, written by the curator, Gloria Helfgott.
Mr. Hendricks graciously agreed to give an impromptu talk about his
work. He spoke about the special cameras that were custom built for his
images, using 19th century lenses, and about his special license to go to
Cuba to continue his artistic project.
Introduction
by Gloria Helfgott, Curator
Southern California has a long tradition in artist's books.
The influence
of the Fluxus movement in the fifties and sixties spurred local artists on
the road to an involvement with the medium, When Ed Rusha's "26 Gasoline
Stations" (1963) introduced the unique concept of the book as an art form,
many books followed and the book store at the Pasadena Art Museum was
selling Rusha's artist's books along with those of John Baldessari, Guy Du
Cointet, Suzanne Lacey and others, who were creating this accessible art
form. The Woman's Graphic Center in LA was producing artist's books,
offering classes and attracting artists such as Susan King and Mariona
Barkus. Institutions such as Scripps College in Claremont, the Athaneum in
La Jolla, the special collections libraries at the Getty Museum, UCLA, UCSD
are among many involved in the book arts field. Judith Hoffberg, publisher
of "Umbrella " magazine has been a guiding light for the medium. Harry Reese
of "Turkey Press" in Santa Barbara has been a leading figure and has been
teaching book arts at UC-Santa Barbara for many years. This is a thriving,
active community of book artists, producing uniques and multiple books and
contributing to the richness of the southern California scene.
My choice of books are a collective biography of a time and place of which I
have become part. The theme of the exhibition is diversity...visual and
intellectual.
I have included various structural and visual books, eliminating seductive
craft cuteness, instead emphasizing the integrity of the individual pieces.
The future? I see artist books becoming more sculptural, more wall oriented.
The fine press publishers will experiment further in developmental imagery
and structure and a few book galleries will come and go according to the
marketplace. Public spaces and centers such as the New York Center for the
Book will have to be the guardians of this form of art, teaching,
exhibiting work, encouraging and providing education to an audience that
appreciates this art form.
The exhibition will be on view at the CBA until the end of December and will then
travel to the Special Collections, J. Willard Marriot Library, Univeristy of
Utah, to be shown from April 4 through May 18. 2002.
go
to the illustrated
catalog
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