Welcome!
Welcome to the digital companion to the artists' books that explore the choices that you make and how they impact your understanding of their work. In this exhibit, we will be examining the idea of the book as a conceptual playground, where there are concepts and ideas that you can pick and choose and access through the content and presentation of the artist book. So what exactly is an artist book? According to the Smithsonian Libraries: "An artist’s book is a medium of artistic expression that uses the form or function of “book” as inspiration." An artist book is all about intent. They may be an artistic interpretation of a classic story or a work of art that uses the form of a book to convey meaning. The collection of artist books and their related counterparts in this exhibit will take you on a journey to see how the form and function of the book has changed over time. The book began in a codex form for a way to easily hold and transport information. In this exhibit, you will be able to observe how the much has evolved in correlation to how society has evolved. These artist books will force you to engage with the art, to make choices the way you do in reality, and ultimately guide you to a destination you may or may not have predicted. All the books in this exhibit demonstrate the power the reader has in the determination of a story's message.
Throughout this expedition, I ask you to to tweet any general reactions, questions, or comments using this hashtag: #takeyourpick2016
One last thing about this exhibit is that although it is ordered chronologically to see the development of books over time, you are given the choice to begin anywhere that you would like and see how this may enhance or diminish your understanding later.
Let's begin.
Image citation: (Moyan Brenn, 2011, Road)
