Not Just for Reading

Not Just for Reading

Mark Twain Library

May 3, 2023 to July 31, 2023

Artists:

Anita Gangi Balkun

Suzanne Benton

Deborah Phillips Chodoff

Karen Cipolla

Chris Perry

Ellen Schiffman

David Skora

John Frederick Walker

What goes into making a book?

Take one-part barbed wire,

And add it to one-part recycled book,

Add two parts eco-printed pages,

Then cut paper and add to the old book,

Screw the pages together with rusted nuts and bolts,

Cover the whole thing with a link-like material,

Then sew the pages together with linen thread in an open stitch,

Cover the open book with black and red paint,

Place sticks in the hinge stitching,

Fold all the pages into themselves.

Finally place it in a box under lock and key.

Adding an old crank and fan as the finishing touch.

Not what you would expect, but this is what happens when one looks at book art.  It takes the viewer far from the traditional book experience and invites a new consideration of what a book can be.