The Spartanburg Art Museum in South Carolina recently opened the doors to its’ new location with the powerful exhibition People Reading : Selections From the Collection of Donald and Patricia Oresman. The exhibit is perfectly curated by Thomas L. Johnson, librarian emeritus at the University of South Carolina, and consists of 60 works from the vast Oresman collection which consists of over 2,000 images.
Maurice Askenazy PIONEER, 1929 Ink and pencil on paper 2 15/16 x 3 11/16
We see people reading books, we see people reading newspapers, we see people reading alone and in groups, in bed and in the bath, at night and during the day, inside and out. The range and breadth of the images conveys both the power and the pain inherent in the act of reading.
Will Barnett SWING AT DUSK, n.d. Lithograph (edition unknown), 11 x 14 in.
In his introduction to the catalog for the exhibition Johnson mentions that one of the reasons he wanted to curate the show is because “he loves books and art” and “While I do not worship them, I do love them intrinsically-as wonderful and curious objects to be handled or images to be seen and enjoyed spontaneously-as well as for their power to communicate emotionally and intellectually at the deepest levels.”
Johnson then goes on to ponder the question as to why such a collection has not be duplicated in the public domain. He offers us this:
“Why not establish a collection in the public domain that brings together these two themes and elements-these twin necessities of reading and artistic expression-in the phenomenal way in which the Oresman’s have accomplished this in the private realm?”
Ah, the “twin necessities” for the masses – what a beautiful thought.
Catalog available here
Top image: Catalog cover Leo Meissner WAR BULLETINS, c. 1942. Wood engraving (edition of 50) 6 1/8 x 11 1⁄4 in.