Book Tower comprised of Smithsonian Publications at the Conference on the Future of the Smithsonian, February 11, 1927. For this installment of the In the Stacks we visit The Smithsonian Institution Archives for some bookish love. The SI archives are a repository that: captures, preserves, and makes available to the public the history of this extraordinary Institution. From its inception in 1846 to the present, the records of the history of the Institution—its people, its programs, its research, and its stories—have been gathered, organized, and disseminated so that everyone can learn about the Smithsonian. The history of the Smithsonian is a vital part...
Of Interest: Burn the Diaries, How Literature Saved My Life, Storytelling Through Textiles and The Writer’s Garden
Burn the Diaries by Moyra Davey and Alison Strayer. Illustrated with photos by Davey. "The dross of the diary, the compulsion to scribble, the delusion that we can hold on to time. The inversion of this neurosis is the anxiety of being read, the fear of wounding and, just as strong, the dread of being unmasked." Comprised of texts from Moyra Davey and Alison Strayer Burn the Diaries is a meditation on the act of writing and much more. Using the works of Jean Genet Davey explores the story of her life in text and photographs. She then shares them...
Books with Sami
Lost in the library. 02.17.14 Sami is conceptual / fine art photographer hailing from Sheffield, England. She works under the moniker Manadh, which means ‘omen’ or ‘good luck’ in Gaelic and everyday since January, 1, 2011 she has taken at least one photograph. Lucky for us she incorporates books in some of her shots. Enjoy this sampling. Of an investigatory nature. 03.08.14 Gone camping. 06.12. 13 Nothing like a good book. 02.03.13 Overgrown. 04.22.14 Carrying the weight of the world. 10.15.13 Manadh's website Manadh's Photostream on Flickr
The Horror, The Horror! Books Left for Dead in Abandoned Schools
Community at Work by Stephanie. Philadelphia, 2011. In an era when most schools and kids have glaring book needs it is an utter tragedy to witness these images. All taken within the last five years and all depicting complete neglect. The breakdown of communication somewhere along the line that allows these books to go to an early death without being utilized somewhere is unconscionable. Granted some of the books might be outdated but they still could be of some use to the book artists. All images gleaned from the 5,550+ photos in the Abandoned Schools group on Flickr. Urban School by Nitram242. Detroit, 2013 for some this...
Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning
Dorothea Lange in her Bay Area home studio, 1964. Photo: ©1964, 2014 Rondal Partridge Archives The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera – Dorothea Lange Next up for the groundbreaking PBS series American Masters is a profile of photographer Dorothea Lange. Titled Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning the documentary "explores the life, passions and uncompromising vision of the influential photographer," whose "enduring images document five turbulent decades of American history, including the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl and World War II Japanese American internment camps." Her iconic photo "Migrant Mother" is one of...