There is a fun piece over at Saveur by Jamie Lausch Vander Broek, the Art & Design Librarian at the University of Michigan, about one of her recent acquisitions, American Cheese, 20 Slices, by Ben Denzer. Vander Broek curates the Artists Books Collection at UM and talks about how Artist Books are a perfect way to make strong connections between students, faculty and library "because they represent a sweet spot between the things the students and faculty make (art, design) and the things the library has (books, information)." She also muses about how the purchase of the book for the collection stirred...
Straight from the baby’s mouth
From the time when her son was 11 months old until he turned 18 months Lenka Clayton extracted 64 objects from his mouth. 63 of them are represented in this brilliant visual catalog, 63 Objects Taken from My Son's Mouth. The one item not included is a sachet of rat poison that her son put in his mouth at 11 months. That object was flushed down the toilet while mom was in a panic. Details: 63 Objects Taken from My Son's Mouth, 2014. Designed by MASS MoCA's Director of Design; Brett Yasko, with color photographs by Tom Little. Letterpress cover...
The Novel That Writes Itself is finished
Allen Ruppersberg began The Novel That Writes Itself in 1978. The plan was to create a "fictionalized autobiography where he would talk of his adventures as a young artist." The main characters were slated to be the artist’s friends including Ed Ruscha, his gallery owner, Rosamund Felsen, and the collectors Elyse and Stanley Grinstein. Amazingly, Ruppersberg exhibited a Kickstarter mentality 35+ years before crowdsourcing became the rage by offering the Grinstein's places in the story for 300 dollars. He also offered the opportunity to become a supporting character for 100 dollars or to be an extra in the book for 50 dollars. A decade later,...
The Sketchbook of Oliver Jeffers and Friends
In 2004, NY artist Oliver Jeffers, would exchange a sketchbook with 3 other artists and follow one another's lead with a weekly illustration. Over the course of 36 weeks, each would respond to the previous artwork which proceeded them and then forward it onto the next in line. Once completed, the sketchbook had travelled over 60,000 miles, and crossed the Atlantic on numerous occasions. So I wonder who was the lucky person who got to keep this wonderful sketchbook in the end?The finished sketchbook with decorative duct tape binding. Jeffers is also the writer and illustrator of one of my favorite contemporary...
Yoko Ono Collects Rare Books: The Book Patrol Interview
I had lunch with Yoko Ono during the 2010 New York Antiquarian Book Fair.That’s a sentence I figured I’d have about as much chance of writing as, “I accept the nomination of my party for President of the United States,” but with less probability of actual realization.At the Fair on Saturday, I noticed Yoko Ono quietly walking the aisles. I thought, I must talk to her about rare books. And immediately I thought, Gertz, you do not have the nuts to approach her. And I was right.Forty minutes later I was starving and, anxious to have my wallet gutted, walked...