Carnegie Mellon Libraries: Art: Artists' Books

Artists' Books

Artists' Books at Carnegie Mellon

Web Links

Artists' Books at Carnegie Mellon

The Fine Arts and Special Collections department in Hunt Library collects, exhibits and teaches about artists' books as a component to the curriculums of The College of Fine Arts and for the region at large. The systematic collection of artists' books at Carnegie Mellon began two decades ago. Since then, the collection has grown to include over 500 books-- the largest of its kind in Pittsburgh. Most of the works date from 1980 to the present, with some prime examples from the 1960s and 1970s.

Artists' books are process-based art forms which transform our experience of the book as an ordinary medium. Made by individuals or groups, these "books" are created in every conceivable format, delve into all aspects of the human experience, and in the process encourage us to "see" with new "eyes." The Carnegie Mellon collection includes works from the exquisitely crafted original to the cheap copy: book sculptures, flip-books, sound works, "virtual installations", matchbooks, books you can't "open", revealing diaries, activist manuals, interactive postcards, and poetic metamorphoses, to name a few.

We collect artists' books from many sources, including individual international artists and established artist book distributors and publishers. We also collect works by the students and faculty at Carnegie Mellon.

Visit one of our past exhibits: Fictitious Texts 1992-1996: Book Sculptures by David Laufer.

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How to Find Artists' Books in the Library Catalog

You can get a fairly comprehensive list of the collection by typing the phrase artists books using the "Words or Phrase" search in Cameo.

Some artists' books are not described as such in Cameo, so you may want to search the library catalog using a combination of other keywords or phrases. For example: book design; bookbinding; diary or diaries; mail art; copy art; illustrated books; narrative art; notebook or notebooks; postcard or postcards; sketchbook or sketchbooks; toy and movable books; book jackets. Or you can search by publishers of artists' books such as Art Metropole; Lapp Princess Press; Printed Matter; Visual Studies Workshop; Women's Studio Workshop...

More wide-ranging searches might include the following keywords or phrases: book illustration; conceptual art; computer art; fluxus; performance art; artistic photography; politics and art; video art.

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Locations in Hunt Library

Most artists' books are non-circulating and located in the Fine and Rare Book room (SPEC location) on the 4th floor of Hunt Library. They can be requested at the Arts Reference desk during desk hours.

There are a few artists books and books about them in the open stacks of the 4th floor:
STACKS-4 Regular size books
OVRSZQ-4 Oversize books
OVRSZF-4 Folio books (biggest books)
FA-REF-4 Fine Arts Reference (non-circulating collection near the Fine Arts Reference Desk)

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Reference Resources in Hunt Library

Texts on How to Construct Artists' Books

Smith, Keith A. Non-Adhesive Binding: Books Without Paste or Glue. New York: Sigma Foundation, 1991.
FA-REF-4 Z271 .S66 1990

Smith, Keith A. and Jordon, Fred. Sewn and Pasted Cloth or Leather Bookbinding for Book Artists Requiring No Special Tools or Equipment Rochester, N.Y.: Keith Smith Books, 1998.
SPEC-ABS-4 and STACKS-4 Z266 .S59 1998

Smith, Keith A. Structure of the Visual Book. Rochester, N.Y.: Visual Studies Workshop Press, 1984; 1994.
SPEC-ABS-4 655.53 S65s
FA-REF-4 Z116 .A3 S58 1994

Smith, Keith, A. Text in the Book Format. New York: Sigma Foundation, 1989.
SPEC-ABS-4 741.6 S65t

Webberly, Marilyn and Forsyth, JoAn. Books, Boxes and Wraps: Binding & Building Step-by-Step. Kirkland, WA: Bifocal Publishing, 1995.
FA-REF-4 Z271 .W37 1995

Surveys and Catalogs

Barton, Carol June and Barrow, Henry. Books & Bookends: Sculptural Approaches, 1989-1991. Bethesda, MD: Popular Kinetics Press, 1990.
SPEC-ABM-4 741.64 B724

Books as art: Boca Raton Museum of Art. Rev. 2nd edition. Boca Raton: The Museum, 1992.
FA-REF-4 N7433.35 .U6 B66 1992

Bury, Stephen. Artists' Books: The Book as a Work of Art, 1963-1995. Aldershot, Hants, England Brookfield, Vt., USA, 1995.
FA-REF-4 N7433.3 .B87 1995

Crane, Michael ; Stoflet, Mary, editors. Correspondence Art: Source Book for the Network of International Postal Art Activity. San Francisco: Contemporary Arts Press, 1984.
FA-REF-4 N6494 .M35 C67 1984

Cross <+> Currents: Bookworks from the Edge of the Pacific. Pasadena, CA: Umbrella Associates, 1991.
SPEC-ABQ-4 704.655 C951

Drucker, Johanna. The Century of Artists' Books. New York: Granary Books, 1995.
FA-REF-4 N7433.3 .D78 1995

Guest, Tim and Celant, Germano. Books by Artists. Toronto: Art Metropole, 1981.
FA-REF-4 N7433.3 .G8 1981

Hendricks, John. Fluxus Codex. Detroit, MI: Gilbert and Lisa Silverman Fluxus Collection in association with H.N. Abrams, NY. 1988.
FA-REF-4 N6494 .F55 H4 1988

Klima, Stefan. Artists Books: A Critical Survey of the Literature. New York: Granary Books, 1998.
FA-REF-4 N7433.3 .K59 1998

Lauf, Cornelia and Phillpot, Clive. Artist/Author: Contemporary Artists' Books. New York: Distributed Art Publishers: American Federation of Arts, 1998.
FA-REF-4 N7433.3 .L37 1998

Livres d'Artistes: Livres-Objets = Artists' Books: Book-Objects. NRA Shakespeare Paris: CERPM, 1985.
FA-REF-4 N7433.3 .L57 1985

Lyons, Joan ed. Artists' Books: A Critical Anthology and Source Book. Rochester, N.Y.: The Visual Studies Workshop Press, 1985.
FA-REF-4 N7433.3 .A75 1985

Printed Matter [distribution catalogs]. Printed Matter Inc., 1981-1986.
SPEC-ABQ-4 N7433.3 .P753

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How to Find Periodical Articles on Artists' Books

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Web Links

Many of the links below contain images of artists books.
Also keep in mind that artist book organizations and centers can have multiple functions as publishers, exhibition and education programmers, centers for artist residencies and workshops, as well as holders of collections and archives.

Meta Sites and Guides

Book Arts Centers and Organizations

Collections


COMING SOON! Directory of Artists' Books Collections
Artists' books collections in academic, public, museum and other libraries United States.

Other Collections:

  • Center for Fine Print Research (CFPR). University of the West of England, Bristol
    Site for     CFPR Exhibitions and Online Exhibition Archives including the Artists Books Exhibitions Archives.
    "...committed to bringing contemporary print to a wide audience through arranging exhibitions, loaning artworks and the building up of print archives. The Centre regularly attends artists' book fairs and events related to all aspects of contemporary print ..."

Publishers and Distributors

  • Artists Books Johan Deumans
    Specializing in artists books and art editions with "a preference for the obstinate individualsist who doesn't care what is most fashionable...accent on artists who reflect on culture and nature in a scientific-artistic approach."
  • Bartkowiak's forum book art (Heinz Stefan Bartkowiak, Hamburg, Germany)
    A private intiative first launched in 1988 to promote contemporary books arts and printing throught publishing and exhibitions. International, but primarily European sources. Web site includes an illustrated publishers list, major international collections, events and links. Publishes the illustrated Bartkowiak's forum book art yearbook.
  • Califia Books (San Francisco)
    Distributor of fine press, letterpress editions and artists' books from small and individually operated presses. Web site contains an extensive list of fine press and artists' books links.
  • Granary Books
     Publishes and documents artists' books, poetry; deals also in literary and art libraries and archives of the sixties and seventies.
  • Indulgence Press (Minneapolis)
    Headed by Chip Shilling. Publishes books, broadsides and prints. Mission is to "integrate form and content through the production of high quality work, while exploring and expanding on the history of the book as an art form." Web site includes images with detailed information about work produced.
  • The Nexus Contemporary Art Center: Nexus [Press] Online Catalog
    NOTE: Nexus Press residency, internship and production programming has been suspended until further notice. Please check the Nexus homepage for further updates.
  • Printed Matter, Inc. (New York, NY)
    Founded in 1976; renowned and largest U.S. non-profit artists' books facility in the U.S. ; dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of artists books in inexpensive editions of 100 or greater through education, consulting and sales.
  • Purgatory Pie Press (Dikko Faust & Esther K Smith)
    Collaborates with artists and teach courses in the making of artists' books and multiples.
  • Specific Object (New York, NY)
    Begun in 2004 by David Platzker, former Executive Director of Printed Matter Inc.; includes the inventory of the former Bound and Unbound booksellers. Artists publications of all kinds..multiples, posters, ephemera, periodicals, audio works, and more.
    The Specific Object Publication of the Year Award in given each year ; winners receive a cash prize    .
  • Visual Studies Workshop
     Internationally recognized center for media studies, including photography, visual books, digital imaging, film and video. Produces and publishes artists' books and Afterimage: The Journal of Media Arts and Cultural Criticism; education and exhibition programming, artists residencies, access programs, and internships; archives and library.
  • women's studio workshop
    Mission is to " operate and maintain an artists' workspace that encourages the voice and vision of women artists. We provide professional opportunities and employment for artists at various stages in their careers, and promote programs designed to stimulate public involvement, awareness and support for the visual arts.     "

Exhibitions and Projects
... Artists books exhibitions occur yearly on a global scale. See the Meta-Sites, Book Centers/Organizations and Collections links from this page for additional exhibition information and viewing. Here are a very few highlighted.

  • Arcadia Id Est
    A one day symposium at the University of West England, Bristol School of Art, Media and Design
    to accompany a touring exhibition of artists books on nature and the landscape on
    April 15, 2005. Site contains essays and images of the artists books. Exhibition tours until 2007.
  • Mobilelivre Bookmobile Project
    Run by the Bookmobile Collective, a fluctuating group of community artists and activists dedicated to promoting "the distribution of information." The library of bookworks travels over the U.S. and Canada in a vintage airstream trailer.

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  December 10, 2008 -- http://www.library.cmu.edu/Research/Arts/Art/artistsbooks.html
  Mo Dawley, Art and Drama Librarian; Liaison Librarian to the Schools of Art and Drama., md2z@andrew.cmu.edu
  © 2008 Carnegie Mellon Libraries