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Curlee Raven Holton, associate professor of art and director of the Experimental Printmaking Institute, is curator of Artists and the Art of the Book, an exhibition featuring more than 100 traditional and nontraditional book forms, March 1-April 6 in the Binney & Smith Gallery of the Banana Factory, 25 W. Third St., Bethlehem, Pa.
The exhibit will feature works by more than 55 artists from across the country, as well as Costa Rica and France. Many of them have extensive experience in the book genre, while others are new to the form. Works by Faith Ringgold and Roy Crosse take their place with that of sculptor Jim Toia, director of the art department’s community-based teaching program and the Grossman Gallery at the Williams Visual Arts Building.
“There will be 100 books in the show,” said Holton. “They range in size from two inches by two inches up to six feet high by three feet wide.”
Although the show will feature artistic works that resemble books in the traditional sense, there will also be many pieces that stretch the standard definition of a book. According to Holton, the project was designed to challenge artists to make an impact on the traditional notions that people have about books. As part of the exhibition, artists were encouraged to engage in nontraditional forms of art making and book making and were allowed to use any media or materials they wanted. Materials used in the construction of the books include metal, wood, leather, plastic, dry wall, aluminum, and brass, as well as a variety of more traditional artistic mediums, Holton says.
Lafayette recently began making a concerted effort to collect artists’ books, particularly those that bring together art and poetry.
“One of the reasons for this new collecting focus has been the presence of the Experimental Printmaking Institute on campus, and the opportunity to watch as Curlee Holton, his students, and visiting artists turn out an array of marvelous books, each one representing the unique vision of its creator,” writes Diane Shaw, college archivist, in the exhibition catalog. “In the six short years since it opened, EPI has become a noteworthy contributor to the artist’s book movement.
The Banana Factory’s presentation of Artists and the Art of the Book is the premiere showing of the exhibition, which will then travel to the Artist Images Resources in Pittsburgh in May, Universidad de Costa Rica and the Museo de Arts y Diseno San Jose in Costa Rica in November, and the Spaces gallery in Cleveland in January 2003. Plans are also in the works to have the exhibition visit locations in Chicago, New York, Paris, England, and Mexico.
A reception for Artists and the Art of the Book will take place 6-9 p.m. March 1 during the Banana Factory’s First Friday celebration. Binney & Smith Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday.
Maya Freelon ’05 fulfilled a variety of responsibilities as an EXCEL Scholar working with Curlee Raven Holton, professor of art and director of the Experimental Printmaking Institute.