artist book

Layers and Narratives /  by Alisa Banks

New work exhibited at Tarrant County College

I’m happy to announce that five of my books, including two new works, “Things I’ll MIss” and “Loci” are on view in “Layers and Narratives,” an exhibition at Tarrant County College, Southeast Campus from October 17 to December 2. This is the first in a long while that I’ve exhibited work locally and I’m excited to attend the opening tomorrow, Thursday, October 20 from 204pm. More information here.

August at Women's Studio Workshop /  by Alisa Banks

There are still a few spots left in The Book Art Dummy, a week-long workshop that I’ll be facilitating at the Women’s Studio Workshop (WSW) in Rosendale, New York, August 22 - 26. 

The workshop will focus on the development of original content to create a dummy for a book arts project. A dummy is a mock-up or model of a book, and is created when a significant portion of the project has been resolved. The dummy functions as a general model for the final project. 

Participants will identify a project through a series of exercises, and create their book dummy during the workshop. We’ll move from ideation and writing, and then to design, budgeting, and building. Attendees can expect to leave the workshop with at least one project identified, a corresponding dummy and budget projection, and a notebook of ideas, writing exercises, and handouts.

Rosendale is located in the Hudson Valley, and I am certainly looking forward to taking a break from our successive days of 100+ degree Texas heat! I hope to see you there.

Learn more about the workshop and WSW here.

Emergence In "Boundless" /  by Alisa Banks

Emergence is one of the works featured in Boundless, an exhibition that “…celebrates the visionary ideals of the artist’s book which often challenge, in the best of ways, our preconceived notions of what a book can be. Boundless explores the vast field of artist’s books, but also the thinking of book artists. Each work reveals the mapping and laying bare of uncomfortable, surprising, or unexplored terrain.”

The exhibition is open from Mar 4 – Jun 22, 2022 at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art in Bainbridge Island, WA. Click here for details.

27th Annual New Jersey Book Arts Symposium /  by Alisa Banks

Image: Susan Happersett, From Women of the Resistance, 1460 collages & video, 2017 - 2021

I’m pleased to announce a short online presentation of my work at the New Jersey Book Arts Symposium sponsored by Rutgers University, Friday, November 4 at 2pm ET.

The Words Turned Sideways, the 27th annual New Jersey Book Arts Symposium

An online event: Thursday & Friday, November 4 & 5, 2021

Sessions on both days from: 10 am - noon, 2 pm - 4 pm & 7 pm - 8:30 pm

The Symposium is free, but registration is required. Register at: https://go.rutgers.edu/njbas2021

Rutgers New Brunswick Special Collections and University Archives is delighted to announce that this year’s New Jersey Book Arts Symposium will once again be held in cyberspace. As in years past, it will feature speakers, artists in residence, and a chance to interact with other creators. New this year are opportunities made possible by the virtual format: live streamed and prerecorded presentations, virtual studio tours, videos, a hands on do-at-home workshop and cocktail with curators breakout sessions.

Featured Artists: Alisa Banks, Long-Bin Chen, Carla Rae Johnson, Annie Lopez, Rachel Mulder, Derli Romero, Sonia Yaco /  Workshop Artists: Catherine LeCleire & Suzie Tuchman / Artists in Residence: Susan Happersett, Amanda Thackray / From the Archives: China Marks Presentation from 2018 presented by Judith K. Brodsky & Michael Joseph / All sessions Moderated by Karen Guancione and Sonia Yaco. 

hill memorial library at LSU /  by Alisa Banks

The Special Collections libraries at Louisiana State University houses over 120,000 books covering a range of topics outlined on their website including (but not limited to) books related to: chess, crayfish taxonomy and culture, oral history, comic books, and natural history. The library also has collections on the topic of free people of color and if you are a public radio listener from a while back, the Andrei Codrescu and Outsider Literature collection, which includes his personal papers.

The collections are free and open to the public. There is a very thorough posting of what to expect during your visit to Hill and a helpful FAQ section on the site. Drop-in’s are welcome, but visitors are advised to make an appointment if there’s a chance that specific items are stored off-site. Advance notice is important to allow sufficient time for retrieval.

I entered “artist book” into the search feature and it pulled up 681 offerings. My search was general and some of the citations listed were books about artist books, so this number does not reflect their entire collection. I entered my name and pulled up the three books that are in their collection: Island Girl, Poule Aye, and Storm Sequence. (yay!) Very good descriptions are provided, but no images were available.

Naturally, I am excited to have work in the Special Collections at Hill Memorial Library as much of my work addresses southern Louisiana culture and LSU is smack in the middle of southern Louisiana. If you find yourself in Baton Rouge, consider visiting the Hill library at LSU. Be sure to block out a bit of time for your visit.

What the heck is an artist book anyway? /  by Alisa Banks

I’ve been making artist books for years and know of many others who make them. However, our community compared to that of say, writers, sculptors, and painters in the general population is quite small.

Often, I am asked to define what an artist book is. Most know what a painting is, what a sculpture is, what a novel is…at least in general terms. An artist book can be all of those things and more! In many cases, one can touch an artist book even if it’s with gloves. This is very different from experiencing other types of art and the artist can manipulate these qualities to enhance the viewer’s experience.

Many have attempted to distill the definition of an artist book. Suffice it to say an artist book can consist of any of the following:

  • A writing encased in a fine binding

  • A bound collection of images or writing

  • A sculpture made from a book or books

  • An old book that has been altered - ex. painted, folded, cut - to enhance the original meaning

  • A box with papers featuring unique writing.

  • A book form constructed with unconventional materials such as plastic, plants, soil etc.

This is certainly not an all-inclusive list. Most artist books have a sculptural component and text, but not all. Most are portable and meant to be touched, but not all. The image above is of Continuum, which I also consider an artist book that is in the form of a quilt. The lines between the book and other forms of art are indeed blurred. Books can be made of textiles, tiles, or plants. There are even edible books!


Exploding the Codex /  by Alisa Banks

Book art exhibition and lecture at LSU this fall.

Book art exhibition and lecture at LSU this fall.

Poule Aye will be featured in Exploding the Codex at LSU Libraries Special Collections in Baton Rouge August 19 – December 13, 2019 at Hill Memorial Library. Celebrated artist Julie Chen of Flying Fish Press will present a talk at 5pm, Thursday, October 24 at the LSU School of the Arts. The exhibition and lecture are free and open to the public.

Poule Aye consists of one page, part of which is folded to form a “shotgun” style sharecropper’s home and part of which contains a “field” of text. A backyard chicken coop and be viewed through the front door when the book is open. The façade is an image of one of the homes that my dad lived in as a boy. Poule Aye examines ones relationship with place and identity. I am happy that this edition of Poule Aye is so near Ventress, LA, the place that inspired the story.

Skillman Library at Lafayette College /  by Alisa Banks

Lafayette College is located in Easton, PA, about an hour or so from Philadelphia. The rare book collection of Skillman Library at Lafayette is home to over 15,000 volumes of printed objects including works about its namesake, the Marquis de Lafayette, slavery and abolition, angling, and artist books. The collection also includes early editions of works by Stephen Crane, who spent a semester at the college, and miniature books.

The artist book collection is diverse, with subjects including but not limited to the environment, books on race relations, alphabet books, books featuring photography, and books on women and gender. There appears to be limited on-line access to the artist books - but one can view the holdings in the on-line catalog. I was able to pull up my book Rosenwald, which is in their collection. Skillman also does a good job explaining their collections, how to search the collection, and discussing visiting etiquette. Skillman library holds exhibits of their collection and announces them on-line. Synopses of past exhibits can also be viewed.

I wish I’d known about Skillman Library years ago when my sister and her family lived outside of Philadelphia. I really enjoyed my visits there, and if ever there’s an occasion to return, I will be planning a visit to Easton!