AB TO THE CARTISTS BOOKS TO THE COMMUNITY

A case study by

Anne Culhane and Stephanie O’Keeffe

LSAD Library.

WHO ARE WE?

Anne Culhane: Head Librarian, LSAD library. Background in art, Diploma

in Textile design from GMIT. Began working in Limerick city library and at night

studied English and Sociology and then continued to a HdipLIS in UCD in

2003. After 23 years of working in a Public Library made the move to the Academic

Library of LSAD. Completed a Masters in History of Art & Architecture in 2005. To

this day, LSAD Library retains the perfect balance between love of Art and love of

books

About Stephanie: Library assistant LSAD library. BA in English and Social

and Political Studies from NUIG, followed by a Diploma in Social Care from NUIG, and a

Diploma in teaching drama from the Irish Board of speech and Drama. Moved to Limerick

in 1999 and began working in O'Mahonys’ bookshop. Began working in LIT library before

transferring to LSAD. Post Graduate Diploma in Library and Information Management

2012, MA in Library and Information Management 2013.

WHAT IS AN ARTIST’S BOOK?

Where the Artist takes the traditional format of a book and turns it into a work of art.

These books are not about Art, but rather Art expressed through the Book Form.

The purpose of the Artist/writer is to involve the reader more completely in the viewing process by looking at how the text, the pictures and the physical form all combine to lend greater meaning for the reader/viewer.

I would like to make a distinction between “artists’ books” meaning books and ‘book works’ authored by artists.

Artists’ books are distinguished by the fact that they sit provocatively at the juncture where art, documentation, and literature all come together

Artists find the book form a compelling medium for

making works of art in order to give voice to their ideas,

narratives or concepts. The physical attributes of books,

with their portability, intimacy, interactivity, and time-

based sequential elements result in a unique and

dynamic involvement between artist and audience. The

structural form of an artist book often goes beyond

merely providing a platform for text and image. More

likely it serves as a metaphor for the content, mirroring

the subject and meaning through materials, design and

form. The reader’s experience of the artist’s book is

both visual and tactile through a hands-on engagement

that cannot be experienced with works of art that are

displayed on a wall or pedestal.

WHERE DID THEY START?

There is an argument to be made for books such as

the Book of Kells and other illuminated

manuscripts to be classified as Artists books.

Later, Artists such as William Blake illustrated

poetry books in short printed editions.

ED RUSCHA

Ed Ruscha’s Twentysix Gasoline Stations, is often

considered to be the first modern artist’s book. The

book is exactly what it says: 26 images of gasoline

stations along Route 66 between Los Angeles and

Oklahoma City.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AND ED RUSCHA

Ruscha published the book at age 26 in a run of 400 numbered

copies in April 1963. The book didn’t initially receive a warm

reception. In a letter, the Library of Congress declined to add a copy

to their collection, noting the book’s “unorthodox form and supposed

lack of information.”

The book gradually acquired cult status in the 1960s, and a second

edition was published in 1967 and a third in 1969. Surviving first

editions of the book are rare….and EXTREMELY VALUABLE

SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES…

Altered

Jacob stack

POP-UP

Chrisata Tamabayashi

PHOTO-BOOK

Paul Seawright

JOURNAL/SKETCHBOOK

Lava by Wilhelm Sasnal

ZINES

The Little Arsonist –Liam Geraghty & Philip Barrett

PERSONAL STORIES

'I've Lived in East London for 86 ½ Years' by

Martin Usborne.

All are limited editions. Some are one offs and

original, the rest are very small print runs

PROBLEMS!

They have to be placed in a special collection as

they do not fit neatly into any subject area within the

Dewey classification system.

Very hard to catalogue. Few have clear publisher

details - even fewer have ISBNs! Details of the title,

author, page number are often sketchy.

Often, the key to cataloguing Artist books is in the

description (fold-over, cardboard, dots in plastic

bag)

AND STILL MORE PROBLEMS!

Many cannot be stamped with the location,

bookshelf numbers, security tags or contain date

labels

How to organise them on a shelf? Very hard due to

the wide variety of sizes

However – we have a number of shelves and are

lucky enough to have a display cabinet in which we

have a rotating display..

HOW DID WE GET STARTED?

It started with a request from a student in 2008 who

wished to do her thesis on Artists’ Books. While

helping with the research- we became fascinated

with them and the possibilities they held. We

started to gather them by attending exhibitions and

Book fairs. Then word spread, academic staff who

were going abroad began bringing them back to us

SARAH BODMAN

2010 THE BOOKMARKS Annual bookmarks series by Centre for Fine Print Research at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK.

In 2010, it was decided to limit participants to Librarians. The result is a spectacular array of materials, designs, sizes, and types of handmade bookmarks from thirty-six participating librarians.

ORMSTON HOUSE GALLERY AND THE BIRTH

OF LIPS Ormston House is situated in Limerick City Centre

We approached them with all the work done for an exhibition…we just needed a venue and they were most excited about the prospect.

This was our first outside collaboration and we decided to call it LIPS (Limerick International Publishing Salon)

Because Artists books cut across the worlds of Books and Art, it came as no surprise that this exhibition resulted in the highest footfall of any exhibition held there,.

OUR VERY FIRST LIMERICK INTERNATIONAL

PUBLISHERS SALON FACEBOOK POST

Exhibitors varied among professional book artists,

small printing companies, enthusiastic students and

artist/printers who were intrigued by the possibilities

1ST LAUNCH

Helena

Grimes,

Winner of the

Students'

Competition

accepting her

prize!

Beautiful work by Siobhan Piercy, who exhibited at the

LIPS

MEDIA INTEREST

Radio, newspapers and social

media led WABE (Wexford

Artists’ Books Exhibition) to us.

They asked if they could exhibit

with us.

They offered to give talks on

the history of the artists book

and give workshops on various

paper making and types of

binding

Launch of Artists Books in LSAD Library February 2014. Great talk by Denis from WABE and

lovely introduction by Dawn West.

LIPS’s 2

2014 October 7th LIPS 2

LSAD Librarian Anne Culhane gave a talk on Artists’ Books for

the second Limericks International Publishers Salon

LIBRARY GOES TO THE CLASSROOM

7th October 2014

LIPS 2 Artists’ Book-

making Workshop.

A workshop on

making artists’ books

– based on this

poem –– with Marian

Sheehan.

Students regularly approach us now with requests to

exhibit their work

Example of the ongoing collaboration – book

making is now being incorporated into class

projects

COLLECTION NOW

Continually expanding – approx. 1,200 artists books

in stock, both permanent and temporary exhibitions.

Regularly get members of the public in to look at

collection.

Lecturers from many disciplines (print, painting,

visual communications, photography, animation )

have integrated it into their academic year

I have been asked to make a series of Artists books

on the topic of anti-war for an upcoming exhibition.

Onwards and upwards!!!!!

NEXT UP..

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR LIPS 3….HOPE TO SEE

YOU ALL THERE