Walker Art Center's Eclectic Collection of Books by Artists Goes From the Library to the Gallery
Books by Surrealists and Futurists; elegant tomes conceived by artists such as Robert Motherwell and Ellsworth Kelly; conceptual projects by Lawrence Weiner; humorously subversive books by Karen Finley, Mike Kelley, and Paul McCarthy; and rare illustrated editions such as Salvador Dali’s take on Alice in Wonderland come together in the Walker Art Center exhibition
Text/Messages: Books by Artists
opening at 5 pm Thursday, December 18. On view through April 19, 2009, this selection of artists’ books from the Walker library’s collection—usually accessible to the public only by appointment—is supplemented with pieces from the museum’s collection by artists exploring the book form as medium, material, and subject.
While literature is often a point of departure, artists’ books often bear little resemblance to conventional volumes. Many are sculptural, multidimensional, or made of material other than paper—some have no pages at all. Over the past three decades, the Walker has amassed a significant collection of books by artists, now numbering some 2,000 objects. Many of these are housed in the Walker’s library, where they have long been an insider favorite. Staff and visitors are drawn in by librarian Rosemary Furtak’s enthusiasm for the eclectic collection, which has been steadily growing under her watch since the early 1980s. The library, says Furtak, “tries to have books by all artists represented in our collection who have made books.”
Co-organized by Furtak and Walker curator Siri Engberg, Text/Messages highlights this important trove of material, along with pieces from the museum’s collection. “Books have historically been an important arena for artists,” Engberg says. “In addition to conceiving of works as books, many artists today are also engaged with a more abstract notion of ‘book,’ and where that idea can lead them in making a work of art.”
The first half of the 20th century saw many artists responding to texts through illustration, creating deluxe, often lavish publications printed in limited editions, but by mid-century the book was beginning to be seen by artists as a more democratic way to present visual information. The rush of underground political publishing and the rise in widely distributed leaflets, posters, and magazines at the time set the stage for an unprecedented exploration among artists into the book as an art form. The 1960s also saw burgeoning printmaking activity as more workshops designed to collaborate with artists began to be established, and more artists began to use printmaking techniques such as lithography, etching, and newer commercial printing techniques such as offset and screenprinting in the service of making books.
In the early 1960s, California artist Edward Ruscha was a pioneer among artists of his generation for exploring the book form. Every Building on the Sunset Strip, one of his most well-known publications, unfolds accordion-style to reveal 26 feet of deadpan black-and-white photographs documenting this storied Los Angeles boulevard. Conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner’s books were “built” with carefully constructed pages of typography—language is the artist’s material, and his books, notes Furtak, “put his art directly into the hands of his public.” Andy Warhol created his 1967 Index Book to resemble a mass-produced children’s pop-up book. “Many books from this period weren’t about high-quality images or production—they were concerned with disseminating an idea,” Engberg says. “This was a turning point for what artists could do in this medium.”
Engberg and Furtak have sought out examples in the Walker’s collections that not only illustrate texts, but also play with the concept of narrative and the visual and physical experience of opening a cover and turning pages. They have also included many works, as Furtak has noted, that “refuse to behave like a book,” such as Maxims by the Yard, a book by Angela Lorenz printed on a spool of ribbon, or Red Book, a work by Chinese artist Xu Bing composed of a row of cigarettes printed with text and housed in a box that resembles Chairman Mao’s so-called Little Red Book. Some of these works, Furtak says, are “books that refuse to open, books that wear trousers . . . books that when opened become sculpture . . . books devoid of text.” Other artists use a recognizable format on which to transpose their work, as in Robert Gober’s illustrated rendition of Joyce Carol Oates’ chilling short story “Heat,” bound in a pair of locked volumes that resemble diaries; or David Hammons’ 2002 edition in which copies of a catalogue of Marcel Duchamp’s complete works are concealed within leather covers emblazoned with the title Holy Bible: Old Testament.
A number of artists in the exhibition have explored the idea of using books as a material for art-making. Milan Knizak’s 1972 work Killed Book/Shot is riddled with bullet holes. Cuban artist Kcho has fashioned a dinghy from the schoolbooks he used as a young man. John Latham’s 1961 piece Painting is an Open Book is a collection of torn, burnt books given new life as they are assembled across the surface of a canvas.
Text/Messages: Books by Artists provides an ideal opportunity to explore many areas within the Walker’s collections. Even in today’s digital age, artists’ continued engagement with books—as medium, material, and subject—is evidence that this is an area of artistic invention alive with ideas and possibilities.
RELATED EVENTS
Target Free Thursday Nights
Thursday, January 8
Workshop: TXT IMGE BK GNR8TR, 6–9 pm
Star Tribune Foundation Art Lab
Start this project by texting us your opinions on everything from the exhibition to the weather outside. Artist Sam Hoolihan will lead the curious on a book-making adventure using our own homemade photo booth and text messages sent by Walker audiences to create something unique and personal. All materials provided.
Thursday, January 15
Curator Talk: Text/Messages: Books by Artists, 7 pm
Meet in Medtronic Gallery
Walker librarian Rosemary Furtak and curator Siri Engberg, co-organizers of the exhibition, point out key artists’ books in the Walker’s collection and discuss the wide world of art inspired by books.
Workshop: TXT IMGE BK GNR8TR, 6–9 pm
Star Tribune Foundation Art Lab
See January 8 description.
Thursday, January 22
Workshop: Making a Traditional Artist Book 6–9 pm
Star Tribune Foundation Art Lab
Expand your imagination using the accordion book structure to create a work of art. Minnesota Center for Book Arts instructor Aki Shibata will encourage participants to use a variety of materials within this commonly used format. Gather ideas at the exhibition and bring them down to the art lab for an evening of creativity. All materials provided.
Thursday, January 29
Workshop
Odd Materials: Make an out-of-the-ordinary artist book, 6–9 pm
Star Tribune Foundation Art Lab
Is it possible to create a book that is edible? Or make one from an old cell phone? It is if you think outside the rectangle! Minnesota Center for Book Arts instructor Aki Shibata will ask participants to create an artist book using found materials and everyday objects. Bring your own materials, or use what’s on hand in the lab.
Co-presented by Minnesota Center for Book Arts and Rain Taxi Review of Books.
Thursday, February 5
Panel Discussion: The Art of the Book, 7 pm
Free tickets available at the Bazinet Garden Lobby Desk from 6 pm
Artists’ books have always held an important place in the Walker’s collection, yet they are rarely exhibited in the gallery. On the occasion of this exhibition, David Platzker of Specific Object Gallery moderates a panel on the current state of artist book production: Why do artists choose to make books? What role do publishers play in these projects? How does an artist-designed structure affect the way we read text? For information on participating panelists, visit walkerart.org.
Thursday, February 12
Sound Bites: Short Talks About Art, 6:30 and 7 pm
Salvador Dali’s Alice in Wonderland
Meet in the Bazinet Garden Lobby
Join scholar Mark Andrews for an in-depth look at Salvador Dali’s mesmerizing illustrations for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, featured in the exhibition.
Target Free Thursday Nights sponsored by Target.
Book Fair
Multiples Mall: A Bookish Trade Fair
Saturday, February 21, 12 noon–4 pm, Free
Cargill Lounge, Lecture Room, Bazinet Garden Lobby
Minnesota artists who make book-related multiples set up shop for a day’s worth of bartering and merriment. Artist books, chap books, zines, and other booklike objects will be featured. Come trade your wares or browse the offerings of this local and thriving creative scene. For information on participating artists, visit mnartists.org.
Co-presented by mnartists.org, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, and Rain Taxi Review of Books.
Free First Saturdays are for Families
Tell Me a Story
Saturday, March 7, 10 am–3 pm, Free
A bounty of books and storytelling surprises await families on this fun-filled day inspired by the exhibition. Join Minnesota Center for Book Arts to make a single-sheet pop-up book and an accordion fold book, and listen to a series of story readings in the galleries that brings works in the collection to life.
Free First Saturday is sponsored by Ameriprise Financial. Program support by Medtronic Foundation. As part of the Walker Art Center’s Raising Creative Kids Initiative, additional support is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Arty Pants: Your Tuesday Playdate
Arty Pants: Your Tuesday Playdate
Tuesdays, January 13 and 27; February 10 and 24
11 am–1 pm
For kids ages 3–5 and adults
Free with gallery admission; Walker members and kids ages 12 and under are always free
What do hip kids and their (possibly) cooler parents do to spark creativity? Encourage your toddler to read between the lines with artists’ books. Inspired by the exhibition, participants investigate this enticing art form from beginning to end through art-making, movies, gallery activities, and games. Explore words, pictures, and everything else that goes between the covers of a book.
Arty Pants: Your Tuesday Playdate is sponsored by Ameriprise Financial.
As part of the Walker Art Center’s Raising Creative Kids Initiative, additional support is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Gallery Tours
All tours free with gallery admission.
Thursday, January 8, 2 pm
Friday, January 23, 2 pm
Saturday, January 31, 2 pm
Sunday, February 1, 2 pm
Friday, February 13, 2 pm
Saturday, February 21, 2 pm
Thursday, February 26, 2 pm
Thursday, March 12, 2 pm
Friday, March 27, 2 pm
Sunday, March 29, 2 pm
Thursday, April 2, 2 pm
Sunday, April 5, 2 pm
Friday, April 17, 2 pm
Saturday, April 18, 2 pm
Sunday, April 19, 2 pm
Gallery Admission, Hours
$10 adults; $8 seniors (65+); $6 students/teens (with ID)
Free to Walker members and children ages 12 and under.
Free with a paid ticket to a same-day Walker event.
Free to all every Thursday evening (5–9 pm) and on the first Saturday of each month (10 am–5 pm).
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 11 am–5 pm
Thursday 11 am–9 pm
Closed Mondays