UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 8, Page 8
October 20, 1994
Contemporary book art now on exhibition in Morris Library

     An exhibition, "Contemporary Artists' Prints in Books," is on
display through Feb. 3, in the Special Collections Exhibition Gallery
of the Hugh M. Morris Library.
     The exhibition features fine-press publications from the past two
decades that include original prints by contemporary artists.
     Since the 1970s, many artists, regardless of medium, have turned
increasingly to book format as both an opportunity to illustrate text
and as an alternative forum for artistic expression.
     The exhibition draws its selections from the library's holdings
in the book arts and fine-press publications. It highlights individual
artists through their works in books.
     The prints in the exhibition demonstrate the range of styles,
media and techniques used in conjunction with the printed word.
     The book format as a medium of expression offers the artist
intriguing opportunities, including access to a wider potential
audience, the prospect of working in a non-traditional visual space,
the ability to make one's work more accessible to and interactive for
the viewer, the possibilities of developing context and relationships
to one's work through text and the occasion for collaborating with
writers, printers, typographers, book designers and binders.
     The exhibit features several works by University of Delaware
faculty and graduates. Included are the prints of art faculty members
Martha Carothers and Norman Sasowsky and graduate David Moyer, who is
an artist and fine-press printer. Also included are the writings of
English faculty members Fleda Jackson and W.D. Snodgrass and graduate
Carmine Chickadel.
     An exhibition catalog has been published with the support of Mary
B. Larchar, a member of the University of Delaware Library Associates,
and long-time member of the Studio Group in Wilmington. The catalog
includes an introductory essay by Carothers; a checklist and notes on
the exhibition by Gary E. Yela, former associate librarian in the
Special Collections Department; and a specially commissioned
frontispiece by Moyer.
     The catalog is available for $10. A special edition of 100 copies
at $25 includes signed and numbered wood engravings of Moyer's
frontispiece.
     For information, call 831-2231.