Unfolding Events: Exploring Past and Present in Artists’ Books

Artists’ books are a creative medium in which the conventional materials and approaches of book production—for instance paper and ink, graphically compelling combinations of illustration and text, and structures that invite exploration—are deployed and sometimes subverted to create tangible, interactive, surprising works of art. Some of the featured works in Unfolding Events: Exploring Past and Present in Artists’ Books invite viewers to imagine the voices of people and communities about whom little or no documentation survives; others share unique personal responses to the world we live in today. From the intricate opening of a locket, to embroidered fabric pages, bold calligraphic swirls, colorful landscape photography, and more, these books communicate documentary evidence and experimental perspectives in visually engaging ways.

Some of the artists draw on conventional primary sources—historical documents such as photographs, maps, and letters—as a point of departure to create works that are both richly imagined and deeply researched. Others record their own memories, experiences, and perspectives to create works that, in turn, will become new primary sources, enriching the historical record for future readers and scholars. Exploring past and present, the artists’ books in Unfolding Events reflect the power of the book form to share experiences, challenge assumed truths,and envision new futures.