What is an artist's
book and how can it be defined? This and many other questions are posed to
students participating in the Corcoran School of Art and Design’s Art and the Book
graduate program. The Master’s in Art and the Book focuses on the history and
theory behind the rich tradition of book making. Students in this program
actively engage in book making during their course of study. By end of the
program, students are tasked with creating one collaborative artist’s book as a
class, using a single overarching theme.
Earlier
this January, a group of these students exhibited their final book project from
the fall semester. Entitled An Exquisite Future,
the book revolves around ideas like the advancement of technology, the
eminent collapse of the bee population, and the emotions that result from
thinking about the unknown. The students composed the book by each completing a
unique page. However, students collaborated by basing their page on the
previous student’s page each presenting a year in the future. Each student only
viewed the previous student’s entry. So, when the book was completed, a full
and complete picture of the future emerged.
 |
| Sarah Matthews, Untitled, 2014. |
An Exquisite Future is one example of an
artist’s book, however; it is not the only kind that exists. In fact, there are
many forms and variations of artists’ books. This diversity in artists’ books
makes it difficult to define the exact nature of these art pieces. According to
Frank Furnace, an avant-garde performance art and fine arts nonprofit, “An
artist’s book is an object whose primary medium is the idea, as opposed to an
object that is valuable by virtue of the materials from which it is made.”[1]
This is a clarifying definition because it showcases how artists’ books are
works of art that are realized in the form of a book, rather than a traditional
medium. Therefore, each book varies in materials, images, and ideas. Ultimately, each artist's
book is an expression of an idea conceived by the artist.
Artists' books from the Corcoran Art & Design collection will be on display as a part of Paper Window beginning February 11th in the MPA 2nd floor cases.
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