Anno 1778 PHILLIPS ACADEMY OLIVER-WENDELL-HOLMES % LI B R ARY 3 #...A _ 3 i^per ampUcm ^ -A ag alticrxi ' JZ ^ # # # # >%> * j Gift of Mark Rudkin Artists' Books: A Critical Anthology and Sourcebook ARTISTS’ A Critical Anthology Edited by Joan Lyons Gibbs M. Smith, Inc. Peregrine Smith Books BOOKS and Sourcebook in association with Visual Studies Workshop Press n Grateful acknowledgement is made to the publications in which the following essays first appeared: “Book Art,” by Richard Kostelanetz, reprinted, revised from Wordsand, RfC Editions, 1978; “The New Art of Making Books,” by Ulises Carrion, in Second Thoughts, Amsterdam: VOID Distributors, 1980; “The Artist’s Book Goes Public,” by Lucy R. Lippard, in Art in America 65, no. 1 (January-February 1977); “The Page as Al¬ ternative Space: 1950 to 1969,” by Barbara Moore and Jon Hendricks, in Flue, New York: Franklin Furnace (December 1980), as an adjunct to an exhibition of the same name; “The Book Stripped Bare,” by Susi R. Bloch, in The Book Stripped Bare, Hempstead, New York: The Emily Lowe Gallery and the Hofstra University Library, 1973, catalogue to an exhibition of books from the Arthur Cohen and Elaine Lustig col¬ lection supplemented by the collection of the Hofstra Fine Arts Library. Copyright © Visual Studies Workshop, 1985. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except in the case of brief quotations in reviews and critical articles, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Designed by Joan Lyons Typeset by Susan Cergol at the Visual Studies Workshop Cover design by Janet Zweig Visual Studies Workshop Press 31 Prince Street, Rochester, New York 14607 Distributed by Gibbs M. Smith, Inc., Peregrine Smith Books P.O. Box 667, Layton, Utah 84041 1987 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Main entry under title: Artists’ books. Bibliography: p. Includes index. L Artists’ books. 2. Conceptual art. I. Lyons, Joan, 1937- N7433.3.A75 1985 700’.9’04 85-3180 ISBN 0-89822-041-6 ISBN 0-87905-207-4 (Peregrine Smith) ISBN 0-87905-280-5 (pbk.) Contents INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . 7 A PREFACE BY DICK HIGGINS. 11 PLATES: A VISUAL PREFACE. 13 BOOK ART BY RICHARD KOSTELANETZ . 27 THE NEW ART OF MAKING BOOKS by ulises carrion ... 31 THE ARTIST’S BOOK GOES PUBLIC by lucy r. lippard ... 45 CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION: NEW ARTISTS’ BOOKS BY LUCY R. LIPPARD . 49 WORDS AND IMAGES: ARTISTS’ BOOKS AS VISUAL LITERATURE BY SHELLEY RICE. 59 THE PAGE AS ALTERNATIVE SPACE: 1950 TO 1969 BY BARBARA MOORE AND JON HENDRICKS. 87 SOME CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS AND THEIR BOOKS BY CLIVE PHILLPOT. 97 THE BOOK STRIPPED BARE by susi r. bloch. 133 THE ARTIST AS BOOK PRINTER: FOUR SHORT COURSES BY BETSY DAVIDS AND JIM PETRILLO. 149 INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING IN MEXICO BY FELIPE EHRENBERG, MAGALI LARA, AND JAVIER CADENA . 167 PHOTOBOOKWORKS: THE CRITICAL REALIST TRADITION BY ALEX SWEETMAN. 187 SYSTEMIC BOOKS BY ARTISTS by Robert c. Morgan .... 207 ARTISTS’BOOK COLLECTIONS . 225 BIBLIOGRAPHY ARTICLES . 233 BOOKS. 243 BOOK REVIEWS. 245 EXHIBITION CATALOGUES. 251 EXHIBITION REVIEWS . 256 INDEX. 259 ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS.267 302277 INTRODUCTION 7 Introduction and Acknowledgements OVER THE LAST twenty years visual artists, increasingly con¬ cerned with time-based media, have rediscovered the book, investigating and transforming every aspect of that venerable container of the written word. They have manipulated page, format, and con¬ tent—sometimes subtly, sometimes turning the book into a reflexive discussion of its own tradition. They have illustrated real time in simple flip books or collaged real time with Active time into complex layers. They have disguised artists’ books as traditional books and made others that are scarcely recognizable. The best of the bookworks are multi- notational. Within them, words, images, colors, marks, and silences become plastic organisms that play across the pages in variable linear sequence. Their importance lies in the formulation of a new perceptual literature whose content alters the concept of authorship and chal¬ lenges the reader to a new discourse with the printed page. Artists’ books began to proliferate in the sixties and early seventies in the prevailing climate of social and political activism. Inexpensive, dis¬ posable editions were one manifestation of the dematerialization of the art object and the new emphasis on art process. Ephemeral artworks, such as performances and installations, could be documented and, more importantly, artists were Anding that the books could be artworks in and of themselves. It was at this time too that a number of artist-con- trolled alternatives began to develop to provide a forum and venue for many artists denied access to the traditional gallery and museum struc¬ ture. Independent art publishing was one of these alternatives, and art¬ ists’ books became part of the ferment of experimental forms. Many saw the book as a means for reaching a wider audience beyond the con- Anes of the art world; others anticipated the appropriation of images and/or techniques of mass media for political or aesthetic reasons. 8 ARTISTS'BOOKS s Women artists in large numbers began to make books responding, in part, to the adaptability of the medium to narrative and diaristic con¬ cerns. Conceptual artists recognized the systemic potentials of the book. The activity was spontaneous and worldwide. If artists in North America had all the fallout of a media-mad society to work with, includ¬ ing corner quick-copy centers and cast-off offset equipment, those in Eastern Europe and Latin America had rubber stamps and mimeo¬ graphs. Now, twenty years and thousands of artists’ books later, it is clear that this highly independent and under-acknowledged art form is here to stay. The books are becoming richer, their language more complex. A support structure has developed that includes artist-run printshops, distributors, bookstores, collections, exhibitions, at least a few publica¬ tions that review books, and—importantly—some funding support from public, and to a lesser extent, private sources. Although several highly successful conferences have helped to iden¬ tify key issues and potential authors, most of the writing on bookworks to date has been limited to brief surveys, essays in exhibition catalogues, and book reviews. This anthology, then, is the first in-depth look at the territory. What are the origins, attributes, and potentials of artists’ books? What are their historical precedents? What issues are they addressing? Who is making them and publishing them? Where are collections and resources to be found? The texts that follow, written by long-time participants in and observers of the field, form a survey from which a much-needed critical discourse might evolve. Located as we are in'the terrain, we have probably missed an island or two or exagger¬ ated the size of a mountain. In some charted areas suitable material was not forthcoming. What is here is our best shot—a wealth of informa¬ tion about an exciting new medium. We have begun the work of sewing the bits and pieces into a fabric. Perhaps a pattern will emerge. If so, it will no doubt be a crazy-quilt, that quirky design-defying piecework that achieves harmony through infinite variety. This book has been a group effort, the product of the contributions of many individuals. It has grown out of the resources of the Visual Studies Workshop. First, I would like to thank Nathan Lyons who, when he began the Workshop in 1969, understood that a focus on mak¬ ing, collecting, and viewing visual books is indispensible to visual studies—and that print is a necessary tool for artists and photog¬ raphers. Helen Brunner and Don Russell are largely responsible for develop¬ ing a number of book-related projects at the Workshop including the Independent Press Archive, information files, and book exhibition INTRODUCTION 9 program. Brunner compiled the collections listing and supervised work on the bibliography, which appear at the back of the book. “Indepen¬ dent Art Publishing,” a 1979 international book conference, coordi¬ nated by Russell, laid the groundwork that made this book possible. Both Brunner and Russell were involved in the preliminary editorial de¬ cisions that shaped this work. Although other commitments prevented them from seeing the project through, primary credit for initiating it belongs to them. The bibliography of secondary sources was compiled by Glenn Knudson and Barbara Bosworth. Although a listing of all those who contributed to the bibliography appears at the beginning of that sec¬ tion, special acknowledgement is due to Barbara Tannenbaum who not only generously contributed her own research but provided an update from the time the project was completed at the Workshop in the sum¬ mer of 1983. All of the books illustrated, unless otherwise credited, are from the collection of the Visual Studies Workshop. Every effort has been made to contact the artists for permission for this use. We are grateful for their contributions. The photographs were made by Dana Davis, Linda McCausland, and Cindi Coyle. Susan Cergol has typeset the entire manuscript and, in addition, helped with proofreading and mechani¬ cals. Thanks to Martha Gever for help wth copy editing and to Karen Brown, Elizabeth Caldwell, Aimee Ergas, and Susan Kinney for help with various editorial chores. Thanks also to David Trend, Robert Bretz, and the rest of the staff at the Workshop for assistance and sup- port. The impetus to produce this anthology came from a community of people passionately committed to the new book discussed in these pages. They helped in many ways, some directly, by reading manu¬ scripts, advising, contributing research—others indirectly, by example of their work in the field.