Artist’s Books from the North Eastern States

As the Creative Offshoot of the book – the traditional container of our culture’s most essential information – the Artist’s book is a dynamic and wondrous artform. Not limited to, but including the codex, its structure offers possibilities of sequence, time and rhythm; and, similar to its predecessor, its content and contexts are limitless.

As a Working Artist I am certainly not in a position to define artist’s books – back east ’ In fact, any attempt to qualify the diversity of the artist’s book scene in the Northeast is bound to be compromised. With that said, Back East bravely puts forth, with admiration and gusto, a sampling of work that certainly exemplifies the richness & range of the concepts, structures and styles that fall Into the artist’s book category.

There’s no Single Lineage. The several centers – in New York City, Rochester, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia & Washington – all have inter-relationships. As a result, Back East showcases a selection of artists from all over the Northeast with the emphasis geographically on the New York metropolitan area where institutions dedicated to artist’s books (Printed Matter, Center for Book Arts, the now-defunct Franklin Furnace) or with comprehensive artist’s book collections such as the NY Public Library & MOMA, can be found within the context of the New York art world.

Pivotal Figures that have influenced & informed the field are represented in Back East, among others:

This Exhibition Confirms that at its best, in the field of artist’s books, the medium is the idea. As such, I am sure that this exhibition will prove an effective stepping stone in the ongoing bi-coastal dialogue.

—Robbin Ami Silverberg

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