Tucson, Arizona

My initial experience with the extensive work of Barbara Grygutis was on the grounds of the Ohio State University, when I naturally noticed Garden of Constants outside of Dreese Laboratories. Garden of Constants is a series of large free-standing number statues to help commemorate the current construction of buildings associated with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux. Garden of Constants by Barbara Grygutis.

Instantly taken by the work, I invariably started researching where Barbara’s work resided. I have experienced quite a few of her public sculptures in the last year. I first communicated with Barbara when journeying to Tucson, Arizona, in 2018. That February, we met at her studio and talked enthusiastically about her work and her remarkable accomplishments. Drawings and descriptions of new public spaces for the coming year were shared.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux. I viewed the maquette for Seagrass V during my visit last year.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux. A drawing for Seagrass V in Barbara’s studio.

Since then, Barbara has completed Seagrass V presented at the European Cultural Centre in the Palazzo Mora in Venice, Italy. Seagrass V has now found a new home in art-st-urban near Lucerne, Switzerland. A project dedication in April 2019 presented Creosote Lace which accents the 50th Street Light Rail Station in Phoenix.

The public spaces designed by Barbara Grygutis enhance the built environment, enable civic interaction, and reveal unspoken relationships between nature and humanity. She engages the public through her works of art by identifying themes meaningful to each specific site and community.

Back in Tucson this year, unable to pass on a wonderful invitation by Barbara to connect again if I found myself in the area, we created another great opportunity to meet. First we touched base at her greenish cage, as she calls her studio entrance, and then to an excellent restaurant for a fantastic evening.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The so called greenish cage in the back of Barbara’s studio space.

While in Phoenix, Creosote Lace had to be experienced in person. I was intrigued by the result of this sculpture, since it bears the name of a bush that captured my attention last year while in Gila Bend. The Creosote bush is ever-present in the landscapes of the Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, covering thousands of square miles. Sonoran Desert rains release the many oils in the plant that create a distinctive and unique aroma in the air. Once one smells the fragrance of the Creosote bush, one never forgets — the entire plant emits a distinctive and refreshing odor described by many as "the smell of rain."

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Creosote Lace at he 50th Street Light Rail Station in Phoenix.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Michael crossing the line to view Creosote Lace at he 50th Street Light Rail Station.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Creosote Lace by Barbara Grygutis.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Creosote Lace by Barbara Grygutis.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Panel detail of Creosote Lace by Barbara Grygutis.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. A closer look at Creosote Lace by Barbara Grygutis.

Creosote Lace was conceived with the dual purposes of providing shade for commuters while celebrating a native plant which has been living in the Southwest for over seventeen thousand years. The new, accessible light rail station provides crucial access to the Ability360 facility as well as several other businesses nearby.

The artwork develops the concept of healing through the natural world as a central theme for the station. Creosote bush, also known as Greasewood (Larrea tridentata), has been recognized by the O’odham and other indigenous peoples since the beginning of time. In fact, O’odham tradition suggests that the Greasewood was a key element in the very creation of the world. Even today the creosote bush is the most populous native plant in the Phoenix Basin.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Creosote Lace is fabricated with steel, laser cut and painted, with a silver surface finish intended to evoke the shimmering light of the desert.

Creosote Lace combines shadow patterns formed by the delicate creosote leaves and minute blooms to create large abstract panels which, in turn, create shade. The beauty and delicacy of this plant is further emphasized by the spiral shape of the curvilinear panels which float up the approach ramps to the station platform. These spiral shaped canopies emulate the motion of the creosote as it blows in the southwest winds, ever-rooted to the earth. The continuous spiral shapes of the shade canopies also reference the ability of this tenacious plant to send out lateral shoots and, over long periods of time, to create concentric circles of plant families. The distinctive aroma of creosote bush is also a vital part of our desert legacy.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Seeing through Creosote Lace by Barbara Grygutis.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Looking back at Creosote Lace by Barbara Grygutis.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Creosote Lace by Barbara Grygutis.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Creosote Lace is a tribute to the humble and prevalent creosote bush and to the healing powers that exist in the Sonoran Desert.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Creosote Lace can also be experienced on the sidewalks.

Another public space I delved into while in Chandler, Arizona, was Desert Passage, Canopy Dreams created in 2009 for the Chandler Gilbert Community College Pecos Campus.

This work of art is a functioning elevated, sculptural pedestrian bridge connecting the new Ironwood Hall to an existing building on campus. This curvilinear, 2nd level pathway meanders 200’ through a grove of Ironwood trees and highlights the natural beauty of the Ironwood leaf. The laser cut design of the shade hoops, natural daylight and integrated, designed lighting, create dramatic shade and light patterns day and night.

The photos below will help to examine Barbara’s piece as if you were actually walking across the pedestrian bridge.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Desert Passage, Canopy Dreams by Barbara Grygutis.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Beginning of my experience of Desert Passage, Canopy Dreams by Barbara Grygutis.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The interplay between the shadows and the light is always present in Barbara’s work.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Looking up.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Halfway.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Looking back.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Observing from below.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. One last look as I walk away.

Interested in the work of Barbara Grygutis, check out what city has commissioned an installation on her website. In the next year, one will be able to research all Barbara’s maquettes, drawings, and information on her work at the University of Arizona Archive of Visual Arts. Looking forward to seek new public art spaces by Barbara Grygutis during next year’s visit.

Austin Studio Tour

In the last 3 weeks, I have been exploring the final details and the artistic expression of my last and upcoming book Surveillance. Surveillance naturally began as a direct response to all the security camera warning signs in our social and democratic world. 

When an artists' book’s specific concept comes to mind, one has to identify the intent of the book and how it will work.
Is the idea behind the work successful?
Are the feelings accurately conveyed?
Is the specific binding a perfect format for this book?
Is the content designed to create a pleasant experience for the reader?

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Time based electronics for my artists’ book Surveillance.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Last details on the electronic components for my artists’ book Surveillance.

Since Surveillance comprises an interactive component, there were more details to keep in mind. How much time should be allocated for the inside of the book to be revealed? 
Is the familiar sound revealed at the proper time? 
Are the electronics the appropriate ones?
How will the reader relate to the predetermined structure? 
Will the reader encounter the visual and/or textual information in the proper order? ...

Is the element of surprise well planned? 

Will the reader be able to manage or manipulate the book properly? ...

Some of these questions are on going, others were ironed out during a working session with Natalie Freed, while in Austin in early April.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Quercus Virginiana know as the Live Oak Tree, New Braunfels, Texas.

Texas has been a very productive and artistically inviting place for me. During my trips through Austin, keeping in touch with certain people, depending on life demands is important. 

I have enjoyed French lunch with Olivia Primanis and other staff of the Ransom Center during my past visits. This time, I was invited to tour the studios of Olivia Primanis and Christopher Hynes — one of the highlights of my week in the area.

Olivia Primanis retired from her official position of Senior Book Conservator at the Harry Ransom Center last January. These days Olivia finds contracts to execute special projects to keep up with her considerable skills in conservation and preservation.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The studio of Olivia Primanis.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Olivia Primanis has many wonderful tools of the trade in her studio.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Another view of Olivia’s studio space.

Two different studios with two diverse artistic expressions under the same roof, where creativity abounds.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. A gallery tour in Olivia Primanis and Christopher Hynes home. Christopher talking art with Michael Sutton.

Christopher succinctly explains his creative work:

My assemblages and collages are puzzles, incorporating my color paintings and using found objects, the aged and broken bits of our culture's debris, that explore life and the world we live in. I like to juxtapose artifacts that are incongruous but that work together in an intriguing way around a central theme, which is sometimes serious and political, sometimes whimsical and humorous.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Entering Christopher’s studio space.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Many objects and colour on display in Christopher’s studio space.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Fascinated by various small items adorning the shelves in Christopher’s studio.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Art work by Christopher Hynes.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. A work in progress with many of Christopher’s tools.

Next stop Salt Lake City, Utah. If you are interested in a visit please let me know.

Meeting artists and visiting their studio is one of the most wonderful part of touring the country.

Till then I will be admiring the sunsets in Gila Bend and Sedona, Arizona.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Sunset in Gila Bend, Arizona

Downsize or Expand

No, matter how tough things may feel,

there’s always something good waiting around the corner.

Karen Salmansohn

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Texas Paintbrush in the south of Texas, my backyard in April, not bad for inspiration!

Last January, when a certain practical side of life interrupted art, I cancelled a few visits in Florida. Since then, I re-communicated with Dorothy Simpson Krause, a local artist and book maker from Ft. Lauderdale, whom I had planned on visiting. In response, Dorothy was generous in emailing me images of her atelier and art work to share with all of you.

In my creative world, a zone, a sacred space is missing — a studio. I identified with my last workroom in Boise, Idaho, as 1/2 Measure Studio, since my space was a third of the square footage of my studio in Utah, but it was comfortable. Now, my atelier has shrunk again! Should I call it 1/16 Measure Studio?

© 2017 Louise Levergneux. Working on my artists’ book “Shadow Me” in my 1/2 Measure Studio in Boise, Idaho.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Without a physical space to call my own, here I’m working on my artists’ book “Surveillance” in Natalie Freed’s studio in Austin, Texas.

As artists, we learn how to downsize or expand our space depending on our situation. In 2013 Dorothy sold her home of 35 years and gave up her 3,200 square foot studio in New England to move full-time into a condo in South Florida.

© 2019 Dorothy Simpson Krause. Dorothy’s studio in Ft Lauderdale, Florida.

Dorothy explains her space and how it has not prevented her from creating wonderful large scale mixed media pieces, artist books and book-like objects that bridge between these two forms.

I occupy a compact office/studio. It has adequate counter and storage for minor projects, an Apple Power Tower Pro with 30″ monitor, a 17″ MacBook Pro, an Epson RX680 duplex printer and a 13″ Epson Stylus Pro 3880.

The condo has a considerable storage space for necessary supplies and ephemera and an outside storage unit for larger art.

I use the counter/bar in the kitchen when I need to spread out. For larger projects, I am fortunate to have access to the workspaces at the Jaffe Center for Book Arts http://www.library.fau.edu/depts/spc/jaffe.htm at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. It is a excellent resource for inspiration and support.

© 2019 Dorothy Simpson Krause. Dorothy’s many filing cabinets.

© 2019 Dorothy Simpson Krause. Making a book for her Alaska trip.

Although my art background is traditional, the computer has become a primary art-making media, a repository of my records and my lifeline to the world.

My work embeds archetypal symbols and fragments of image and text in multiple layers of texture and meaning. It combines the humblest of materials, plaster, tar, wax and pigment, with the latest in technology to evoke the past and herald the future. My art-making is an integrated mode of inquiry that links concept and media in an ongoing dialogue — a visible means of exploring meaning.

© 2010 Dorothy Simpson Krause. Ancient Mysteries, a pyramid shaped structure was created after Dorothy had an opportunity to work with Karen Hanmer. Ancient Mysteries can be folded in a virtually infinite number of ways, and is housed in a leather slipcase embellished with two triangular pieces of metal.6''x6''x1.5'' 36 pages

© 2010 Dorothy Simpson Krause. Explorations was created during a trip to Egypt in 2010. Dorothy carried with her, a small book made with paper aged by crumpling and staining with tea, coffee and walnut ink. 6"x5.5", 24 pages.

© 2010 Dorothy Simpson Krause. Explorations was bound with a heavy paper, embossed with symbols resembling heiroglyphics, and was pamphlet stitched with three beads in the spine.

© 2010 Dorothy Simpson Krause. Vintage photographs of Egypt were collaged into the pages of Explorations.

© 2018 Dorothy Simpson Krause. Apache began on a trip to Arizona, this small book explores our appalling treatment of Native Americans. Vintage photos of Apache Indians are collaged onto small eco printed tags which are placed into a pocket accordion, designed to fit into a well-worn leather pouch. Closed 5.5″x 3.75″x 1.75″, opened (5.5″x 28″).

© 2012 Dorothy Simpson Krause. River of Grass created as part of the Helen M. Salzberg Inaugural Artist in Residence at the Jaffe Center for Book Arts, Wimberly Library, Florida Atlantic University.

© 2012 Dorothy Simpson Krause. River of Grass.

© 2012 Dorothy Simpson Krause. River of Grass.

© 2012 Dorothy Simpson Krause. River of Grass.

Dorothy eloquently explains her proposal for this prestigious residency and how her production paid homage to Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ seminal book, “The Everglades: River of Grass.”

---

Through our mutual communication and after viewing Dorothy’s website, I’m looking forward to a visit, when life’s magnificent path escorts me back in that corner of the world.

Meanwhile, I’m dreaming of a new set-up in our travel trailer to work anytime a wave of creativity comes along. I have a picture of what is needed using a lift-top with an adjustable lift platform for under our bed. If anyone knows of someone that is handy with tools that can build me an under the bed worktable, please let me know. I will be spending another two weeks in the Phoenix, Tucson, Gila Bend area of Arizona.

I would love to visit some artists’ book makers in the area, if anyone is interested in meeting with me, please email me at louiselevergneux (at) gmail (dot) com. Looking forward in meeting you!

Example of my dream workstation!! but under the bed storage area instead of a pouf!

---

Works In Progress

It has already been a month since my last blog post. Short but sweet, this period has given me time to progress with my artists’ book Surveillance, a tunnel book structure. I’m absolutely thrilled with the results and look forward to meeting with Natalie Freed in Austin in April for integrating the electronics part of the book. It did require some patience and time to get back into detail work for this publication and applying glue again! The month gave me pause for reflection and the time spent on the creation of new publications was fantastic. You know who you are when you are creating what you love. 

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Prints of the cover for Surveillance.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Prints of the pages for Surveillance.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Remembering registration on an Epson R3000.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Back page for Surveillance.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Cutting details for the cover for Surveillance.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Measuring for the accordion side for Surveillance.

---

Last January, in Florida, I meticulously planned a few studio and contact visits. When a problem with our travel trailer arose, another disappointment interrupted art. As plans changed, I could no longer meet with John Cutrone, at the Jaffe Center and a studio visit with Dorothy Krause had to be cancelled. I also proposed to meet Merike van Zanten during her residency at The Arthur & Mata Jaffe Center for Book Arts. With Le Château’s problem, this stopover was also annulled.

Back in September 2017, I wrote a post entitled Pennsylvania. This post featured artists’ books with the theme of war after touring Gettysburg. One of the artists’ book featured in this post was A Soldier of the Second World War by Merike van Zanten. So, knowing I would be in Florida, I arranged a get together. Unable to view Merike’s creative work in person, I thought you might join me and look at what Merike is accomplishing during her time at the JCBA’s as part of the Helen M. Salzberg Artist in Residence for the 2018/2019 academic year. 

© 2019 Merike van Zanten. John1, eco print on paper.

© 2019 Merike van Zanten. Hibiscus and fern print on paper from Merike’s residency.

Merike, a book artist, comes to the residency from the Netherlands, where she founded Double Dutch Design. Her artists' books focus on nature among other things and she incorporates found materials, utilizing a variety of techniques. Some of her books are quite sculptural. 

Merike’s proposed Salzberg Residency creative project begins with substantive research and experiments in eco printing, a technique of extracting color and images from plants and metals through steam, without the use of inks. She uses paper, fabric, and leather as substrates, and these experiments will be bound into an artists’ book unified by technique.

© 2019 Merike van Zanten. Gerbera Daisy, coptic bound notebook with eco printed leather cover from Merike’s residency,

© 2019 Merike van Zanten. John8, eco print eucalyptus on silk.

During the residency Merike also conducted a series of workshops on eco printing at The Jaffe Center, as well as at outside venues.

Merike van Zanten is getting lots of publicity for her residency. Here is a link to an article by Judith Klau, Reflections from the Jaffe Center: Wednesdays with Arthur #7 who explains Merike’s work in progress.

© 2019 Helen Edmunds. Merike at work at the Jaffe Center during her residency.

The South of Florida is one stop I wish I had not missed, but as Carre Otis said “Life inevitably throws us curve balls, unexpected circumstances that remind us to expect the unexpected”. 

Talk to you in May!

Seconds, Minutes, Hours...

On February 28th, we all received the new blog post from Alyson Stanfield from Art Biz Success “How to Decide Whether to Take on a New Project or Not.”

After reading the article and comments, I realized this post was very timely. A significant topic because of my overwhelming new life style as a nomad.

As I mentioned in past posts — a self-employed artist/entrepreneur wears many hats, which means you exercise the freedom to decide how to manage your chosen career. For some of us this creates a dilemma!

At this point in my life and career, it is critical to decide which activity/opportunity is for me. Superwoman, no way, and there are not enough hours in a day for me to accomplish everything I would embrace or require to achieve. How do you find time to write your blog posts in between your many activities? To the ones who do, kudos to you! I salute you!

In the past, there always seemed to be time to set up lots of activities to satisfy my life. Back in Canada, for many years, I was an art teacher at a local college; giving workshops and private lessons were also enjoyable. Every moment I would be in my studio or training our Topaz. When we moved to the US, I alloted lots of time to my work. This granted me the freedom to create and distribute my books; to participate in national and international exhibitions; and attend workshops to help advance my work. Subsequently, at the end of 2015, I started blogging to meet and communicate with other likeminded artists.

© 2017 Michael Sutton. Feeling my way around new ideas.

Does It Feel Right?

Being on the move constantly and with diligent work, favourable circumstances have come my way. For all we know, getting older, shortens time and the moments in between are non-existent, which intensifies the feeling of being pulled in many directions! With at least three artists’ books on the go, meeting artists and library contacts while traveling, writing Half Measure Studio Blog posts, blogging about my personal journey, and of course life in general. “Where to start?”, is often the question.

Traveling for almost two years, the decisions I make depend significantly on locals and timing. I feel overwhelmed and not getting any closer to finishing a recent artists’ book!

Half Measure Studio Blog may no longer serve my goals. Am I weary? Maybe! Or is life interfering with art again? — This is a puzzle.

Half Measure Studio Blog remains a great project. When I moved to Boise, Idaho, from Salt Lake City, Utah, blogging provided me a platform to express ideas and converse about studio activities, binding, concepts, and feature other artists...

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Balancing work on a new artists’ book Surveillance and writing this post.

Is This Aligned With My Goals?

After reading Alison’s questions, I’m unsure that blogging brings me closer to my goals. I’m reflecting on what my posts are conveying to fellow artists especially to myself? Continuing to share information could be done with enthusiaism if time invested would balance the creation of artists’ books. It’s been two weeks since my last post and I’m NOT particularly looking forward to writing another. Wait! That’s what I’m doing now, the article must be inspiring me.

I enjoy the communication and comments (online and/or offline), but my gut tells me this may not be the correct path. I wouldn’t want to give up on a long-time project which opened so many doors. But, a change of lifestyle (which has generated many creative ideas) and adding a monthly personal traveling blog has made it difficult to accomplish the realization of my ideas.

Reflection of my career goals for 2019 is in order: spending time writing, communicating or creating artists’ books? What project could offer me a connection with the art world as much as blogging did?

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Enjoying the development of Surveillance.

What is the potential for profit?

Earning a living is a priority, since I have been unable to publish new books, soon the inventory and the profits will disappear, the money is always part of the equation for me, but my inventory is whittling down. And, I miss the hands on projects. Could blogging offer some financial compensation? How does it work and are donations worth it?

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Image for my new artists’ book Surveillance.

What opportunities could it lead to?

At the moment, the most critical question, for me, is — “Would blogging once a month instead of weekly, allow me time to rethink my work, find different goals, dream of new concepts, find a new way of creating while traveling, re-organize a studio space?” Hopefully, the results will open doors to other opportunities. I trust I will benefit wholeheartedly from the time producing my books, which is my first love.

One should constantly be inspired and enthusiastic about their art career/work. Time is precious, we need to allow moments to flow, for life to bring good tidings our way.

Therefore, with all this introspection, Half Measure Studio Blog will be posted only once a month, till I find the balance needed for my work. See you soon... Louise

© 2015 Louise Levergneux. Sunset in Avimor, Idaho.

Obsession

I'm traveling to Austin, Texas, this week to work with another artist in the development of electronic interfaces for my next artist book with a working title of Surveillance. One of the specific things missing for me while traveling is the time to preoccupy myself over necessary details of a developing project. There is absolutely no time frame to be obsessive about anything on the road. Therefore, I’m looking forward to this interaction to stimulate me to re-create good studio habits and the passion for particular subject matters.

Developing and realizing a creative idea, for me, usually takes a degree of obsession. I suppose most artists choose to be engaged with compelling and motivating ideas to the point of being enthusiastic.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Manhole cover in Tucson, Arizona.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Manhole cover in Orlando, Florida.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Manhole cover in St Petersburg, Florida.

The allotted span of time it takes to wear the different hats (artist, creator, researcher, administrator, distributor...) does not leave much time for the creation — the fun part. However, I have not found the occasion to establish brief periods in my studio space and relate and connect to different subject matters. Traveling denies me the concentration time and fun of merely sitting in my space to reflect and work with my thoughts. Most of my time is taken by day-to-day activities of living and moving from one place to another. Traveling brings new ideas, but as a full-time traveler, shopping lists, balancing accounts, preparing meals, and... Life often takes over!

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Manhole cover in Orlando, Florida.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Manhole cover in St Augustine, Florida.

Yet, an idea might never leave your thoughts, and the obsession continues. Back in 1999, on a Scotland trip, when my project City Shields began, I collected many hundreds of images of manhole covers. I never thought 20 years later I would still be obsessed in photographing an interestingly designed manhole cover I happened to find during my walks.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Manhole cover in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Manhole cover in Circleville, Ohio.

This might be a excellent example of a primal acquisitive urge — I built a whole project out of this creative fascination of photographing manhole covers. The collection continues, but the project came to an end when the jewel cases that contain the die-cut photos of manhole covers were no longer available. Being picky about how the project would be presented, I felt the need to maintain the same packaging because it was essential to the idea of City Shields.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Manhole cover in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

So, as I travel, I’m often caught searching the streets for the next beautiful manhole cover. The need to take the camera out and shoot yet another manhole cover cannot be denied! The obsession is still alive. What do I do with the multiple photos of manhole covers I’ve taken through my journey. Create an ebook, an on-demand book, an artists’ book...??? What obsesses me as an artist can enrich the viewer to interpret my work.

My critical questions are:

How do I inject passion into my work while traveling?

In a hectic lifestyle, through what force does one find time to create?

By what means do I create a studio space to bring thoughts to completion?

How does one balance the administration versus the creative side of art work?

Any ideas?

© 2017 Louise Levergneux. Manhole cover in Austin, Texas.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Manhole cover in Sugar House, Salt Lake City, Utah.

© 2012 Louise Levergneux. Manhole cover in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

---

Sarasota, Florida

I was very engaged in Florida, exploring studios and visiting libraries to present my artists’ books to Special Collections. My séjour facilitated contacting a few librarians and even had the opportunity to re-connect with an artists’ book that was previously acquired.

I reached out to the Florida Atlantic University, the Flagler College, Florida International University, Florida State University, Miami University, Ringling College of Art and Design, University of Central Florida, University of South Florida, and the Southern Florida University.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The Alfred R Goldstein Library at Ringling College of Art and Design.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The Alfred R Goldstein Library lobby.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Brizdle-choenberg Special Collections Center at the Alfred R Goldstein Library.

Showcasing my published books to the Brizdle-choenberg Special Collections Center was a distinct pleasure. Special Collections specializes in artists’ publication projects, prints, and rare books at Ringling College of Art and Design. Janelle Rebel invited the special collections assistant Ali Vargas-Fournier and the director of library services Kristina Keough to join us in the discovering of specific bindings and subject matter.

It was undoubtedly a successful meeting with the acquisition of Decades Apart, 26NOV2006, Xtraction and four flip books from the Outside of the Studio Series to the Alfred R Goldstein Library. The library selected books that would be appreciated in a research consultation by art, photography, animation, and film students and art and design practitioners.

© 2008 Louise Levergneux. 26NOV2006, last copy acquired by the Special Collections of the Alfred R Goldstein Library.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Decades Apart, copy 4, last copy acquired by the Special Collections of the Alfred R Goldstein Library.

© 2012 Louise Levergneux. Air.2 from the series Outside the Studio acquired by the Special Collections of the Alfred R Goldstein Library, Earth.11, H2O.3, and FIRE.3 were also purchused.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Xtraction, copy 1, last copy acquired by the Special Collections of the Alfred R Goldstein Library.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Desert Swatches was acquired in 2014 by the Special Collections of the Alfred R Goldstein Library.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Desert Swatches with its catalogue information.

© 2012 Louise Levergneux. Desert Swatches.

The Alfred R. Goldstein Library a state-of-the-art building that seeks to transform the way that users engage with library collections and services, opened in January 2017. Architecturally stunning, and an active physical and digital destination on the Ringling College campus.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The Alfred R Goldstein Library lobby showcasing Julie Miller Kanapaux artwork, Momentum 2016.

One can find, broadsides, democratic multiples, documentation of time-based and performance projects, engravings, exhibition publications, experimental writing, fine press books, flip books, handmade editions, historic facsimiles, parlor toys, photo-bookworks, prints, rare books, and zines in the collection.

---

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Exhibition “Step and Repeat: Pattern in Artists' Publications” at the Alfred R Goldstein Library.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Detail of the exhibition, right: Josh MacPhee, Security Fear, 2017

During my visit I was experience the Special Collections' most recent exhibition "Step and Repeat: Pattern in Artists' Publications." The exhibit in the reading room excavates the pleasures of pattern in the coverings, interiors, linings, and details of thirty artists’ publications. Visually arranged into conceptual motifs (flora & fauna, power, psychedelic, geometric, experimental, liquid, figures, and security), these books aim to mesmerize, distract, propel, disrupt, and entice the reader.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Books in the show, middle: Clifton Meador, Kor 2007; middle back: Ral Veroni, Gabo Ferro, Flopa Lestani, Nada para el Destino = Nothing for Destiny 2009.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. left: Barbara Hodgson Mrs Delany Meets Herr Haeckl Radiolaria, Retracoralla, Pediastra, Ciliata, etc., Rendered in Paper Mosaicks, 2015; right: Sheryl Oppenheim, Sample Book 2017.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Nick Butcher and Nadine Nakanishi Graphic Arts Future Corporeal Knowledge 2017.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. left: Chris Fitzpatrick and Karel Martens, Motion 2017; middle: Julie Peters and Karel Martens, Full Color 2013; right: Marianne Dages and Leah Mackin, Ultrices 2016.

It’s always nice to personally meet contacts/librarians of special collections and introduce my artists’ books particularly when an genuine interest is shown.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Ringling College of Art and Design building.

---

Lakeland, Florida

I have a love for classic Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, so whenever possible, I explore his iconic buildings. Once in Florida, I carefully researched if Wright ever built any architecture in the state and naturally found Florida Southern College. The most established private college in Florida and home to the largest single site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture in the world. I eagerly took a guided tour of this fantastic marvel.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Parked in front of the Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center, Lakeland, Florida. The Center provides a home for the permanent display of photographs, furniture, and drawings depicting Wright’s relationship with the College.

In 1938, the Florida Southern College President, Dr. Ludd M. Spivey, approached Wright with the complex task of transforming the 100-acre lakeside orange grove into a modern campus. The president's grand vision for the school was a “College of Tomorrow” and the structures Wright designed are still considered unmatched and futuristic today. Wright's idea was to remove the "uninspired" buildings of the existing campus and replacing them with a campus that would "grow out of the ground and into the light, a child of the sun." Frank Lloyd Wright created a master plan that would combine glass, steel, and native Florida sand.

Frank Lloyd Wright left his distinctive mark on Lakeland with his incredible structure collection. Eighteen structures were designed by FLW, only 12 were completed during his lifetime.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The Watson-Fine Administration Building construction began in 1946 and was completed in 1949.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The courtyard pool of the Watson Fine Administration Building is an example of Wrights’s use of organic design, employing a fundamental element of nature—water.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The E. T. Roux Library is presently identified as the Thad Buckner Building construction began in 1942 and completed in 1946. Like many of Wright's buildings on the campus, this former library is composed primarily of reinforced concrete and concrete blocks, some with small openings filled with cubes of coloured glass.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The circular William Hollis Room of the E. T. Roux Library, is currently used for lectures. It contains the original desks, and features clerestory windows and “light wells,” that admits light from skylights all the way to the bottom floor.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The stained glass front door of the E. T. Roux Library.

A reflecting pool entitled the Water Dome was a central point in Wright’s concept of the campus and the largest water feature he ever designed. The appropriate technology to construct a dome of water did not exist in 1948, and for years it sat as an open pool. It was restored in 2007. View a video of the dome in full capacity here.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The Esplanades framing the Water Dome.

The Annie Pfeiffer Chapel was the first and the foremost Wright building on campus in 1938 and was completed in 1941. The concrete block walls of Pfeiffer Chapel consist of small squares of coloured glass embedded to generate a gorgeous lighting effect from inside or out.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The Annie Pfeiffer Chapel, considered by many to be a true paradigm of Wright’s work in that it exhibits all his trademark architectural elements.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The cantilevered wings of The Annie Pfeiffer Chapel give the impression the building is floating above ground.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Inside the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel, we can see the figurative rendering of the “bowtie” design in the chapel’s tower used as the college’s trademark symbol.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The Annie Pfeiffer Chapel’s concrete block walls consisting of small squares of coloured glass show well with the light of the sun.

William H. Danforth Chapel, the companion to Annie Pfeiffer Chapel was started in 1954 and was completed in 1955. Danforth, also designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is a worship space with a much smaller capacity than high-roofed Annie Pfeiffer, has its own organ and classroom space in the back. The chapel has and continues to serve as a place for small musical events, poetry readings, and lectures.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. William H Danforth Chapel is the only use of leaded glass on the campus. It is framed in native Florida tidewater red-cypress and still contains the original pews and cushions.

The Carter, Walbridge and Hawkins Seminar Buildings, were also completed in 1941. Originally three separate buildings with breezeways between, they were combined into a single administration building sometime after opening.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The seminar buildings feature skylights and pieces of coloured glass inset in the “textile” block system.

Over a mile of covered walkways that wind throughout the campus allow students to be sheltered from class to class were constructed in 1940. The supports are said to suggest the orange trees that were then numerous on campus. The Esplanades with their cantilevered roofs were to be the threads that bound Wright's separate building designs into an organic whole.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The esplanades are trimmed in copper, which Wright used to add its natural green patina to the appearance.

The Usonian house is one of the most recently-constructed Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in the world. Constructed in 2013 with the help of MIT engineers and with architect Jeff Baker overseeing, the Usonian house was originally designed in the mid-Twentieth Century by Mr. Wright for former Florida Southern President Dr. Ludd M. Spivey as one of a set of homes designed for faculty. This simple yet impressive building illustrates many of Wright’s ideals for modern American living. It is constructed of nearly 2000 interlocking “textile” blocks and also features nearly 6,000 pieces of hand-placed coloured glass.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The Usonian House was built in late 2013.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The exterior of the Usonian House features cypress soffit and fascia, window and door frames, pergolas, and doors.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Inside the living space of the Usonian House, the latest masterpiece to highlight the famed architect’s affinity for cypress.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Wright envisioned the Usonian-style home concept as a way to construct simple, affordable homes for American families, emphasizing the use of locally sourced brick, wood and other natural materials.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Wright envisioned the Usonian-style home concept as a way to construct simple, affordable homes for American families, emphasizing the use of locally sourced brick, wood and other natural materials.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Detail of the hand-placed coloured glass which cast colored light in the interior of the Usonian House.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Red cypress was used anywhere a finished wood product was required, including all of the interior ceilings, plank walls, built-in cabinets, tables, benches, trim, and even light fixtures. Inside we can see the exquisite use of Wright’s signature ‘textile’ blocks, which are indeed remarkable.

We are informed that Wright sought to create a “truly American campus” and designed a network of buildings and covered walkways radiating from a central hub. Uniformly constructed of tan-colored concrete, Wright’s “Child of the Sun” integrates ornament within the patterning and texturing of each structure’s walls and stained glass.

The tour was incredibly informative and insightful. Child of the Sun, the Florida Southern College in Lakeland is not to be missed!

---