Surveillance

I have noticed through emails and blog posts the amount of work being done by artists during these unusual times. Congrats to all! I admire those of you who have discovered ways to keep your art world/business going. It is fantastic to feel connected every morning as I tune into my emails  and read about everyone’s creative process. As artists, we need many concentrated hours to create. The last eight months gave my husband and I the opportunity to produce while being isolated at home.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. The accordion sides of Surveillance being cut.

Last April, as full time RV’ers, Michael and I decided to acquire a reliable place to stay. Our travels where put on hold while Covid dictated our lives. These days, weeks, months gave us the opportunity to write and produce in our incredibly compact space. Finally, cabin fever set in and with the virus still very much around; we required more room. In September we moved our studio spaces into a small, modest home (399 square feet) for our creativity to continue to blossom. 

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. Getting ready to work on Surveillance.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. Freshly cut pages for Surveillance.

With a major publication completed, I need to concentrate and get the next artists’ book — Surveillance — done. How to get back into this complicated book after so many months since my last review?

A blog post I read back in 2016 by Big Jump Press came to mind, while sitting here in front of all the various parts to assemble for Surveillance. The subject was on how to get organized for completing a project after a long break. The article is a fun read written by Sarah Bryant entitled “Ok, where was I?” and is very impressive.

For months, I kept Surveillance on the forefront of my mind, thinking of better ideas, solutions, materials... even while conceptualizing other ideas. It never dawned on me to put into place Sarah’s method. Once I got absorbed by manhole covers, Surveillance was put aside in safe containers and disappeared from my thoughts. Even though Sarah’s article is a terrific read, it’s a bit late for me.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. The different parts to put together.

At the moment, the plan of action is to start recalling how I developed the model, folded paper, cut, glued and assembled the book... !!! My brain hurts just thinking about it all as I prepare to get started again.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. The first page/cover template of Surveillance once the binding is opened.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. View through the first page/ cover of Surveillance.

In the mean time, if you intend to take a break from a book project for whatever reason, please read Sarah’s post. My suggestion is to plan for the future.

© 2015 Louise Levergneux. I wish you all a great holiday season this month and hope you will be able to celebrate with loved ones.

---

A Birthday Special

This was a celebratory birthday weekend for me, friends and family conveyed their kindest wishes virtually or by phone. To close the weekend, I have a surprise for Artists’ Book Collections and Collectors as I’m turning next week into an all week special.

© 2010 Louise Levergneux. Ambivalence

Place an order of $100 or more and get a free City Shields* or a flip book from the Outside the Studio Series* of your choice.

The 20th Anniversary Edition of City Shields (to be announced mid-December) is not included in this offer.

Available while supplies last. Qualifying spend calculated before shipping and handling charges. For any order, please contact me by email. Artists’ books can be viewed on my website.

Which one will you choose?

© 2011 Louise Levergneux. Faux-pas

© 2012 Louise Levergneux. Perception

© 2014 Louise Levergneux. A Day Filled With Onomatopoeias / Journée enjolivée d'onomatopées

© 2014 Louise Levergneux. Parade

© 2015 Louise Levergneux. Traverse

© 2017 Louise Levergneux. Shadow Me

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Dis « Des » articulation

Thank you for your support

City Shields, 20th Anniversary

I am pleased to introduce the successful completion of a 20-year obsession of photographing manhole covers — the 20th Anniversary Edition of City Shields. Just in time to celebrate my birthday at the end of the month. Moreover, November is the month the project was conceived way back in 1999 after a September trip to Scotland with my husband.

This celebratory edition began in June 2017 and accurately represents the creative exploration of geographic locations along ongoing travels between 2017 and 2020.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. The cover of the 20th Anniversary Edition of City Shields.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. The 20th Anniversary Edition of City Shields contains 84 die-cut manhole cover photos; two meandering books (French and English); three inserts and six die-cut manhole covers from past volumes.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. The reading experience of this concluding volume is produced through a meandering book (French and English version), and the sensory touch and photographic details of each manhole cover. The distinct images and text weave the story of my obsessive collecting and the series’ progress.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. 20th Anniversary Edition of City Shields.

A Short History of City Shields:

In the fall of 1999, a manhole cover piqued my curiosity while on vacation in Scotland. Observing how these manhole covers were different from those back home, they continued to fascinate me. 

Archiving remains a topic in my art work and has been presented in various ways. The collection of manhole covers offered me a novel approach on the theme of autobiography. Photographing only those manhole covers I encountered maintained the autobiographical theme of my artwork in proper perspective.

Between 1999 and 2015, I eagerly photographed over thousands of photos from Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North and South Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Québec, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Manhole covers continued to define fascinating exploration of geographical locations along my own life journey. A cross country trip in 2016, provided an excuse to include distinct cities of Canadian provinces, from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and more volumes of Ontario.

The Design of City Shields Through The Years:

During this extensive on-going project, it was my goal to keep the exact same look and feel for each volume. It was not easy task, as cameras, printers, and papers all evolved through the years.

© 2020 Michael Sutton. Working on the 20th Anniversary Edition of City Shields, using Photoshop.

One thing that was constant was the workflow, all volumes of City Shields were designed and produced in Photoshop using the same template with small increments of change. Of course, not the same version of the software! Each volume throughout the years was boxed in a clear transparent Zip Drive jewel case, which I purchased thousands back in 2000.

In addition I used Adobe PageMaker then InDesign with Arial Narrow and Futura fonts for the insert; Poiret One font was added to the anniversary edition. All volumes are unsigned except the anniversary edition. The series is unnumbered.

© 2000 Louise Levergneux. The original 7 volumes printed with a DC100 printer on Ivolaser paper in an edition of 100. The 18 manhole covers photos included were die-cut by Capitol Box of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux. Since 2006, all volumes have been an edition of 25 copies which has included 21 manhole cover photos. I published the volumes on Generation G-Chrome Lustre paper (manhole covers), Aspen Dual Sided Matte and Lasal Papers (inserts) for more control of colours and details.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. The anniversary edition contains 84 unbound die-cut manhole covers printed with my indispensable Epson Stylus Photo R3000. The edition contains a meander accordion book with text and photos painstakingly printed on Inkpress paper. A number of duplicate manhole covers and inserts from the past volumes are included. The whole is inserted in a two inch deep transparent acrylic box.

Twenty Years of Capturing Photos of Manhole Covers: 

I began the unique adventure with a strange and new (for 1999) Nikon CP-950 digital camera and a Nikon Coolpix 5900 in 2000. I also photographed with a Canon PowerShot A710. In 2012, the investment of a Sony Alpha 33 D-SLR, my first digital single-lens reflex camera, naturally inspired me. The 20th Anniversary Edition of City Shields was captured with my most recent digital camera — a Sony Alpha 6000.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Photo of a manhole cover celebrating Circleville, Ohio’s 100th Anniversary of its Pumpkin Show. This photo is part of the 20th Anniversary Edition of City Shields.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Photo of a manhole cover in Los Ebanos, Texas, right on the border of Mexico. This photo is part of the 20th Anniversary Edition of City Shields.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. Detail of the 20th Anniversary Edition depicting a manhole cover of St Petersburg, Florida. Photo was taken in January 2019.

What I Observed While Producing City Shields:

• I uncovered the intrigue and fascination provided by these everyday infrastructures;

• I grasped the rapid transformation of cameras, printers, and papers into current pieces of technology;

• I learnt the practicality of artists when developing their designs capturing the history or the resources of a city;

• I established contacts with artists who seamlessly integrated the theme of manhole covers in their work; and finally

• I discovered many people were fanatics about unique designs of manhole covers.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. More detailed manhole covers from the 20th Anniversary Edition of City Shields.

---

With this significant accomplishment completed, I now can concentrate on another unfinished project — Surveillance.

The Treasures of Arizona

Meticulously researching binding structures online a few years ago, I was captivated with Philip Zimmermann’s book work Sanctus Sonorensis, a book of border ‘beatitudes’. This work comments on the complicated attitudes of Americans on illegal immigration from Mexico. Being in Arizona for a few months, I reached out to Philip for a studio visit. But last April, another disappointment came my way when a planned visit to his studio in Tucson had to be promptly cancelled because of the pandemic.

While wandering full time, I relished the valuable experience of viewing artists’ books during my rendez-vous to many library special collections and artist studios. These tumultuous times establish unique challenges and missed opportunities. But, I aspire to continue virtually meeting with leading artists as mentioned in my previous post. Not the same as in person, for sure! But virtual communication, nevertheless, brings creative inspiration and opens doors for new dialogues with artists’ books.

This month 1/2 Measure Studio Blog is featuring Philip Zimmermann’s work for all of us to vicariously experience. Enjoy your visit.

Philip Zimmermann owns and operates Spaceheater Editions in Tucson, Arizona, and has been making artists’ books and multiples under this imprint since early 1979. Zimmermann produces open-edition and limited-edition works that use photography, printmaking and design.

© 2020 Philip Zimmermann. The front of Philip’s adobe brick house in the Historic Ft. Lowell area.

© 2020 Philip Zimmermann. Shown above is the exterior and entrance of Philip's main studio area. This adobe addition was built in the summer of 2008 after his move from New York.

Philip Zimmermann in his main studio. Courtesy of Philip Zimmermann.

© 2020 Philip Zimmermann. Views of the interior of Philip Zimmermann’s main studio area. It is only about 400 square feet plus a small full bathroom.

© 2020 Philip Zimmermann. This is the smallest studio Philip has ever had. The size of this tight atelier was determined by the amount of land at the back of his home and the HOA (Homeowners Association) rules.

© 2020 Philip Zimmermann. Living in an historic district, an architect was hired to conform to the building restrictions, HOA rules, the Historic Fort Lowell District as well as the city of Tucson. This didn’t seem like a straightforward task!

© 2020 Philip Zimmermann. The only printing devices Philip still has are a large Epson inkjet printer and a colour laser printer. Otherwise, he buys printing from overseas or from local commercial printers. His current book is being printed in France.

© 2020 Philip Zimmermann. The studio annex area which is in an enclosed part of what was a covered porch on the back of his house. This is where Philip does book binding board cutting, wrapping and shipping of books, foil-stamping, paste paper, and hopes to restart his silkscreen practice as well.

© 2015 Philip Zimmermann. Reaper is a meditation on the destructive cycle of violence and war, followed by rebuilding and reconstruction, then war again. This is often followed by yet another iteration of that rebuilding and destruction: a painful cycle that has continued in many areas around the globe throughout history.

© 2015 Philip Zimmermann. The theme for Reaper was inspired by the events in Gaza during the summer of 2014. It is most commonly caused by the friction and antagonism between different religious and tribal/ethnic belief systems and often aggravated by the extreme actions of fundamentalists on both sides and their often rigidly-held and intolerant ideas.

© 2015 Philip Zimmermann. In this book, based on an adaptation of the old Turkish-map-fold structure, text is read on several levels. The outer tabs hold the first ten rather innocuous lines of the primary texts of four specific belief systems. They include the Rig-Veda the oldest sacred Hindu text, the Torah (Genesis) from the Jewish faith (the Old Testament), the first lines of the Christian New Testament Bible, and finally the first ten lines from the Qur’an from Islam. The title of the book refers to both death, as in ‘the grim reaper’, and to the model name of one of the American drone or UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) used for bombing in the Middle East and elsewhere.

© 2015 Philip Zimmermann. Reaper is a four-colour archival pigment inkjet-printed book, created as a series of fold-out, modified, Turkish-map-folds, printed on acid-free French Paper Co. stock. Pages hand-cut and folded and cased-in by hand, with board covers; German Dubletta bookcloth spine was used, with inset title. An archival phase-box enclosure is included. Dimensions: 6.5" x 7.5" x 1". An edition of 25 copies, signed and numbered.

© 2014 Philip Zimmermann. Incident in Deseret — on January 5th, 2014, seven book artists were in Salt Lake City to attend the national conference of the College Book Art Association at the University of Utah. A group traveled to Robert Smithson's canonic land-art piece The Spiral Jetty, about an hour or two out of town in the nearby Great Salt Lake. To commemorate the visit, it was decided that each artist who was there that day would create a book with the Spiral Jetty as theme, and complete it within one year – or earlier if possible.

© 2014 Philip Zimmermann. The idea behind Incident in Deseret: “I am fascinated by faith, and how so many religious people throughout the world are able to ignore what many would think of as logical thinking in order to make the leap to belief. In some ways, I admire that ability as it suggests a certain innocence and magical thinking that I am not able to summon up. The danger is when those folks start to think that they are the only people in the world able to communicate with god and travel the true path to heaven. I think of the location of the Spiral Jetty and Salt Lake itself as ground-zero for the Church of Latter Day Saints and the Mormon faith. Although my book uses terminology that comes from the LDS belief (picked due to the location of the Spiral Jetty) I could have just as easily have used nomenclature from any number of other world religions. Stylistically, I think of this book as the meeting of Jean-Luc Godard's Alphaville and Chris Marker's La Jetée with The Book of Mormon. Deseret is the original Mormon name for Utah and was originally comprised of a large section of the American West that included not only Utah (and the Great Salt Lake where the Spiral Jetty is) but also large portions of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Brigham Young's petitions to the US Congress to recognize this huge new state were turned down numerous times and eventually became what is now the current, much smaller, state of Utah. Deseret was also a language and an alphabet system that was developed but never widely used during the 19th century by the Mormons. The title also gives a little nod to a classic western book that I was impressed with when I read it in high school, The Ox-bow Incident and another book (and famous short film) called An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge.”

© 2014 Philip Zimmermann. The edition of Incident in Deseret is printed by archival inkjet on uncoated oatmeal Speckletone paper made by The French Paper Company and bound in a drum-leaf binding in an edition of thirty. There is also a digital print-on-demand version on white coated paper. The dimensions on both are 8"x8"x.5". The book was started in Philip’s studio in Tucson and completed during an artists' residency at the Ucross Foundation, Clearmont, Wyoming, in August 2014.

© 2011 Philip Zimmermann. Cruising Altitude is a dos-á-dos (double-sided) book on one side about wanderlust, travel, and the quest for the exotic. The other side covers the darker angle of travel: of being a stranger or foreigner in another country or culture.

© 2011 Philip Zimmermann. “The section titled ‘Above’ in Cruising Altitude explores the desire to travel away from one’s normal and humdrum world, to see and experience the different and the exotic.”

© 2011 Philip Zimmermann. “There are many complex reasons why we want to travel. Part of what drives wanderlust is an impatience with the everyday and the desire to expand one’s horizons, sometimes to destroy one’s comfortable status quo, to escape, to satisfy one’s curiosity about the world. Travel makes one more tolerant, perhaps even promotes peace between cultures and nations.”

© 2011 Philip Zimmermann. Cruising Altitude.

© 2011 Philip Zimmermann. Cruising Altitude.

© 2011 Philip Zimmermann. “However ’Below’ (the other, mirror, section) is about the flip-side of wanderlust. In Cruising Altitude the traveler, displaced person, or foreigner encounters a virulent and often jingoistic resistance from the inhabitants of the new locations that one enters as a visitor. Terms for ‘the other’, usually derogatory or demeaning, appear over photographic views looking down from airplane windows. Although I believe this to be universal, living in Southern Arizona on the border with Mexico I am very aware of this viewpoint in some of the local state population. In addition to the feelings that I have about this subject derived from my current living location, I was the child of an American diplomat. Although I grew up loving the many different places we lived, I never fit in to any of them, nor felt that any one of the places we lived was my home, always feeling like ‘the other’, and that includes the United States itself.”

© 2011 Philip Zimmermann. Cruising Altitude was published in an edition of fifty. The text-block interiors and end-sheets were printed by HP Indigo. There are gold and silver metallic foil titles on both covers. The book was bound by hand with archival book board and Kensington premium bonded red leather, designed to look and feel a little like the old Baedeker travel guides that were extremely popular in Europe in the late 1880s through the 1930s. The dimensions are 5"x8"x.5". Each book comes in an archival gray phase box.

© 2003 Philip Zimmermann. Nature Abhors is about loss, the inevitable by-product and, (perhaps pessimistically) the final result of life and love.

© 2003 Philip Zimmermann. “In the previous four years I had had a great deal of loss in my life with both my parents dying (one by a hit-and-run car), 9.11.2001 and all that meant for anyone living in New York, plus romantic complications in a relationship where the two of us did not need or want the same thing. This book is a rumination on what loss has meant for me personally and also what I have found has been a more universal feeling of loss since 9.11. Although the book contains visual references to the twin towers, it is determinedly not about that disaster but more about the collateral damage from that period of time on personal relationships, and ways of moving on from that loss.”

© 2003 Philip Zimmermann. Nature Abhors.

© 2003 Philip Zimmermann. Nature Abhors is 5.25 x 5.25"; printed by HP Indigo on Mohawk Superfine paper. It is 30 pages long, in a hand made slipcase and comes in corrugated-paper fold-out archival phase box. The woven spine construction is based on a model developed by Claire van Vliet from a form originally created by Hedi Kyle. The photograph on page six was taken by Elizabeth Alderman, all the others and the text are mine. To be read through on one side, then on the reverse. Accordion-folded, each sheet affixed to the next with paper tabs illustrated with segments of spinal vertebrae. Both the slipcase and the book are signed and numbered by the artist in an edition of 150.

---

I graciously appreciated Philip Zimmermann's time and especially the possibility of sharing is work with all of us. Philip’s new book entitled Swamp Monsters is a series of distorted photos of the president and his flunkies at the Republican National Convention; printed on newsprint with a high speed Kodak inkjet at PRINTNEWSPAPER in France.

Swamp Monsters is already on sale in a number of book outlets including Printed Matter in NYC.

---

Arizona and the New Normal

Last March, when journeying in Arizona, I had planned on visiting four artists in the Tucson area. Unfortunately, as my excitement grew and planned visits were imminent; Covid-19 shocked our familiar world and everyone went into lockdown. Bleak days.

That was five months ago, and the pandemic is still part of our lives. So, as mentioned in my previous post, my studio visits will continue virtually while we all get used to the new normal. One of the studio visits planned was with Laura Russell who was at her winter house in Arizona. Laura is a photographer and book artist who creates hand-bound, limited-edition artist books that incorporate photographs of our urban landscape and tell a story about our culture and our communities. Laura was the owner of 23 Sandy Gallery, a book art gallery in Portland, Oregon, from 2007 to 2020. 23 Sandy Gallery is presently owned and operated by Erin Mickelsonan and is an online gallery. Laura is extremely excited about the future and finding studio time for her own books.

© 2020 Laura Russell. Laura’s studio in Portland, Oregon.

© 2019 Laura Russell. And your Lord inspired the Bee, accordion sheet folded into four pages. 4 x 8.5 x .125 inches. Extends out to 15.25 inches. An edition of 25, signed and numbered.

© 2019 Laura Russell. And your Lord inspired the Bee, Pamphlet stitch cover with stepped-fold accordion interior. Archival digital prints. Mohawk Superfine Text and Canson Mi Tientes papers.

Book One of Laura’s Show & Tell Chapbook Series created for the Shadow and Light photography project. A project of the Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here Coalition curated by Beau Beausoleil. This book honors Karem Mohsen, PhD lecturer at the Department of Agriculture, College of Agronomy, Basra University, Iraq. I learned from Beau that Dr. Mohsen was killed on 10 April 2006. He worked in the field of honeybee production. Lecturers and students called for a demonstration to protest his assassination.

© 2015 Laura Russell. Bold Heart, carousel book in an edition of 25. Archival pigment prints on Red River Polar Matte paper. Cover: binders board covered with handmade paper that looks like animal hide made by Andrea Peterson at Hook Pottery Paper. Carousel is five panels/pages. The book is 4 w x 6 h x .75 d inches closed and 26 inches long when extended. Displays as carousel at 8 x 8 x 6 inches.

Bold Heart is the second in a series of books about Diana (aka Artemis), the Goddess of Hunting. Photographs of Diana (Laura’s niece Hanna poses for this project) with her bow and arrows and her prey are paired with photographs of deer hidden in the woods. Diana was not only the Goddess of Hunting, but she was also the protectress of teenage girls, making Hanna the perfect model. Diana cherished the traits that made her a strong, independent woman — which Hanna is already destined to be. Forever young, Diana defended untamed nature, high mountains and sacred woods. In addition, she was a protector of women and childbirth and the Goddess of the Moon.

© 2018 Laura Russell. Take Me, I’m Yours, structure: Hedi Kyle Flag book. 20 original photographs by the artist. Archival pigment prints on Red River Polar Matte and Moab Lasal papers.

© 2018 Laura Russell. Take Me, I’m Yours, spine: black Fabriano Ingres paper. 8.5 x 4 x 1 inches closed. Accordion extends out to 40 inches. Edition of 25.

© 2018 Laura Russell. Take Me, I’m Yours.

Many years ago this artist placed a singles ad in Denver’s alternative weekly newspaper. The headline read, “Work Hard, Play Hard” and now this book celebrates 25 years of happy marriage thanks to a fun advertising experiment. In a bit of whimsy, image and text play off each other to create irreverent pairings of singles pick-up lines with intimate portraits of abandoned furniture that can be found cast aside like a bad romance on city streets everywhere. Twenty Polaroid-style photographs are paired with text highlighting the becoming features of the lonely furniture. The 80’s-style looker says, “Single white sofa, mature, well-endowed, seeking free love in warm, cozy, dry home.” The teal velvet slipper chair says, “Me: clean, curvy, cushy, velvety, dove-tail joints. Single and ready to mingle.” This limited-edition artist book utilizes Hedi Kyle’s flag book structure to mimic a local bulletin board that might have been used for advertising in the good old days before the internet.

© 2013 Laura Russell. Anything Helps, pamphlet stitch booklet sewn into vintage billfold wallet plus six cards telling the stories behind the photographs that fit inside credit card slots. Turkish map fold center spread with pop-out sign.

Anything Helps is a limited edition artist book surveying the cardboard signs used by panhandlers and homeless people. We have all seen these folks on street corners holding hand-scrawled cardboard signs. They can be found on city intersections, downtown corners and highway off ramps in cities large and small across our great county. It is so easy to merely drive by and avert our eyes as we pass a homeless person. It is my hope that this book will make us stop and reflect upon the lives we look at every day but never really see.

© 2013 Laura Russell. Anything Helps, is an artist’ book in an edition of 25 with 32 pages; archival digital printing on Red River Polar Matte paper. Dimensions when closed: variable, approx 4.25 x 4.5 x .5 inches.

I will miss Laura’s integrity, friendly business flair, but I’m happy that she is finding time to create her lovely artists’ books. Good luck in all future creative endeavour. Hope to meet in real time again. Good luck.

If any of you would like to show me your studio space, and your work, please email me for details.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. Paolo Soleri’s windbells being created in the art studio at Arcosanti in Arizona.

---

Change and Transformation

Half Measure Studio has been instrumental in opening social interactions that allowed me to individually connect and visit many artists. These informative conversations undoubtedly helped to feature artists in weekly and monthly posts since 2016. In 2020, the year of change and transformation Half Measure Studio will be conducting virtual studio visits, this is our undeniable reality...

During the last three years, I have appreciated the comments and contact from many artists who communicated via email after following my posts. Mark Wangberg, has emailed me enthusiastic responses with continual interest in the art highlighted on my blog. Since he lives and works in Peru, a personal studio visit was impractical, even less now given the transportation and public health circumstances. 

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. A small section of The Painted Desert in the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona.

Mark was kind enough to send images of his atelier and artists’ books for me to report on the history behind his work and lifestyle in Peru.

In 1973-74, in Nigeria, I discovered the lovely goatskins being produced and used for various crafts. At the time I wasn't aware of the tremendous quality and use of this material in fine bindings all over the world. I had been doing letterpress printing for two years at Alma College in Michigan. My comprehension of the incredible beauty and variety of artists' books was merely beginning. I published a number of limited edition books under the Jack-In-The-Box press name.

© 2020 Irma Chavez Cobos. View of Mark’s garden and the river flowing behind his house — a branch of the mighty Amazon River!

Ultimately (1979-80) I apprenticed with Daniel Tucker of Turtle Island Press, and through his excellent tutelage expanded my skills and knowledge for book arts. He indeed supported me in recognizing the possibilities for combining the total aspects of a book, so all components (materials, text, images, color, texture, etc.) were unified.

Many years later, while teaching art (including book arts in my curriculum) at a public high school outside Philadelphia, I achieved a MFA in Book Arts at The University of the Arts in 1999. Working with Hedi Kyle for those five years, blew my mind with NEW possibilities. Her inventiveness rubbed off on me and my students!

© 2020 Mark Wangberg. Mark’ studio with a big vitrine keeping his book samples from the past 40+ years safe!

Hedi continues being a friend and inspiration! Many other instructors at The University of the Arts had profound impacts on my art and teaching — most notably Nathan Knobler, a teacher who easily doubled my knowledge and critical skills.

© 2013 Mark Wangberg. Hedi Kyle, friend and phenomenal mentor! Here in her home/studio modeling Mark’s Hat/Box/Book, an origami box/book structure; imported printed papers, hand-stained tracing papers, and thread for additional pages; 3.25”x3.25”x1”.

At my best, I "play" with the possibilities of text, materials, image, and context. Living in The Amazon has exposed me to a variety of novel materials. For instance, the use of llanchma, a local bark cloth, encouraged my lifelong dream of doing large quilt-like wall pieces. I also folded, sewed, and dyed it to develop textile versions of some of Hedi Kyle's structures. The usage of digital media and inexpensive printing on canvas-like banner material allowed me to create large format patterns using photographs of local women. By repeating the images, I created "tile" designs similar to ones from the early 1900s adorning historic buildings here in Iquitoswooden, Peru... 

© 2020 Irma Chavez Cobos. Mark holding his artists’ book entitled Stencil Me.

© 2013 Mark Wangberg. Stencil Me — a triangular book format by Hedi Kyle. Paper and spray paint over stencils; 8”x3”x.5”.

© 2013 Mark Wangberg. The structure for Stencil Me can be followed on page 100, in The Art of the Fold: How to Make Innovative Books and Paper Structures, by Hedi Kyle and Ulla Warchol.

© 2015 Mark Wangberg. Sample Book; local Peruvian bark cloth (llanchama), local handmade papers, local handspun chambira thread from palm fibers, local natural dyes, spray paint, and local natural leaf; 9”x6.5”x1”.

© 2015 Mark Wangberg. Sample Book.

© 2015 Mark Wangberg. Sample Book.

© 2014 Mark Wangberg. Stab binding; leather with hand marbling using acrylics; the hinges are created by carefully cutting half-way through the leather.

© 2014 Mark Wangberg. Matchbox Book Set; three books in one!

© 2014 Mark Wangberg. Matchbox Book Set. Vellum leather box/book cover is a sliding case, transfer image, stained with graphite, found matches, Nigerian basket pieces, metal scraps, metal box, metal can lid, child’s shoe, orange slice, acetate prints, various papers and threads.

© 2014 Mark Wangberg. This Match Book Set was exhibited at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in response to James Castle’s show featuring his drawings and collages which often used match boxes, destroyed in a flood!

© 2015 Mark Wangberg. Rusty; rusted metal ceiling tile pieces, bottle cap, waxed paper with inlaid threads, double stick tape, waxed thread, approx. 4”x24”x1”.

© 2015 Mark Wangberg. Structure for Rusty is based on an invention by Hedi Kyle, I call the “Up/Down Book”, a simple folded accordion with top and bottom folds to contain the pages in. Exhibited in the Hello Hedi book show at 23 Sandy Gallery. I discovered this structure (a delicate little book) in a box of Hedi’s samples and decided to explore its possibilities with some heavier materials.

© 2015 Mark Wangberg. Up/Down Book, my sample with a paper sleeve; printed imported papers, double stick tape, 20 point folding stock to reinforce the covers; 5”x11”x.25”. Created for a workshop taught at the Art Escape art center in California.

© 2013 Mark Wangberg. May I Buy Your Vote; tin can and tin can pieces cut into figures and shapes, thread; poem printed on a sheet of 8.5”x11” brown paper; 8”x3”x3”.

© 2013 Mark Wangberg. Mark came across a pile of old rusted tin cans while in Peru and noticed that they had come from a politician seeking office. After Mark asked local people about these tin cans, he found that politicians were in the habit of painting people’s homes (a relative luxury for many in Iquitos, Peru) in exchange for their vote… Mark started thinking about how often in MANY countries politicians garner votes in various (illegal) ways…

---

For the foreseeable future, all artists and studio visits will be done virtually. The pleasant side of this situation is to be able to explore ateliers and connect with artists I may never have encountered in my real time travels.

---

City Shields and « a fair deal »

Last month provided me the opportunity to progress with the 20th Anniversary edition of my artists’ book City Shields. The 78 manhole covers included are printed and die-cut. The text for the booklet explaining the project across the last 20 years is currently finished and translated. A few maquettes of the accordion booklet accompanying the edition were printed. While folding and including more pages, an accordion was not the ideal format. City Shields continued to take shape by changing the structured format to a meandering book. With the page template finished and printed, next is folding and scoring the new meandering book — it’s exactly what was needed.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. Re-thinking City Shields’ book format. Top right: an accordion format maquette; bottom left: mini maquette of a meandering book; top left: cover design.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. My standard template for printing manhole covers on Generation Paper. Next to my computer is a stack of previously published volumes atop a maquette for the 20th Anniversary edition.

The design of the insert cover also changed since my previous post. The colophon is dutifully written. I also figured out how to seamlessly incorporate six overprinted copies of manhole covers from past volumes into the published booklet. The first four clear plastic boxes are ready to receive all the essential components of this dedicated edition. All I require is to order more art paper, print, cut, score, place them in the container and the 20th Anniversary of City Shields will be completed.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. The new cover version for CIty Shields.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. Die-cutting of new maintenance covers.

---

With a relative amount of time to write, I wanted to respond to Yama’s question posed on the BookListServ « Can non-refundable application fees for shows be a "fair deal”? »

In the 90’s I fell prey to an undesirable gallery and learned my lesson. Swearing to never give money to exhibit my work again. 

I've been on both sides of this issue, as an exhibiting artist and an art administrator working for a nonprofit alternative gallery. And yes, this alternative gallery in Ottawa, Ontario, received funding from yearly grants. The funding paid for all overhead expenses, the costs for promotion, documentation, and staff. The exhibiting artists could also write grants for their particular show. These galleries have to prove their worth during the grant writing process.

Alternative galleries in Canada are part of the Canadian Artists’ Representation / Le Front des Artistes Canadien. The organization claims that payment of entry fees is not appropriate to an exhibition of work by professional artists.” At the beginning of my career, working at Gallery 101, taught me that an artist should never pay for exhibiting their work, but, instead, “BE PAID.” Is it a « privilege » to exhibit our art and/or craft, or is it a « privilege » for a gallery to display an artist’s work?

No other ART form pays to be considered for a show or otherwise. It is not news that dancers, singers, and actors don’t pay to audition; a publisher does not charge a writer for reading her/his manuscript.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. More poetic inspiration from the desert of Arizona.

Commercial galleries charge artists a fee to exhibit and another amount for all other expenditures. I have experimented with this type of business, but not in love with the model. The cost is usually prohibitive even with sales. The artist is the creator, they should get paid for working?

I did enjoy the out of the box idea by Alice Simpson, her response instantly reminded me of a similar gallery event in a private home, a long time ago. The show was incredibly successful thanks to the list of art collectors the person hosting the affair invited. The costs were divided by the artists, but the sales covered most of the expenditure. It was outstanding to be in charge of our event. And of course NO entry fees, NO shipping of any kind or insurance, NO hefty percentage for direct sales. 

Every time we ship our work; we take a chance of having our artists' books/objects damaged in transit or while being handled when taken out of the box!! When I am willing to pay an entry fee, the gallery better be prepared to handle my artists’ book like it was their own child!

We are probably the best person to promote our own work, but that does not always help with visibility. I don’t consider any organization asking for 40% or 80% to sell art work, a decent deal. So, definitely a big NO to that outrageous percentage, I don’t care how great the gallery is. Artists should typically receive more compensation since they are the creators. Is this type of percentage considered theft! One has to be reminded that if there were no artists, there would be no galleries. Galleries essentially depend on you to survive, not the other way around.

Moving to the US, it was like going back in time from the progressive approach of alternative galleries in Canada. How to cope with my artist’s rights and being able to exhibit? Being mindful at recognizing who to deal with and be willing to pay an entry fee remains an important decision. A annual budget is certainly a clever idea. I have submitted my artists’ books for exhibitions with fees that were non-refundable and shows without fees. I supported 23 Sandy Gallery's policies because Laura Russell was trustworthy. Ordinarily, galleries openly share their policies. It remains your choice to support a gallery that charges an entry fee or not. If you don't want to pay any fees, you should investigate other ways to find visibility and sales.

So, like most of you, I do not feel a visual artist should pay for the « privilege » of exhibiting. Changing this policy depends on how an artist reacts to such a statement. Canadian artists should follow the guidelines from the Canadian Artists’ Representation / Le Front des Artistes Canadien. I don't recognize an equivalent organization other than the National Artists' Equity Association in the US. If anyone can identify the correct equivalent organization, please let me know.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. Picturesque scenes en route to Dewey-Humbolt a couple of weeks ago. If this scene does not inspire, what will?

While we genuinely need to continue with exhibiting our work, here are some tips: 

• The most significant thing an artist can do is understand where and how the book/work fits in a gallery or collection. This will help not waste your earned money or your precious time. 

• Accumulate more knowledge regarding your rights, make a decision on how you want to deal with galleries and staff.

• Be vigilant about the gallery or organization you intentionally choose to do business with. 

Hope this post helps in the success of discovering the appropriate answers for your art career. Be comfortable about your decision.

Still in Casa Grande, Arizona

After ten weeks of sheltering in place, I'm experiencing the pressure of the unknown. I do humbly admit the effect of teleconferencing is beneficial. My artists’ book entitled “Finding Home” which I created in 2016 comes to mind at this key moment. I feel the need to properly nourish my sense of belonging. I dream of the day when a hug isn’t an imminent threat, and I can visit family, friends and artists studios in real time.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. In the last month, I’ve continued working on my 20th anniversary volume of City Shields. This is a blast!

The remarkable beauty of the flowering cacti, the forever lasting sunny days and the dry heat of Arizona, is no longer nourishing my creative soul. As a nomad without being able to travel, I’m increasingly feeling trapped in the vehicle meant to liberate me.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. A Senita Cactus in the heat of Casa Grande, Arizona.

Most of the time it’s peaceful here in Casa Grande. While I’m content to work on my recent artists’ book, creating, researching... Sitting for too long can gnaw at the imaginative mind even if busy with activities one loves.

Covid-19 has undoubtedly affected our humble lives. Artists currently possess extended periods of time to be creative, but our minds are on the uncertainty. We are trying to work and live through these hard times. Ultimately, the crisis has forced its way into our creative work.

Thomas Parker Williams from Pennsylvania has emailed me information on his recent unique artists’ book entitled Pestilence.

Thomas’ conceptual sources include mathematics, music, literature, theology, design, philosophy, astronomy, history, natural sciences, architecture, and Eastern thought. 

© Thomas Parker Williams. Pestilence by Thomas Parker Williams, 12” x 24" x .875” closed.

© Thomas Parker Williams. Pestilence by Thomas Parker Williams, original drawings with dry pigments in alkyd medium, stains, ink and coloured pencil.

© Thomas Parker Williams. Page one of Pestilence by Thomas Parker Williams.

© Thomas Parker Williams. Page three of Pestilence by Thomas Parker Williams.

“Pestilence was drawn during the week of April 13-20, 2020. It is a metaphor for the worsening COVID-19 crisis and the rejection of reality by some in our country. This crisis will change life as we see it. My hope is we will be able to accept the cooperative action needed to survive it.” Thomas Parker Williams

---

Another artist — Guylaine Couture — who juggles with the specific ideas she wants to powerfully convey, recently completed a zine entitled “Mes indispensables, pandémie 2020”.

© 2020 Guylaine Couture. My Indispensable, Pandemic 2020, drawings and texts by Guylaine Couture. The zine is folded and cut manually; 16 pages.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. I received an actual, physical wild pink coloured envelope in my mail box last week, inside I found a copy of “My indispensable.” This little zine brought a smile to my face.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. Surprise! included in the envelope were a set of three small cards printed manually on recycled paper by Guylaine.

Guylaine enjoys working on subjects that challenge us like cancer, ecology, mourning or the landscape. These subjects depend upon introspection. It is critical for Guylaine to produce each book differently, that the form changes, evolves and adapts to its point of view.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. Mes indispensables, pandémie 2020 by Guylaine Couture is a single sheet format. 2 ¾ inches x 4 ¼ inches when closed.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. Mes indispensables, pandémie 2020 by Guylaine Couture is 2 ¾ inches x 4 ¼ inches when closed.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. Mes indispensables, pandémie 2020 by Guylaine Couture is also available in English.

“Vivre ce moment historique est toute une aventure. Elle est différente pour chacun de nous. Pour ma part, j'ai voulu en témoigner par ce zine sur le sujet. J'y parle de mes (nouvelles) expériences et découvertes.” Guylaine Couture

“Living this historic moment is quite an adventure. It varies for each of us. For my part, I wanted to bear witness to this complex issue with a zine. I talk about my (new) experiences and discoveries.” Guylaine Couture

---

On another note, James G. Jenkins’ sculpture provides a theme for both intellectual and visual curiosity. Jim’s work reflects an eclectic and deep understanding of philosophy, spirituality, history, physics and other sciences, and our current societal state. “COST-O-TOM(B), You will feel a slight pressure” presages the current health crisis.

© J. Jenkins 2018. The creation of COST-O-TOM(B), You will feel a slight pressure by Jim Jenkins.

“There are several instruments normally associated with the practice of medicine or health care displayed. Combined in this way it becomes a hyper-anachronistic-allegorical-metaphysicalperplexing-conundrum.

Please note specifically there are no bodily fluids in any sort of suspension. The suspension of disbelief has been removed as well. Perhaps consider that the system has already been sucked dry, the life blood removed with nothing remaining. 

A cast trooper marches steadfastly along a very short plank. Soldiering on without complaint, silent, noble but encouraged to Bite the Bullet should anything untoward happen. The .45 caliber bullet suggests this and is labelled as such. 

A country in distress is symbolically displayed. The parties responsible might be discovered by examining the white paper with words provided with impact. A scalene triangulation suggesting unequal influence is fabricated with a surgical suture suggesting perhaps that we have been stitched up.

The Elephant in the Room remains in a carefully folded origami display concealing what is right in front of our face.” J. Jenkins

© J. Jenkins 2018. “COST-O-TOM(B), You will feel a slight pressure” by Jim Jenkins. Materials: Costotome, hypodermic syringe, distillation glassware, surgical tubing, surgical sutures, test tube, an American flag, sealing wax, peacock feather, gilt frame, aristocratic purple velvet fabric, a .45 caliber bullet, cast trooper, white paper with words typed, brass nameplate, stainless steel angle, flat bar, rod, discs, shredded money, and glass tubing.

---

Congratulations to everyoe who is being resourceful in continuing their teachings during these strange times. With many hours, to create, how is your art work progressing?