Center for Book Arts

Collections Initiative

According to their 2011 Annual Report, the Center for Book Arts debuted their digitized collections in October 2010. This Collections Initiative was intended to advance their collections and make them digitally accessible to artist members and teachers alike. It was launched in 2007.

The collections include the Fine Art Collection, Reference Collection, and Archives Collection. Each of these collections can be viewed on their main website paired with a detailed record of the item. While the Center of Book Arts emphasizes the creative, newly interpreted forms of their artists' works, there are a significant amount that appear traditional.

Fine Art Collection 

This collection presents new interpretations of the book form and other media as art. Works range from postcards with three dimension adornments, to recycled over-used paper and books that fold out from cases.

Reference Collection 

This collection includes works that are meant for instructional use. Works can be physically traditional but present creativity within the text. For example, having text in parallel lines of English and Hungarian or simple hand-lettering.

Archives Collection 

This collection documents the Center of Book Arts history, including exhibitions, classes, publications, and promotional materials.

Blog

The organization's official blog acts as a means to highlight their artist members. Each post is a brief individual biography followed by some photographs and a touch upon what interests the artist. The blog can be used for gaining insight to the artist.

Publication

Oak Knoll Press is the sole distributor of Center for Book Arts artists' works. The works of this organization's artists can be found in the Artist Marketplace, linked on the main website. It is a place exclusive for the sale of artist members' works. Twenty-five percent of all sales is given back to the organization for advancement. In addition to individual artists' sales, a special edition artists' book is published each year, in a similar fashion to the prize poetry chapbooks determined by the annual Poetry Chapbook Competition.

Exhibitions

Works made a part of an exhibition are presented within the functioning studio, among the buzz of the artists' works that are still in progress. Each season runs about four exhibits.

Past exhibits include:

Livre d'Artiste d'Aujourd'hui: Interdisciplinary Collaborations (July – September 2014).

Zines+ and the World of ABC No Rio (July – September 2014).

2013 Workspace Artists-in-Residence (April – June 2014).

Featured Artist Project: Diane Stemper-Sample Close at Hand (April – June 2014).

Once Upon A Time, There Was the End (April – June 2014).

Featured Artist Project: Aqui en la lucha-Steven Daiber (January – March 2014).

Featured Artist Project: SP Weather Reports (2008–2013) (January – March 2014).

Silence Unbound: The Artist's Lexicon in the Making (January – March 2014).

Valerie Blackwell Hird: The Maiden Voyages Project (October – December 2013).

My Gallery is the World Now / Books and Ideas after Seth Siegelaub (October – December 2013).

Scholars for the Advanced Study in Book Arts 2013 (October – December 2013).

Pamela Spitzmueller: 2013 Master Faculty Fellow (October – December 2013).

Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here (July – September 2013).

Featured Artist Project: Elena Costelian (April – June 2013).

Featured Artist Project: 2012 Workspace Artists in Residence (April – June 2013).

From Bande Dessinee to Artist's Book: Testing the Limits of France-Belgian Comics (April – June 2013).