artists' books: books or art?

nadene byrne
library director
school of the art institute of Chicago
Chicago, illinois

The twentieth century has seen the introduction of many new and innovative art forms, and the production of Artists' Books is among the most fascinating. Ask ten people, "What is an Artist's Book?" and you will get ten different answers. Is it a book authored by the artist? Is it art in the form of a book? Is it a book in artform? Or is it artwork which alludes to or is dependent on the structure of a book? The answer can be all or any of the above. How do you know it is an Artist's Book? You don't, even if the artist says so; intent is not always sufficient. So far, the definition that seems to make the most sense is that which describes it as the artist's concept presented in the planned sequence peculiar to the book form, rather than in the instantaneous exposure of an exhibition gallery. The opportunity for this particular kind of control over presentation and documentation, was the driving force behind the Artists' Book pioneers of the '50s in their efforts to escape the strictures of the regular press and publish their own works.

In the early 70s, several faculty members of the School of the Art Institute started making Artists' Books, and these were published by the school's now defunct Good Lion Press. Unaware of their significance, the library had them bound, stamped, and circulating as part of the general collection. One staff member, a graduate of the school, recognized the growing importance of this new field, and was instrumental in separating them from the rest of the collection and encouraging its further development. Fortunately, multiple edition Artists' Books are inexpensive, so the beginnings of a collection were easily amassed from the regular acquisitions budget. Then, in 1980, another staff member, also a graduate of the school, began to take a serious interest in the collection. She organized an International Exhibition to which more than 600 entries were received. Several of the entries were bought, and many more were donated by the artists. In this way the library was able to acquire the nucleus of a collection considered essential for a library supporting one of the leading art schools in the country.

The biggest problem in building a collection of Artists' Books lies in defining the scope of the collection, and drawing up a selection policy. An institution with a comprehensive research archive can collect everything, but the purpose of an art school library is to support the diverse areas of the curriculum, and provide the studio artist with contemporary resources in all art related fields. Areas of the curriculum closely associated with Artists' Books are photography, print making, and offset printing, and classes are also given in bookbinding and book concepts. The School of the Art Institute was a pioneer in copy art, that is, art generated using copy machines. It was here that Sonia Sheridan developed "Generative Systems" using color copiers and then computers. It was decided to collect representative and historically significant examples in all media, with attention to their technical, aesthetic, and conceptual qualities. Important criteria for consideration would be the appropriateness of materials and production to the concept presented. No geographical limitations were set. International artists are well represented; however, it was decided to place special emphasis on (1) Art Institute affiliated artists, (2) Chicago area artists, (3) artists already represented in the library's film and video collections, (4) lesser known (emerging) artists.

The next problem to be dealt with was the inclusion of one-of-a-kind works. Most libraries do not deal with these, and shunt them off as art objects to the curators in the museum. But the purpose of the collection was to introduce students to the whole spectrum of the field, of which single editions form an important part, so the decision was made to include a small percentage (not more than 1 percent) of representative one-of-a-kind works. Of necessity, price ensures that the number will be small and the value modest.

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The questions of whether an item is really an Artists' Book, and what belongs in the collection, have yet to be satisfactorily resolved. A subcommittee of faculty and staff meets regularly and thrashes out the problems. Still to be decided is how to deal with the important resource material related to the subject and the collections of closely-related art, such as Mail Art, Stamp Art, postcards, and copy art.

For those researching the field, it is important to have access to artists' biographies, bibliographies, artists' periodicals, exhibition catalogs, articles, and documentation. All this material sits in file drawers, until such time as it can be made accessible. Also to be considered are the small press editions, now rare, and the working papers and documentation from Generative Systems, not Artists' Books, but closely related and irreplaceable. The decisions are endless, the parameters infinite.

At present, the collection numbers almost a thousand, not including the support material.

There are items in a wide variety of media, materials, shape, and size, including finely bound books on parchment, color copier sheets, flip books, boxes with their contents, news clippings, and works incorporating slides and sound tapes. Examples in which materials are married to concept are Fishing by Carol Cameron, a book wrapped in shining silver with a fish lure clasp, and WRAP by Bill Linehan, a parcel tied with string wrapped around pictures of the parcel being unwrapped. Favorites among users are the items using sensuous materials, plush red velvet, rabbit's fur, colored buttons in a book of blue velvet, and a pink lacy shower cap half bound onto the spine. Objects which stretch the definition of a book are Scroll by Jessie Affelder, stiffened scraps of computer print out sheets rolled into scrolls and nesting in a glass topped box among tassels of wire-like string, and a tiny book laced into the tongue of a black leather boot, entitled Leather Bound for Glory by Hannah Jennings. One of the strangest items is Occult pschogenic (sic) malfeasance by Frances Butler, a series of photos and letters screwed between large sheets of plexiglass on a ringbinder.

The collection is now housed in acid-free envelopes and folders, filed in acid-free boxes. Large flat boxes are used for oversize items and those in an unconventional shape. Access at present is limited due to lack of staff to catalog and process. Items are filed randomly by accession number and a card file at the desk provides access by artist name only. Patrons may request specific items or browse at leisure through the boxes. An attempt is made to control the use to one box at a time, written handling instructions are placed in each box, and film splicing gloves are available for patrons' use. As the main purpose in having the collection is for the use of the' students, difficulty of access and lack of bibliographic control are not allowed to restrict its use. A project is now under way to index the collection by title, media, material, and concept.

The principal users of the collection are, naturally, the faculty and students of the School of the Art Institute. Faculty take selections into class for presentations, and many send their students in to do research on their own. Students in departments such as video and performance are also interested in the collection as many of the artists in those fields are also book artists. New acquisitions are displayed in a glass case each month, and students and faculty are encouraged to set up their own exhibitions.

Visiting scholars are welcome to come and use the collection, appointments can be made by phone with Roland Hansen, head of Readers' Services. More detailed information concerning the collection may be obtained from Jessie Affelder who was

responsible for its development and who has now embarked on the indexing and cataloging. Eventually, it is planned to have them all on OCLC. Two exhibitions have been held in the library, and the catalog from the second one in 1981, is for sale. Staff have attended Book Art conferences, and participated in discussion panels. Contact is maintained with distributors and artists both nationally and internationally, and a constant supply of materials for approval is assured. It is hoped, for the future, to plan more exhibitions, have a well equipped study and resource center, and perhaps, a catalogue of the whole collection.

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