……is all I can say about the Puget Sound Book Artists 3rd Annual Members Exhibition. Last night’s reception and awards presentation was a stunning excess. Kudos to the artists, the PSBA curatorial team, and our guests who made last night possible. In the next few days there will be more posts and photographs from the event. For now, we present the awards and recipients from last nights gala event.
Curator’s Choice Award: Lynne Knopp: Trilogy of Choice; on the horns of a dilemma
Accordion-style structure, Lunaria pod pages, waxed beadstring, beach rock cover, antique Japanese frogs and recycled glass shelf; 1.375 x 1.5 x 1.5 inches (opens to 25 inches”). Unique
“There is a fragility to life and an indomitable nature of the human spirit. From the oldest living survivor of the holocaust, whose son conveyed that he was given such extraordinary security while living in a concentration camp that “in the middle of hell, my mother created a Garden of Eden for me,” to a badly burned child, who rallied after being visited by a volunteer teacher: “It is not likely they would teach adverbs to a dying boy”. Hope is the last thing ever lost, but it is often found in the most precarious of places”.
Lynne Knopp
The Recognition of Excellence Award: Arini Esarey: La ilaha illallah
Two-section pamphlet sewn book with custom-made cradle box, cotton cloth, embroidery thread, ribbon, book board and book cloth; 8 x 7.5 x 2.25 inches, 25 pages. Unique
“This book was made as a reflection on my mother and the role of faith in her life. She hand-wrote these words in Arabic and their English transliteration which I then copied and embroidered 100 times. The phrases are stitched in random arrangement on recto and verso so the front and backs of the stitching are exposed as one turns the pages. I hope that the pacing will cause viewers to read through this book mindfully. Through this project I hope to unite my sources of joy and contemplation with hers and thereby gain understanding of her perspective.” Arini Esarey
The Collins Memorial Library Award: Elliot Press: A Strange Case of Alchemical Munificence
Letterpress printed cards, pochoir, linoleum carving, ornaments and more than 99 alchemical symbols donated to the Elliott Press by Dr. John Shaw in the 1980’s. Cards are 3×4 inches housed in a 4 x 6 x .75 inch box 99 pages. Edition of 33
“The number 9 plays a significant role in the noble art of alchemy. Symbolic of perfection and attainment, satisfaction and completion, the number 9 is concerned with intellectual power and the journey towards spiritual enlightenment. The ninth tarot card in the Major Arcana is represented by the Hermit; oftentimes viwed as an alchemist who travels the world with only his secret knowledge to gyide him. This deck, divided into 9 distinct categories, explores the fundamental meaning of 17th century alchemical symbols left to us by Dr. John Shaw, a dermatologist and hobby printer.”
tor in the Webster’s 20th Century Unabridged Dictionary, and it would be fitting to see a picture of (from left to right) Katy Govan, Debbi Commodore, Deborah Greenwood, and Pat Chupa. It would also be apt to say Webster’s definition of the word does not begin to do the title of curator, justice. Or perhaps my copy of Webster’s Dictionary is just woefully out of date. Well, so it is, but even then, “one who has the care and superintendence of anything, as a museum, library, etc.” just doesn’t begin to describe the task of these four people. More than just members of the Puget Sound Book Artists, they were responsible for accepting and arranging 58 works of art from 32 artists for a stunning exhibition known as the 3rd Annual Puget Sound Book Artists Members Exhibition currently on display at Collins Memorial Library, the University of Puget Sound. A beautiful exhibition catalog, available here from Blurb, is also a tribute to the curatorial skills of these four artists. Take a bow ladies…..
