Representing the Wild: 19th & 20th Century Illustrations of Birds & Animals

Our current exhibition, now on display in the library til September 26th, features a collection of early illustrated ornithology and natural history books, on extended loan from the Audubon Society of Rhode Island.  Among these are American Ornithology by Alexander Wilson, 1808; American Ornithology by Charles Lucian Bonaparte, 1825-33; The Birds of North America by John James Audubon, 1840-44; Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America by John James Audubon, 1845-48; and the Game Birds and Shooting Sketches by John Guille Millais, 1892.  These books document newly discovered North American species of birds and animals and were important resources for Europeans, hungry to learn more of America’s untamed wilderness.  Hand-colored engravings and unique written descriptions reflect the scholarship and artistic talents of these significant 19th century American naturalists.  If you wish to take a closer look at additional volumes of these sets which are not currently in the display cases, stop by Special Collections on the second floor, Room 223, Monday through Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm.

The exhibit also features drawings of birds and plants by former RISD students in Edna Lawrence’s Nature Drawing classes from the 1930’s to the 1960’s and taxidermy specimens from RISD’s Edna Lawrence Nature Lab.

A Recent Artist Book Conference

THE HYBRID BOOK: intersection + intermedia was a three day conference and book fair organized and hosted by the Book Arts/Printmaking MFA Program at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, June 4-6.  The Conference focused on the multi-disciplinary aspect of artists’ books as a kind of  “hybrid” art form involving old and new technologies, collaborative processes, performance and interactive digital media.

Conference topics included: Book Arts in Academia; The Future of Letterpress; Modes of Production: Collaborative Processes; Offset Applications: Then and Now; Intersection + Intermedia; Text and the Hybrid Book; Book Art in the Social Sphere; and The Reciprocity of Books and Digital Media.

Highlights of the conference included interviews with internationally known artists Hedi Kyle and Gunnar Kaldewey and a live performance of  “God Bless This Circuitry”, a collaborative book work created by author Tate Shaw and musician Andrew Sallee.

Over 70 book artists exhibited their work at the Hybrid Book Fair.  In addition two gallery exhibitions were held, one featuring the book art of three artists Hedi Kyle, Gunnar A. Kaldewey, and Irma Boom and another the artists’ books of alumni from the Book Art/Printmaking MFA Program at The University of the Arts.  Exhibition catalogs for these will be available soon in the library.

The event was well attended by book artists, scholars, educators, students, librarians, and book dealers from the U.S. and beyond.  For more information about the conference, go to the official Hybrid Book website.  For an overview of the conference and detailed reviews of several outstanding artists’ books exhibited there, check out Elisabeth Long’s book arts blog, The Sign of the Owl.  Also take a look at a couple of interactive digital “books” at these sites: My Turning Point , Confess, and War.