Books in a Box – Part 1 of 2

NOTE: If you have received this post twice it is due to a post scheduling glitch, my apologies.

Yesterday I conducted a skill share workshop at the Fabric of Society York on using ready made boxes as a vehicle for artist book ideas. I will be writing more about that experience in part 2, but for now I want to share a wonderful kindness that was extended to me.

Many years ago, I was part of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Print and Picture advisory committee . This is an amazing collection of images, ephemera, fine prints and artist books. The image collection was around long before the internet. It provided a hands on circulating collection of crucial resource material for artists and other professions, as well as the general population who needed to see reference material for things of actual places and people.

I am very fortunate to have a number of my block prints and a few of my artist books as part of the print & picture collection. One particular book of mine they have is called The City has Gardens. I needed a photograph of this book to show as an example of a particular type of a book in a box and I had no photographs of my own, nor did I have any other book in a box that fit that format. So I wrote to the staff to see if they had a photograph of my book. Well, the did not; however, the curator kindly offered to have it photographed. By the end of the week, I had several images of the artwork, as well as the associated catalogue information . Much thanks to the staff of the Print and Picture Collection! Librarians and library staff are among the most helpful and kind people who really do a phenomenal job serving the community.

So below are the images. This book is focused on the various types of gardens you would find in a city, a place that, at that time, many people overlooked as a place of greenery. The photos were taken by staff member Karen Kirsheman.