October 12 – November 27, 2010
Opening Reception: Tues. Oct. 12, 6–8 PM
Gallery Hours: Wed. - Fri. 1-5 pm, Sat. and Sun. 12-6 pm
Gallery Hours: Wed. - Fri. 1-5 pm, Sat. and Sun. 12-6 pm
2nd Floor Main Gallery
When in 2007 I was so fortunate to meet Yuko Nii of the WAH Center she asked me if I was interested in curating an Artists book art show. In 2010 this became a reality. Books, no matter if written on rocks, in sand or clay, in wax or weaving, on paper and linen and more, have been a part of human expression for many different reasons and seasons. The book form has been in constant flux. In my selection of artists and their work it was my intention to show this very creative side on the part of human beings, the way we can communicate and participate in life by making marks from birth to death. The manner we show to be capable of abstract thinking. For this show I selected work by the very gifted among us, the artists that see the concept book as the perfect way to convey a message, tell a story, keep a record or amuse and entertain. Their art is thought provoking and not meant to be decorative only. Their art is ancient and contemporary and from the future, their art is perfect.
— Nelleke Nix
2nd Floor Main Gallery
For me, the door to the world of Book Arts flew open upon seeing “The Book as Art” show at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC three years ago, in which Nelleke Nix’s work was included among many other outstanding pieces. Since then, my mind and eyes started capturing the book arts landscape like a camera and I envisioned a uniquely different kind of collaborative show on the Book Arts at the WAH Center.
My idea was to invite two or three outside curators to showcase their own selected artists’ along with my own selection. I knew it would be a challenging task for us to collaborate, the curators sharing the same gallery and each presenting distinctively different aesthetic judgments. I always like to challenge new ideas and new approaches, so I forged ahead! I invited Nelleke Nix and Alexander Campos, two known figures in the field, to join me. For my own part I decided to have an open call juried show so I could have a great many submissions to choose from. To my surprise I had to choose from over 500 images, an overwhelming but delightful task, for I was able to select many different types of high quality art from altered books, cut-outs, pop-ups, accordion types and, further more, cutting edge in which the unimaginable happens which one cannot easily relate to book art – altogether a variety of humorous, strange, fantastic themes and all fascinating.
Due to circumstances, Alex Campos could not complete his part at the last moment and withdrew, but we had in the small gallery a third point of view in the wonderful work of Valerie Hird curated by Ana Maria de la Ossa of the Nohra Haime Gallery. Thus the name “Tri-Fold” held true.
So, what you will see in the gallery in three divided sections are panorama/smorgasbord samplings of what you might find in that expansive and ever flowering field of art books! — Yuko Nii
2nd Floor Small Gallery
The diaries of five women, four from the Middle East - Iran, Egypt, Jordan,
and the Palestinian West Bank - and one from the USA
The diaries, all illustrated by Valerie Hird, are intended to make the lives of real women of varying cultures and backgrounds accessible to audiences who are unlikely to experience that level of intimacy first-hand. To Americans inured to the incessant media reportage of war, Maiden Voyages reduces the overwhelming issues of religion, cultural difference and politics to a more human and intimate scale. The project moves beyond conflict-based vocabulary and allows individuals to interact on a personal level. Many of the illustrations are dedicated to the mendacity of work, home and family -- the most accessible aspects daily life, yet the least understood in our exposure to other cultures. Although the site is bi-lingual (Arabic/English), the illustrations have very little text, thus minimizing the issues surrounding translation. — Valerie Hird
1st Floor Grand Reception Hall
From the Permanent Collection of the Yuko Nii Foundation
On Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCLUAAfPzUw
also
The wedding album of renowned P. T. Barnum midget Tom Thumb, 1863
from the studio of renowned Civil War photographer Matthew Brady!
Fridays and Saturdays, November 5, 6, 12 & 13 @ 7:30 PM
A Special Evening of Musical Theater
A new opera inspired by the James Bond legacy
Liberetto and Music by Peter Dizozza
Developed by by
George Ferencz
