In the Spotlight

Confines of Content: Interpretation of Design in Artists' Books from the Collection at NUL

Confines of Content is an exhibit that draws together artists' books and fine print editions, items usually confined to the closed stacks of special collections and other locked cases. To open them, unfold them, lift them out of their enclosures and discover their intricacies is an intimate process, meant to involve the reader in a tactile experience. From the handmade papers of The Snake King to the sculptural, machine die-cut Absence, these books are meant to be touched and leafed through. These books were selected for their structure, rather than their content, and represent innovative combinations of images, text and format. Whether a single folio pamphlet binding, an accordion, or a traditional codex that comes alive with drawings or puppets, these are far from standard text blocks.

While their content range from traditional text to pure imagery, the books in this exhibit are a result of utilizing structure and enclosure as a means to engage the reader in a visual and tactile experience. Confines of Content, on display through August 28, is accompanied by Forever 29, an exhibit of books from the Chicago Hand Bookbinders.

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Curators: Tedd Anderson and Kitz Rickert

Artists' books from the permanent collections of the McCormick Library of Special Collections and the Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies at Northwestern University Library.

For more information, contact Clare Roccaforte at 847-467-5918 or c-roccaforte@northwestern.edu.