Anne Culhane and Stephanie O ’Keeffe's #asl2015 presentation 'Artist books to the community' delivered at 'the inside out library: collaboration, inspiration, transformation' Feb 27 2015

1. AB TO THE C
ARTISTS BOOKS TO THE COMMUNITY
A case study by
Anne Culhane and Stephanie O’Keeffe
LSAD Library.

2. WHO ARE WE?
 Anne Culhane: Head Librarian, LSAD library. Background in art, Diploma
in Textile design from GMIT. Began working in Limerick city library and at night
studied English and Sociology and then continued to a HdipLIS in UCD in
2003. After 23 years of working in a Public Library made the move to the Academic
Library of LSAD. Completed a Masters in History of Art & Architecture in 2005. To
this day, LSAD Library retains the perfect balance between love of Art and love of
books
 About Stephanie: Library assistant LSAD library. BA in English and Social
and Political Studies from NUIG, followed by a Diploma in Social Care from NUIG, and a
Diploma in teaching drama from the Irish Board of speech and Drama. Moved to Limerick
in 1999 and began working in O'Mahonys’ bookshop. Began working in LIT library before
transferring to LSAD. Post Graduate Diploma in Library and Information Management
2012, MA in Library and Information Management 2013.

3. WHAT IS AN ARTIST’S BOOK?

Where the Artist takes the traditional format of a book
and turns it into a work of art.
 These books are not about Art, but rather Art
expressed through the Book Form.
 The purpose of the Artist/writer is to involve the reader
more completely in the viewing process by looking at
how the text, the pictures and the physical form all
combine to lend greater meaning for the reader/viewer.
 I would like to make a distinction between “artists’
books” meaning books and ‘book works’ authored by
artists.
 Artists’ books are distinguished by the fact that they sit
provocatively at the juncture where art, documentation,
and literature all come together

4. Artists find the book form a compelling medium for
making works of art in order to give voice to their ideas,
narratives or concepts. The physical attributes of books,
with their portability, intimacy, interactivity, and time-
based sequential elements result in a unique and
dynamic involvement between artist and audience. The
structural form of an artist book often goes beyond
merely providing a platform for text and image. More
likely it serves as a metaphor for the content, mirroring
the subject and meaning through materials, design and
form. The reader’s experience of the artist’s book is
both visual and tactile through a hands-on engagement
that cannot be experienced with works of art that are
displayed on a wall or pedestal.

5. WHERE DID THEY START?
 There is an argument to be made for books such as
the Book of Kells and other illuminated
manuscripts to be classified as Artists books.
 Later, Artists such as William Blake illustrated
poetry books in short printed editions.

6. ED RUSCHA
 Ed Ruscha’s Twentysix Gasoline Stations, is often
considered to be the first modern artist’s book. The
book is exactly what it says: 26 images of gasoline
stations along Route 66 between Los Angeles and
Oklahoma City.

7. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AND ED RUSCHA
 Ruscha published the book at age 26 in a run of 400 numbered
copies in April 1963. The book didn’t initially receive a warm
reception. In a letter, the Library of Congress declined to add a copy
to their collection, noting the book’s “unorthodox form and supposed
lack of information.”
 The book gradually acquired cult status in the 1960s, and a second
edition was published in 1967 and a third in 1969. Surviving first
editions of the book are rare….and EXTREMELY VALUABLE

8. SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES…
Altered
 Jacob stack

9. POP-UP
 Chrisata Tamabayashi

10. PHOTO-BOOK
 Paul Seawright

11. JOURNAL/SKETCHBOOK
 Lava by Wilhelm Sasnal

12. ZINES
 The Little Arsonist –Liam Geraghty & Philip Barrett

13. PERSONAL STORIES
 'I've Lived in East London for 86 ½ Years' by
Martin Usborne.

14.  All are limited editions. Some are one offs and
original, the rest are very small print runs

15. PROBLEMS!
 They have to be placed in a special collection as
they do not fit neatly into any subject area within the
Dewey classification system.
 Very hard to catalogue. Few have clear publisher
details - even fewer have ISBNs! Details of the title,
author, page number are often sketchy.
 Often, the key to cataloguing Artist books is in the
description (fold-over, cardboard, dots in plastic
bag)

16. AND STILL MORE PROBLEMS!
 Many cannot be stamped with the location,
bookshelf numbers, security tags or contain date
labels

17.  How to organise them on a shelf? Very hard due to
the wide variety of sizes

18.  However – we have a number of shelves and are
lucky enough to have a display cabinet in which we
have a rotating display..

19. HOW DID WE GET STARTED?
 It started with a request from a student in 2008 who
wished to do her thesis on Artists’ Books. While
helping with the research- we became fascinated
with them and the possibilities they held. We
started to gather them by attending exhibitions and
Book fairs. Then word spread, academic staff who
were going abroad began bringing them back to us

20. SARAH BODMAN
2010 THE BOOKMARKS Annual bookmarks
series by Centre for Fine Print Research at the
University of the West of England, Bristol, UK.
In 2010, it was decided to limit participants to
Librarians. The result is a spectacular array of
materials, designs, sizes, and types of
handmade bookmarks from thirty-six
participating librarians.

21. ORMSTON HOUSE GALLERY AND THE BIRTH
OF LIPS
 Ormston House is situated in Limerick City Centre
 We approached them with all the work done for an
exhibition…we just needed a venue and they were most
excited about the prospect.
 This was our first outside collaboration and we decided
to call it LIPS (Limerick International Publishing Salon)
 Because Artists books cut across the worlds of Books
and Art, it came as no surprise that this exhibition
resulted in the highest footfall of any exhibition held
there,.

22. OUR VERY FIRST LIMERICK INTERNATIONAL
PUBLISHERS SALON FACEBOOK POST

23.  Exhibitors varied among professional book artists,
small printing companies, enthusiastic students and
artist/printers who were intrigued by the possibilities

24. 1ST LAUNCH
Helena
Grimes,
Winner of the
Students'
Competition
accepting her
prize!

25.  Beautiful work by Siobhan Piercy, who exhibited at the
LIPS

26. MEDIA INTEREST
 Radio, newspapers and social
media led WABE (Wexford
Artists’ Books Exhibition) to us.
They asked if they could exhibit
with us.
 They offered to give talks on
the history of the artists book
and give workshops on various
paper making and types of
binding

27.  Launch of Artists Books in LSAD Library February 2014. Great talk by Denis from WABE and
lovely introduction by Dawn West.

28. LIPS’s 2

29. 2014 October 7th LIPS 2

33. LSAD Librarian Anne Culhane gave a talk on Artists’ Books for
the second Limericks International Publishers Salon

34. LIBRARY GOES TO THE CLASSROOM
7th October 2014
LIPS 2 Artists’ Book-
making Workshop.
A workshop on
making artists’ books
– based on this
poem –– with Marian
Sheehan.

35. Students regularly approach us now with requests to
exhibit their work

36. Example of the ongoing collaboration – book
making is now being incorporated into class
projects

37. COLLECTION NOW
 Continually expanding – approx. 1,200 artists books
in stock, both permanent and temporary exhibitions.
 Regularly get members of the public in to look at
collection.
 Lecturers from many disciplines (print, painting,
visual communications, photography, animation )
have integrated it into their academic year
 I have been asked to make a series of Artists books
on the topic of anti-war for an upcoming exhibition.
 Onwards and upwards!!!!!

38. NEXT UP..

39. KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR LIPS 3….HOPE TO SEE
YOU ALL THERE