Discuss ideas in progress and make corrections for Thursday ORDERING DEADLINE
Thursday:
Present books in progress – remaining students
Complete cover designs, make corrections in consultation with Nathan and Diane
Export packages – NATHAN CONFIRMS AND ORDER BOOKS
Remember to post a PDF of your book on the blog – with a title and note about it – so it can be graded as “Book in Progress”. This is due by the end of the day Tuesday next week!
Homework for Tuesday next week:
Barbara Kruger, Now and Here, 2011
Watch the entire: Take A Stand playlist from Art 21 –
Make notes on two of the artists, and at least two artworks in total that you are interested in.
Discuss how the artists think about justice issues, and how they use strategies of agitation and transmission to “take a stand”. What kinds of unique tools and strategies can artists bring to activist projects? How does their work inspire your own thinking about art, and about justice? How could these artists influence your practice? Start thinking/making notes about an idea for a unique artist multiple you can start working on next week.
Note: Next week we will look at samples of artist multiples, and discuss our final assignment. Students can make a multiple in any medium – or – complete an independent work on any theme, in any medium due for show-and-tell discussion/critiques in the last week of classes. Be prepared to discuss some ideas in class.
Work time on scanning, layouts, and printing layouts in progress
BE BREPARED FOR AN IN-PROGRESS CRITIQUE ON TUESDAY with the class – there will limited time next week to correct, copyedit, and refine your design to be ordered for publication on Thursday by the end of class time.
Pop Quiz By Dave Dyment About the project: A near comprehensive collection of all of the questions posed in pop songs from the artist’s music collection. 360-page softcover artist’s book 5″ x 8″ Edition of 500, numbered and signed by the artist (each with unique handwritten question) $50
Experimental 2/3
ARTIST BOOK PROJECT: A BOOK ABOUT A BOOK
Note on Schedule: 1. Book design workshop with Nathan
2. WORK IN PROGRESS due for discussion
3. ***Final works uploaded and submitted for printing deadline****
4. Works will also be discussed in progress during class.
Consider a book. Use any book you are interested in – a novel, a textbook, a book of essays, a field guide, a book of maps, a self-help book, an instruction manual, a cookbook, a memoir, a monograph… the possibilities are endless.
Choose one book as the point of departure for a print-on-demand artist book that you will develop and design in class. Like examples of artist publications discussed in class, your artist book will emphasize image over text and be an artwork in its own right. It can be any length or size available on Blurb.com under a budget of (total) $30 including taxes.
Your work can be about the book, use the book’s images, respond to or engage the book in any way. Consider content, text, meaning, and image in your work. The original book may or may not be visible or obvious in your finished work – but the artist book will represent your own version of the ideas in the book, and your own responses. The work may be discursive and legible, or it may be austere, formalized or abstract.
Strategies and motifs you may consider:
Scanning and photocopying from books
Using found photographs from the internet
Taking photographs
Working with appropriated text
Using text as image
Making a book from the past into the present
Focusing/repeating one detail in a book
Exploring visual references in the book
Responding to cover art, diagrams or illustrations in a book
Field Guide to North America, Shawna Dempsey and Lori Millan.
Artist Book Collection and reading together in class
Discuss book design/concepts
ARTIST BOOK ASSIGNMENT:
Pop Quiz By Dave Dyment About the project: A near comprehensive collection of all of the questions posed in pop songs from the artist’s music collection. 360-page softcover artist’s book 5″ x 8″ Edition of 500, numbered and signed by the artist (each with unique handwritten question) $50
Experimental 2/3
ARTIST BOOK PROJECT: A BOOK ABOUT A BOOK
Note on Schedule: 1. Book design workshop with Nathan
2. WORK IN PROGRESS due for discussion
3. ***Final works uploaded and submitted for printing deadline****
4. Works will also be discussed in progress during class.
Consider a book. Use any book you are interested in – a novel, a textbook, a book of essays, a field guide, a book of maps, a self-help book, an instruction manual, a cookbook, a memoir, a monograph… the possibilities are endless.
Choose one book as the point of departure for a print-on-demand artist book that you will develop and design in class. Like examples of artist publications discussed in class, your artist book will emphasize image over text and be an artwork in its own right. It can be any length or size available on Blurb.com under a budget of (total) $30 including taxes.
Your work can be about the book, use the book’s images, respond to or engage the book in any way. Consider content, text, meaning, and image in your work. The original book may or may not be visible or obvious in your finished work – but the artist book will represent your own version of the ideas in the book, and your own responses. The work may be discursive and legible, or it may be austere, formalized or abstract.
Strategies and motifs you may consider:
Scanning and photocopying from books
Using found photographs from the internet
Taking photographs
Working with appropriated text
Using text as image
Making a book from the past into the present
Focusing/repeating one detail in a book
Exploring visual references in the book
Responding to cover art, diagrams or illustrations in a book
Something that I feel is very important is the incorporation of the Earth in the art world, there is a deep connection between humanity and the environment that mothered us. With the abundance of resources our environment gives us, there is ample opportunity for creation.
One of my favourite ways artists have used the environment is through the raw use of the Earth’s natural push and pull (wind). Tim Knowles’ Tree Drawings are my personal favourites. In this series of drawings, Knowles sets up plain white paper within reach of a drawing device attached to the branch of a tree. The tree branch is guided by the spontaneous nature of the wind to create unique and lively drawings. The idea that the artist steps away from doing work and gives a voice to natural elements gives the Earth a voice and a sentimental nod to its unpredictability and change.
Tree Drawings, Tim Knowles, 2005
Another favourite environmental piece is a video art piece done by the Agricultural artist group Kultivator, titled Dinner with Cows. This video is one of many documentations of a group dinner with humans of all ages, some being toddlers some being elderly, and adult cows. There is not much documented on this piece, however, seeing these cows eat at the same table and from the same plates as humans is quite jarring. Beef consumption is very prominent in many people’s lives, having dinner with an animal most well known to be something humans eat is a humorous yet uncomfortable sight.
Stacking books as an art form is akin to the likes off blackout poetry, in which one would search out prewritten words to form a completely new text. Since my book collection is fairly small and I lend literature to many people, I dug through the University of Guelph’s library to see what stacks I could make. I found this to be a meaningful exercise when using text with limited resources, digging and the art of “hunting and gathering” should be taught in art school.
There were books which targeted my self-esteem and I made an effort to have both me and the books be insulted directly. Very punk.
I dug into a very intimate part of my being and acknowledged my fear of letting go of things I need or crave.
Good question.
I am Generation Z, but broke Millennial’s are still a sad sight to see.
