Seminar I. Researching Artists’ Books: The Next Fifty Years

Abstract

The 2012 Pre-Conference takes place fifty years after the 1962 publication of Ed Ruscha’s Twentysix Gasoline Stations, a landmark event often described as the beginning of the contemporary artist’s book as we now know it. For decades after, appreciation of artists’ books was for the most part limited to a coterie audience, but in recent years, interest in the field has skyrocketed, and artists’ books are known to a broad audience. This seminar asks: what is the role of artists’ books in the research mission of special collections, rather than the more commonly discussed exhibits and teaching with these materials? Are these artifacts requested often by researchers? How are the books used? What does the resulting academic work look like? What kinds of scholarly research do artists themselves conduct in order to create the content and context of their books? How can–and should–acquisitions programs take into account the research value of artists books when making acquisitions, especially the extraordinarily expensive offerings that are widely offered to libraries? Overall, how can special collections encourage and increase research in their artists’ books collections for the next fifty years and beyond? The speakers will share with seminar participants their in-depth experiences with artists’ books and research, with the goal of providing participants with new ideas for promoting research in their artists’ books collections.