The Book Shopper

Book Covers the Color of Lipstick

This week's artwork rivals this blog's all time most captivating photograph.* Shown here is the fashionable Liz Goldwyn who was featured earlier this month in the Style Section  of The New York Times. Thanks to the courtesy of professional photographer Emily Berl, I was able to post it here. What struck me most was how the books were organized, mostly by the colors of their covers -- especially how the red covers matched her lipstick and the yellow-gold colors complement her mustard-colored dress. I've seen examples in the past where a used bookstore will allow an artist to re-arrange the inventory by color, but the addition of Goldwyn's signature red lipstick takes this experience to a new level.

Judging from the titles, I guessed correctly that most of the books were used. Following up with Ms. Berl, she said that she took the photo on the second floor of the The Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles, which is dedicated to used books. One of the used book sections was already color-coded and Ms. Berl said she only had to switch a few titles around to make it work. It does!

 * James Benning's re-creation of the Unabomber's Home Libary (May, 2009) draws the most attention to this blog.

My Personal Atlanta Book Calendar – Nov/Dec 2013

Looking at the combined offerings for November and December (things really shut down for the holidays after the first week of December), I ask myself this question: “Who makes more author visits to Atlanta, Pat Conroy or Anne Lamott?" Well, there is no end in sight, as they are both coming to town again. Conroy is here as part of the Marcus Jewish Community Center Center Book Festival and Lamott will (once again) be at the Decatur First Baptist Church. Admittedly, I did see Lamott once, but not Pat Conroy yet, unless my vacation to Beaufort S.C. (where Conroy lives) counts.

There are other non Lamott-Conroy activities offered between now and the end of the year.

One event of personal interest is Georgia State history professor John McMillian discussing his book Beatles vs Stones, the ongoing debate between the bad-boys Rolling Stones and the lovable Beatles. I have no expertise in rock 'n roll of the 1960s, since I thought the Dave Clark Five was the most talented band of that era.

McMillian is just one of the authors being hosted by the Georgia Center of the Book. William Sessions will be there as well talking about a new book he edited: A Prayer Journal by Flannery O'Connor. Although she has been dead for decades, books about O'Connor rival the notoriety of Conroy and Lamott in these parts. What will be next? The Grocery Lists of Flannery O'Connor (eggs, bread, Velveeta...)?

Humbler Fare

For those who prefer a more intimate setting, Emory University has a few writerly events in mid November, including a reading by David Samuel Levinson, the new Creative Fiction fellow at Emory.

The Carter Museum and Library is hosting several events of interest: Russell Shorto talks about his new book Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City. Bill Minutaglio and Steven Davis will be talking about their perspective on the JFK assassination with their new book, Dallas 1963, and Bret Witter will do a reading and signing on his book, Monuments Men about the men and women who rescued cultural artifacts after World War II.

You can also sign up for a paper making course at the Georgia Tech paper making museum. Book and paper art makes great Christmas gifts for me at least. Check out Brown Dog Paper and Press. I bought a new journal from them at a local craft show last month. I plan on recording my activities in a To Do List Journal, which I hope to publish in 2014. (Sweep garage, fix running toilet, blog...)

My Personal Atlanta Area Book Calendar - September, 2013

After the sweaty, inky, commercial mayhem known as the Decatur Book Festival ended, I revisited the Decatur Arts Alliance and Art Institute of Atlanta-Decatur's exhibit on book art in downtown Decatur. Originally, the 47 selected works (one of the jurors was Brian Dettmer) was part of the festival, but those like me, who are adverse to crowds can get another look through September 20th at the Art Institute's Decatur location. Shown above is a hand sewn book by Candace Hicks, called Common Threads Vol. XLVI. Below right is Chris Perry's 123 Ripples: pressure.

Because I haven't had my fill of unusual books, I will probably head out to Cobb Civic Center in Marietta for the annual Georgia Antiquarian Book Association Book Festival, on Saturday, September 28th or Sunday, September 29th. I always find something interesting to read or someone interesting to talk to while there. It's worth the trip, even though I always seem to get lost as soon as get OTP.

And finally, on the Monday, September 23rd, Atlanta Braves vs Milwaukee Brewers game, it is The Book Shopper Blog Night at Turner Field. Bring any old raggedy-ass baseball book to the ticket window and you are eligible to buy a select Terrace View ticket for only $8. A few book shopper blog contributors and I will be there. I'll be easy to find.  I am the fan yelling mercilessly at Dan Uggla.

 

 

Book and Paper Artists, Are You Ready to Create?

Sure it's short notice, but Monday, June 3rd is the deadline to submit an application to The Decatur Arts Alliance, who in conjunction with the gallery of The Art Institute of Atlanta-Decatur, is bringing the first juried exhibition of Artists’ Books to the AJC Decatur Book Festival. According to the organizers, “the exhibition introduces a new and exciting visual component to the largest independent book festival in the country.” The exhibit runs from July 19 – September 20, 2013, which includes the Labor Day Weekend Decatur Book Festival. Last year The Art Institute of Atlanta -Decatur hosted a similar exhibit called Wallbound and you can bet The Book Shopper will check it out again. (Shown at the top is a partial image from Ruth Bardenstein's Geometry/Galileo which was in Wallbound). You can find more details to apply here.

If you need an quick,craftier idea, you can always make paper lanterns from paperback books. It's easy. Check out the instructions on my daughter's craft blog. They make excellent patio decorations, especially if creating competitive book art is too demanding. Either way, make a note on your calendar to see the exhibit.

If it's paper and not the entire book is all your interested in, check out the Japanese Papermaking Class being held at the Robert C. Williams Papermaking Museum on the campus of Georgia Tech. The classes are being held from June 17 to June 21 and the registration deadline is Friday June 7th. Contact Virginia Howell at virginia.howell@ipst.gatech.edu or call 404-894-5726.

From the Mailbox: March 2013

Sometimes personal responsibilities encroach to the point where even blogging has to take a back seat. Without going into details, I just wanted to say I appreciate Jim Simpson filling in last month with his series Stories Within the Story, which I hope will become a regular feature on the blog. Be sure and check the comments that his work inspired.

Despite my attentions being elsewhere, a few other stories have trickled in through the past few weeks. One is that Decatur Arts Alliances is calling for entries for The Book as Art exhibition being held July 19th to September 20th and in conjunction with the 2013 Decatur Book Festival. Regular readers of this blog know it is a subject of interest for me. (See Books as Art As Books link on the right) This will be an opportunity for book fiends and artists to "get their Brian Dettmer on." And if you're having trouble coming up with a fresh idea, I have just come into possession a complete set of the 1966 World Book Encyclopedias. Think of the stuff you can build with those volumes. And if you need a large wall unit book case to store them on interim,  I have one of those for sale.

If you're looking for more inspiration, check out this link courtesy of one of our readers (SM Wallace) about the work of Frank Halmans or last year's Wallbound exhibit hosted the the Atlanta-Decatur Art Institute.

 

 

Dettmer at the MOCA GA

On my lunch hour last week I drove over to see Brian Dettmer's art exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia in Atlanta. I am always interested in new ways to re-purpose used books (beyond reading them). I had my first taste of Dettmer's work at New Worlds to Conquer exhibit at Saltworks Gallery last year. This new exhibit, which contains fifteen pieces, shares some of the similarities in the New Worlds pieces in the way Dettmer carves up older illustrated books to reveal new meanings about the subject manner and richness that the printed word provides.

What I enjoyed about Dettmer's current exhibit of works that he completed this year is the variety. Yes, he has the “standard” carved out illustrated encyclopedias like the volumes of Encyclopedia Britannica shown here in Tower 1 (shown at the left , but he also has added some new interpretations. An entire wall is devoted to Altered States, where Dettmer has cut up and reassembled 50 pages of the 50 state flags, framed them, and placed them in the shape of the United States map. There is also a huge print entitled Chaos where Dettmer shows how the word, “Chaos” is visually linked to other words. Then there is Emergency Exit, which is a fire door made of partially charred paperback books. In One Word at a Time, (shown at the top), a series of paperback books are glued together.

I am not even going to pretend that I can interpret the works as art or adequately describe them, but I would encourage those of you (and I know you are out there) that appreciate the possibilities of the printed word to check out the Dettmer's exhibition, which is at the MOCA between now and January 5, 2013. The gallery is located in an enclave of antique stores in the Tula Art Center complex, so you can make an afternoon of it, instead of just taking a longer lunch hour.

Note: Images courtesy of Brian Dettmer.

Atlanta Area Calendar of Book Events – November, 2012

A new exhibit “Elemental” from bibliocentric artist Brian Dettmer has opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia. Shown at the left is a piece carved from a set of Britannica Encyclopedias (photo courtesy of Brian Dettmer). I saw Dettmer's exhibit at the Saltworks Gallery early last year and will make it over there in the near future.  Regular readers of the blog know that I am always interested in things that people do with books besides read them (See “Books as Art as Books” link at the right).

Speaking of repeat performances, on November 19 Anne Lamott returns to the Decatur's First Baptist Church. A few years ago, I went to a Lamott event in front of a packed house and I would say that I was nonplussed at what the big fuss was about. She mostly rambled on and on with no apparent narrative structure (I also heard from my Knoxville blog correspondents that her recent appearance in Knoxville was much the same), so I wonder what kind of turnout she will get from people who know better. The Georgia Center of the Book is also presenting Dana Greene author of Denise Levertov: A Poet's Life (November 5),  and Jeff Clemmons author or Rich's: A Southern Institution, a book about the famous Atlanta department store (November 13).

If you like history, the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum is hosting Jon Meachem author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power (November 19 - $$ required) and Kevin Phillips author of 1775: A Good Year for Revolution (November 30).

Michael Nye will be reading from his short story collection, Strategies Against Extinction on November 9. Georgia State University's literary magazine New South is sponsoring the event.

The Marcus Jewish Community Center's 21st Annual Book Fair gets into full swing beginning November 1 and continues through November 18 ($$ required.)

Savannah Book Shopping – Beyond The Garden of Good and Evil

For book shoppers interested in going beyond visiting the bookstores dedicated to John Berendt's Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil, there are places worth checking out within walking distance of each other in Old Savannah.

From the Savannah Visitor's Center and Museum you can walk across Martin Luther King Boulevard to the Savannah College of Art and Design's Ex-Libris, a bookstore and art supply store where they demonstrate a funky use of “load bearing” books. There are some other books and magazines there, but if you are a writer who is looking for that perfect journal to collect your thoughts and a pen to go with it. This is the place.

From Ex-Libris, take King Boulevard to Liberty Street and then head east four or five blocks to The Book Lady Book Store at 6 East Liberty, where they sell new and used books and coffee. Don't be fooled by the small entrance, this little nook is crammed with books including a “shrine” to Flanery O'Connor. My longtime fiance Denise bought two books there: Paul Theroux's Fresh Air Friend (2000) and an obscure travel book From A Chinese City (1955) by Gontran De Poncins. Later in the week, she returned there and bought Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (more later.)

Wish List

Several notes of interest:

I recently wrote a short synopsis of George Steiner's excellent book of long essays, My Unwritten Books (2008) for Eighth Day Books in Wichita, Kansas. Eighth Day is more a friend than a sponsor of the blog and I have written about them in the past. They are a book store who appeals to a certain clientele, those with serious interests in philosophy, literature, religion, and the arts. I wish I could get the word out more to the Atlanta community especially the students and faculty at Candler School of Theology at Emory University School of Theology and Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur. You don't have to be a divinity student to appreciate Eighth Day Books, but you do have be willing to take on a more challenging read from time to time (like the Steiner book).

A couple of months ago, I wrote about the Art Institute of Atlanta-Decatur book art exhibit entitled Wallbound, which featured 23 local, national and international artists who accepted the challenge of creating of book art that had to be hung on a wall. One of the faculty members at the Art Institute, Alicia Griswald, sent me an email letting me know that there is now an organization called the Atlanta Book Arts Collective which “provides opportunities, through programs, workshops, and sharing, to learn more about both paper and book arts.”  And my wish? I think it would be cool, if the Art Institute did their next book art exhibit during the Decatur Book Festival. The school is located in the heart of the festival already. Just a thought.

Speaking of this weekend's festival, Miranda Parker, author of the Angel Crawford series of novels will be on the "Housewives of Literature" panel, Saturday, September 1 at 5:30 p.m. at the Decatur Convention Center. Through social media, Miranda keeps me informed on books that I would not necessarily know about and I appreciate her input. I wish that more blog readers would shoot me an email or comment – especially local writers. You can find the blog on Facebook, (facebook.com/thebookshopper) which is probably the easiest way to get updates.

Sample Book Art in Decatur

This next week if you're in downtown Decatur and you like books, check out the Art Institute of Atlanta-Decatur's book arts exhibit, Wallbound. The exhibit opened in March (how did I miss it?!?! I walk past the building all the time) and closes Monday, May 14th , so don't delay. Wallbound features the work of 23 local, national and international artists who accepted the challenge of creating of  book art that had to be hung on a wall. The gallery coordinator Angus Galloway,  Institute faculty members Jerushia Graham and Alicia Griswold, all who are bookmakers, artists  and paper makers as well, curated the exhibit. (Gallery hours are at the end of this article.)

Wallbound is an exquisite mini-celebration of the book and serves as a reminder that books are something we can touch and hold and enjoy visually. (Insert your disparaging comment about e-readers here.)

Books can also have a narrative that extends beyond the content. For example, in Claire Siepser's, Survivor Jacket (collage, lower right) she has transferred photocopied book jackets of plant and insect guides to  a Size 6 field jacket to create something that practically belongs in a L.L. Bean catalog.   Another artist who also appreciates word play and fashion is Johanna Renbeck. Her wearable book -- made from curly paper leaves is called Every Leaf (collage, center) and another wearable book – a tiled breast plate -  both belong on the runway, albeit at the American Library Association fashion show.

The geometric properties of words are investigated in Ruth Bardenstein's Geometry/Galileo, a large digital print on mylar, (partially shown, in the lower left). At first, the large print looks like abstract wallpaper from a chic boutique, but when your gaze deepens, letters emerge and then you begin to read the embedded words as well. (I appreciate the gallery permitting me to take these photographs even though they were warned ahead of time, that my camera skills are limited. )