Unfolding Events: Exploring Past and Present in Artists' Books

Artists' books are a creative medium in which the conventional materials and approaches of book production—for instance paper and ink, graphically compelling combinations of illustration and text, and structures that invite exploration—are deployed and sometimes subverted to create tangible, interactive, surprising works of art. Some of the featured works invite viewers to imagine the voices of people and communities about whom little or no documentation survives; others share unique personal responses to the world we live in today. Some of the artists draw on conventional primary sources—historical documents such as photographs, maps, and letters—as a point of departure to create works that are both richly imagined and deeply researched. Others record their own memories, experiences, and perspectives to create works that, in turn, will become new primary sources, enriching the historical record for future readers and scholars.