Art Education

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Articulate Activism: Artists' Books Take Issues

Anne Burkhart

To cite this article: Anne Burkhart (2007) Articulate Activism: Artists' Books Take Issues, Art
Education, 60:1, 25-32, DOI: 10.1080/00043125.2007.11651623
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/00043125.2007.11651623

Published online: 21 Dec 2015.

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 Instructional Resources

Articulate
Activism:
Artists' Books
Take Issues
BY ANNE BURKHART
Long Slow March, 1996, Clifton Meador.
Purchase, NY: Center for Ed it ion s.

Recommended for students in grades 9-12

e are familiar with the informative nature of books, as well as the beauty of
W many handmade books. We may be less familiar with artists' books, which
are different from those that are only beautifully bound or those that are collections
of an artist's work. Artists' books are themselves artworks.

Although it is impossible to sum up the diverse array of artists' books, Artists' books are essentially a 20th-century phenomenon (Drucker,
they often explore and emphasize particular aspects of "bookness" to 2005) that gained significant momentum associated with the rise of
convey ideas. Included among these aspects are the forms, traditions, conceptual art in the 1960s and 1970s. Some artists felt that books
conventions and histories of the book. For example, Janet Zweig's This were perfect vehicles to convey art that was mostly about ideas, and
BookIsExtremelyReceptive: A Flipbook (1989) explores narrative possi- they mass-produced books in an attempt to skirt the gallery/museum
bilities. It is a small, wry meditation on modern technologies, housed system and reach a larger number of people (Lippard, 1985).
in a silver mirror-finish paper cover. Three different forms of narrative
structure parallel each other throughout the entire book. Thus, a satel- Activism and Artists' Books
lite image rotates as pages are turned flipbook-style, accompanied by Activist artists' books are those that overtly take issue with aspects
dialogue from a television show and phone conversation. of the world in need of change. These politically, socially, culturally
Book artists sometimes experiment with the placement of visual engaged artworks explore issues about a particular aspect of life, and
elements, putting them in the fore edge, gutter, back, front, end like other activist art, bring it to our attention. A small sampling of the
pages, upside down, diagonally, and backward, and utilize techniques many topics that activist artists' books have focused on include revis-
including letterpress, offset printing, intaglio, hand lettering, silkscreen, iting important civil rights events (Meador, 1996), investigating the
and digital technologies. They have included 3-dimensional elements sexist treatment of women (Cummins, 1998) and exploring censor-
and used materials as diverse as rubber, metal, bone, wood, leather, ship (Zweig, 1989). Many activist artists' books are mass-produced.
piexigiass, and mica. Some artists' books appropriate and alter other
books. Enormously diverse, artists' books can be one of-a-kind, limited Objectives
edition printings, or mass-produced works. Forms book take include This resource explores three activist artists' books. The lessons
everything from accordion folds, tlipbooks, simple pamphlets, to the outlined here will enable students to:
familiar codex. Artists' books have alluded to book traditions such as • Identify and discuss some of the characteristics unique to artists'
scientific texts, pulp fiction, religious texts, informational pamphlets, books as an art form.
and medieval manuscripts. • Identify and critically discuss the social and political content of
Although many artists' books are exhibited on gallery walls, they are the artists' books made by three book artists, including how
sometimes displayed in reading racks or on tables so that they can, production methods affect and retlect this content.
ideally, be held and experienced. You can even check some of them • Individually or collaboratively design, produce, and distribute
out of libraries. Artists' books can be found in archives, libraries, an artists' book that presents an issue that they consider to be
museum collections, and personal libraries. Although some artists' important.
books can be expensive, many are about the same price as books
commonly found in mainstream bookstores.

JANUARY 2007 I ART EDUCATION 25

 Some Questions for Exploring Activist Artists' Books weight and size of the paper and covers? What about the printing/
In addition to the critical approa ches you might already utilize, consider binding/construction methods used?
including question s like these that are specific to artists' books and to • How does it connect with particular traditions or historie s of
activist artists' books. Use them with the images reproduced here or books in general?
with art ists' books you find. • What is this book about? How do aspects of its "bookness" and the
• How does it feel to hold and experien ce the book? If it is inacces- production methods used enh ance the exploration of the issue?
sible. how do you imagine it would feel? • What do you think and feel about the issue? How has the book
• Can you make any implications based on the kinds of materi als informed your thinking about it?
used and physical characteristics-the color, texture , kind and

What progress have we made toward civil rights? What do we have yet to do?
Thinking about an artwork by Clifton Meador

Long Slow March About the Artwork

Ctlfton Meador Except for the cover devoid of words. Long Slow March looks like
hundreds of other books found in libraries. The handsome, somber
1996
grey hardbound cover opens to ochre endpapers displaying repeated
Purchase. NY: Center for Editions
sections of a portentous map dep icting the route between Selma and
About the Artist Montgomery, Alabama. The complex, richly layered unpaged book is
divided into a handful of different. loosely narrative section s.
Clifton Meador makes arti sts' books . mostl y using offset printing
methods common to many commercial publications. Other books After section one presents differing views about slavery, section two
have focused on issues and events such as war refugees and on atroc - photographically documents every mile of the route of the historic
ities in the former Soviet Union's gulag. civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery. Alabama that took place

City of Se and
Revenues•. recogirlz'
Ita UOD in th' COIDJlDWut~,;
bel III law d order.
ppo p ssage of *he oi-u
.lDdIfDI .·,of the con equence
..

26 ART EDUCATION I JANUARY 2007

 Instructional Resources

Til
" IW I' ~lill
n ",s 1111,1"1" Ih,' Iwilh..'\', "\ ,'II an"" it -~'1Il Ih,' 111"'" 1"1' "Ill.
11111 just h"", out . al"" th N' 1"ir'I"? fJr. Kitu: is /Il11lIr1yr Ill/It ',
a solllrliri,~1 victim. hi- ""\Ulllli"IIl\l'y 1ll,"SOI!...'\'S ' 1I 1 1' II I11 ,~ 1 by a uatus '1"" I'a!...,\',' III
III' JIt'rl ilS/'II'. ('aI"ks, ,,' I ~ M I I·. sl(wls all,1 ,'\','11 a ,lay al",' all way.. III "'u:i limizl' a/lll
Imlll' hi.. 1"'1"\111'. W" "'I"U:lliz,' alld 1Il,'m",'ializt',IJIII Ih,' 1"1':11,/1111111111,'111
I" thi.. ~1IlU: IIl1ril1i sllt~1 SIl'III..'l!),' is y('\ til h.· hui lt,
The mad l'OI! - Oil, all,1
!he I 1111 111/'I"",

Above, and p. 26, Long Slow March, 1996, Clifton Meador. Purchase, NY: Center for Editions .

in March of 1965. The miles of roads are overlaid with several texts, 3. In the large image, what do the words "the real monument" and
including biased newspaper reportage of the march (image, p, 26). "yet to be built" mean? What does the title tell us? What is this
These words appear and disappear as we page through. marching book about? What did you previously know about the march and
the famous route. At the end of the section, images of police in white about the civil rights movement?
helmet s brut ally handling the marchers when they reach Montgomery 4, How do the elements and sequence of the book build these ideas?
are overlaid with words written by the Ku Klux Klan. What do you think about the way these ideas are presented and
The color sh ifts and intensifies from coo) grays to red in the last this format for presenting them-a nearly 200-page commercially
sections. Images of slaves. confederate money and historical texts hardbound artist's book ?
seemingly melt together. In the final pages, the red images quickly 5, Assign individuals or groups to research historical or contempo-
tran sform (image. p. 25), shifting into blurry close-ups of Dr, Martin rar y events related to a political struggle associated with a group of
Luther King, [r, His final image features words printed directly on his people, Consider events that might not traditionally receive much
almost ind istinct visage (image above), attention. For example, one might investigate a woman's hunger
strike and incarceration regarding her efforts to obtain the right to
Learning More: Discussion Questions and Activities vote in the early 1900s. or an event related to the creation of child
I . Why does the book include photographs of every single mile of labor laws. As in Long Slow March , students should investigate
the march's route (image, p. 26)? How do the texts floating over differing point s of view, biased reportage. relevant images, texts,
the march's route add to your interpretation? and people that might help illustrate the event. Students should
2. What effect does the color shift from cool grays in the beginning design and carefully sequence pages to create a cohesive book
of the book to red (see above) at the very end have on your ideas that builds visual and/or textual information in intriguing ways,
about the book? Students might utilize photocopying and/or digital application s as
printing methods. Bind using a Japanese side stitch method, since
this allows regular letter-weight paper to be easily bound.

JANUARY 2007 / ART EDUCATION 27

 Crazy Quilt, 1998, Maureen Cummins. Silkscreen and letterpress. Rosendale, NY: Women's Studio Workshop.

28 ART EDUCATION I JANUARY 2007

 In struction al Resources

\\'/larexpectations did society hc ve regarditlg womens bellavior,

and what expectations do we have now?How are ideas about gender maintained?
Thin king about an artwork by M aureen Cumm in s
Charlone Perkins Gilman was a social refo rmer, writer, and fernims t.
Crazy Quilt
Gilman Ihou ghl that the subordi nation of women .....as dchuman -
Maure-en Cummins izing . and th.lt wom en otien co uld not fu lfill a_r« h of their hves
1998 because Ihey .....ere o ften co nstrai ned br trad itional roles. She actin' ly
Silkscreen and lett erpress prom()led Ihe values that she associat ed with wome n- of nu rturancc
Rosendale, NY: Women's Studio Workshop and coope ration as necessary to change sociely. and thought that
e-

the way relationships wo rked belween men and women wou ld also
About t he Artist haw to he con structed an........ {l.ane, 19'Xl), She was given a cure for
Maur een Cummins ma kes findy bound limited edition artists' books. depre svinn known as the rest cure. which Involved rest, isolation and
as well as some tha t incor porate found mate rials such as old ledger s some times forced f......din g,
and letter s, im posing co mme ntary dir ectl y on the or iginal using
letterpress printi ng. l earn ing More: Discussion Questions and Activ it ies
I, What due s the stylized first person handwritten text w nvey? Whilt
Abou t th e Artwork do quilts usually symbo lize? Wh at kind of quilt is this and how
Printed in a limited ed ition of 100. Cr<Jz)' Quilt is ho used in a slipcase. doe s it give th e artwork par ticu lar mea n ing ~
as is com mon to finely bound edmons. The elegant. da rk slipcase 2. What are so me reason s wom en werc inslitution.llizt'tl in the P.l ~t ?
is printed all over with while ~st i l(h i ng" echoed insid e the book Wh.lt rights did women have in the late l &lOs in the \.l.s. and what
by pur posefully quain t ..... hu e cursive .....riling. 'Ihe I O ~ b}' 10 ~ book right s do .....om en have now ~ Wh.lt arc some wa)'s Ih.lt gender -
unfolds in four direc tions to form • larger JO ~ b}' JO ~ cruy quilt. the W.l~'S tha i women and men are supposed ttl appea r, act and live
Printed .....ith colorful fabric patterns. the book features short hand - - is rerrelua ted and maintained in sociely?
.....ritten pusages presen led in the \"Okn of .....omen .....ho were insli- 3. WhJI associat i...ns and ideas do you have regarding the untOld ing
tutionahzed du ring .I penod of their lives, Among the handful of form and struc ture of thi s book! How effective is il ~
.....om en represe nted are Kate ~I illet . Frances Farmer. and Charlotte 4, \ 'isit a thrift store or used boo k store and select older books
Perkins Gilman (ima ge, p. 28). Kale !\li1Iel is an art ist, author. and such.ls science texis. picturebooks. or old magazines. Assign
femini st activist who w rote th e inlluenlial 19i O book. &xual Politics. students to select. text thaI the)' beheve is in nel,d of altera-
Fanus Farmer was a spirited, temperamental Ame rican actress .....ho tion bec ause or how partic ular groups ...f people are depict ed
made films in the late 19.\Os. Charlotte Perkins Gilman. an advocat e (or left ...u tj. xtethod s of altereu...n include writing co mmentary.
for women 's rights. .....rote important books in the late IStXk and early foldin g. tea ring . cutt ing. removing. ...lllitt·rating. erasing. dra ..-ing.
19OOs. These women havein common non ·traditional aspect s oft heir Tl·sh.lring. an d adding 2· or j-dlm... ncicn al visual elemcnr s.
Iin:s, Stud cms should present their hook s to the class. explaining why
they chose their hoo k. as well as the focu s and met h...ds of their
alterations.

lVhat place does censorship have in schools?

Who should decide what art and literature students experience?
Thin king abo ut an artwork by Jan et Zweig

The 336 lin es currently expurgated from Abou t t he Artwork

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in ninth grade lhis Simple. single signature (ho'o or more pages fold ed in half)
pamphlet bo...k of about 12 pagt'!; is bound with a pair of co mmon
textbooks
Map!n. Ph utocopied in black and .....h ite. its mnd~t const ru ction
Janet Zweig belies ils powerful politi cal punch. With \·irtu.lllr no aesthetic fanfare
1989 S.l\'e ahnle ornate imagery on Ih... cover (image. p. 30 ). the first p.!ge
Self -published Of't"ns with the f'l"o..in~
About the Artist If )'OU;lre;l high school studen t in th e Unued St;ltn, the
Ianct Z..... eg make s sculptures. art ists' books, and public artworks. Her chances are good that rou r English lite rature tnt b......ks have
aMists' hooks haw included explorations of narrative and sequent ial man y linn missing from dasstc text s, ...ftcn without any
str uctures in book forms. notification to )"Ou (emphasis in u riginall.

JAN UARY 2007 1 ART EDUCATION 29

30 ART EDUCATION I JANUARY 2007
 Instructional Resources

Act II, scene iv

1-------------------,
I now art thou what thou art, by art as well as by nature. I
Lines 85-94 I For this drivelling love is like a great natural that runs lolling I
I up and down to hide his bauble in a hole. I
I BEN VOL I 0 Stop there, stop there! I
I MER CUT I 0 Thou desirest me to stop in my tale against I
I~~ I
I BEN VOL I 0 Thou wouldst else have made thy tale large. I
I MER CUT I 0 0, thou art deceived! I would have made I
I it short; for I was come to the whole depth of my tale, and I
L~~indee~~cupyt~rg~~~longe~ ~

Act II, scene iv

1-------------------,
I MER CUT I 0 God ye good-den, fair gentlewoman. I
Lines 104-112 I N U R S E Is it good-den? I
I MER CUT I 0 'Tis no less, I tell ye; for the bawdy I
I hand of the dial is now upon the prick of noon. I
I N U R S E Out upon you! What a man are you! I
I ROM E 0 One, gentlewoman, that God hath made for I
IL himself to mar.
N U R S E By my troth, it is well said. 'For himself to mar,' :
quoth 'a? Gentlemen, ~

Act II, scene iv

1------------------,
I BEN VOL I 0 She will endite him to some supper. I
Lines 121-131 I MER CUT lOA bawd, a bawd, a bawd! So hoI I
I ROM EO What hast thou found? I
I MER CUT I 0 No hare, sir; unless a hare, sir, in a I
I lenten pie, that is something stale and hoar ere it be spent. I
I [He walks by them and sings.] I
I An old hare hoar, I
I And an old hare hoar,
I Is very good meat in Lent; :
I But a hare th~t is hoar I
I Is too much tor a score
LW~it~~rei~~~~ J
Act II, scene iv
r--------,
[singsj lad y, lady, lady. I
Line 135 L --------.1

Lines 142-145
1--------------------,
I N U R SEAn 'a speak anything against me, I'll take him I
I down, an 'a were lustier than he is and twenty such Jacks; and I
I if I cannot, I'll find those that shall. Scurvy knave! I am none I
L of his flirt-gills; !.-a: non~of his skai~-:ates. ~

The 336 lines currently expurgated from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in ninth grade textbooks. 1989, Janet Zweig. Self-published.
Left, title page, and above. text page.

JANUARY 2007 / ART EDUCATION 31

 Readers are then directed to take action: Assessment
Directions for use: Xerox this book so that the words are printed Assign students a short writing assignment in which they respond
only on one side of the sheet. Cut out the lines and replace them to the following: Explain some of the unique characteristics that
in your textbook where they belong in the play. Pass the book on artists' books have regarding ways they can convey ideas as compared
to another student. to artforms such as painting and sculpture. What are some reasons
Starting with Act I, scene I, the book lists the 336 expurgated lines artists might choose a book form to convey activist ideas? Of the three
that were edited from the play in order of their disappearance (image, artists, identify the work that you found to be the most engaging and
p. 31). The act, scene, and line number of the edited passages are explain why.
included, in addition to character's names and stage directions. Each
text segment is surrounded by a rectangle of dotted lines, a mute Conclusion
directive to use scissors and cut. Each of the three artists featured here employ the book form in very
different ways to convey ideas about a range of issues. Each artist's
Some edited passages include the Nurse's admonition to Juliet: "Go book has unique characteristics that allow ideas to unfold over time,
girl, seek happy nights to happy days:' Few would argue the suggestive to reference and comment upon other kinds of knowledge, and to
nature of passages such as this, as well as the Nurse's advice to Juliet be held and experienced up close. Artists' books lend themselves
about her wedding night, from Act IV: wonderfully to integrated approaches (Burkhart, 2006) and activist
Sleep for a week; for the next night, I warrant, artists' books in particular exemplify artwork that explores matters of
The County Paris hath set up his rest cultural importance. Hopefully, more students will engage with this
That you shall rest but little. God Forgive me! rich way to explore issues that they find critically important in the
Yet, the often bawdy nature of Shakespeare's plays are part of their world today.
essential character, and this popular play centers on an intense love
affair. Anne Burkhart is assistant professor of art education, Ohio
University. E-mail: [email protected]
Learning More: Discussion Questions and Activities
1. Discuss your thoughts about the rationale for expurgating lines REFERENCES
from the play. Would you feel any differently if the textbook Burkhart, A. (2006). "Mongrel nature:" A consideration of artists' books
indicated that the play was edited? and their implications for art education. Studies in Art Education, 47(3),
2. Should literature and art be edited? Censored? Why or why not? 248-268.
If so, who should do the editing and what should be cut? Cummins, M. (1998). Crazy quilt. Rosendale, NY: Women's Studio Workshop.
3. What do you know about pamphlets in general, and why do you Drucker, J. (2005). The century of artists'books. New York: Granary Books.
think this artists' book was constructed using unassuming Lane, A. (1990). ToHer/andand beyond: The lifeand work of CharlottePerkins
materials in pamphlet form? Gilman. New York: Pantheon.
4. Assign students a research project in which they investigate Lippard, L. (1985). Conspicuous consumption: New artists' books. In J.
rationales regarding the censorship of art and literature in schools. Lyons, (Ed.), Artists' books: A criticalanthologyand sourcebook (pp. 45-
48). Rochester, NY: Visual Studies Workshop.
Engage students in a classroom discussion or debate about
differing views on censorship and its place in schools. Students Meador, C. (1996). Longslow march. Purchase, NY: Center for Editions.
can then write (computer-generated and anonymously) a few Zweig, J. (I989a). This book is extremelyreceptive: A j/ipbook. Self-published.
sentences or a short paragraph about their ideas concerning Zweig, J. (1989b). The 336 linesexpurgatedfrom Shakespeare's Romeoand
censorship. Place the statements in a hat and have students Julietin ninth grade textbooks. Self-published.
randomly select from it. Using the statements, students can
design a simple pamphlet book, selecting a paper and cover for
its particular appeal. Create a limited edition run of the pamphlet
by photocopying and stapling it. Exhibit the pamphlet in your
classroom, or consult with the school or community librarian to
determine if it might be displayed (or distributed) there.

32 ART EDUCATION / JANUARY 2007