Arts is E ter ainment
Rectangular Palette
A local artist curates an exhibition of books as art.
SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to the Jewish News
L
ynne Avadenka has long
been a book artist, maneu-
vering print and paper to
come up with inventive
pages. Her projects, many with
Jewish themes, show a fascination
with typography and offer new ways
of looking at text.
Part of Avadenka's
commitment to the
artistry of books
involves respect for
others working with
the same materials.
She passes along the
knowledge she has
gained by teaching at
the college level and
planning themed
exhibits.
"Building the
Book: An Exhibition
of Artists' Books,"
which will be fea-
tured Feb. 22-March
22 at Center Galleries
in Detroit, was
Avadenka's idea for
the display space provided by the
College for Creative Studies, where
she is on the faculty.
As curator, Avadenka, a
Huntington Woods resident, has cho-
sen 59 works with a wide spectrum of
approaches developed by 27 book
artists.
The range reaches from El Lissitzky
(1890-1941), a Jewish artist living in
Russia and eventually a follower of
Stalin, to Yoko Ono, the avant-garde
widow of Beatle John Lennon.
A series of presentations probe the
directions of this creative category.
"The artists in this exhibition have
confronted the blank rectangle that
becomes the page — and the gather-
ing of rectangles that becomes the
bound book — by accepting its
boundaries and working with/within
its confines or by rebelling against it,
reforming and reconfiguring and
pushing beyond its boundaries,"
Avadenka explains.
"These individuals have had and
continue to have a sustained involve-
ment with the idea of the book and
2/21
2003
60
have influenced others with their own
work as artists and teachers. The vari-
ety of approaches on view will give
viewers a sense of the variety of work
being done."
Lissitzky, very influential in the
1920s, is recognized for showing the
graphic symbols that lead to text and
for bringing distinction to books of
poetry. Although he started with
Arthur Miller's short story "Homely
Girl, A Life."
Different Canvas
"I want people to think about the
book as a place for an artist to
work," explains Avadenka, who has
curated a number of shows around
Michigan. "I also want them to take
ator of artists' books and founder of an
artists' books archive now housed at
New York's Museum of Modern Art,
will give a slide lecture on the book
artists movement at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 6.
The book exhibit comes as Avadenka
works on two projects with Jewish
themes — one covering the Book of Ruth
in both Hebrew and English and another
presenting the poems of an Israeli writer
in limited-edition form. These types of
projects are generally sold to libraries,
museums and private collections.
Mindy Dubansky, head of book con-
servation at New York's Metropolitan
Museum of Art, will deliver a slide lec-
ture titled "Paper Palette: Paper as an
Far left: Johanna
Drucker: "History of
the World," 1990,
letterpress. The artist
incorporates a playful
use of typography.
Left: Russian Jewish
artist El Lissitzky: "Our
March," from the book
"For Our Voice," 1923.
Although he started with
Jewish themes, Lissitzky
went on to designs in
support of his country's
revolutionary movement.
Jewish themes, he went on to designs
note of the form and content."
in support of his country's revolution-
Avadenka, who teaches an introduc-
ary movement.
tion to binding and printing in one
His definition of book building
class and letterpress printing and book-
formed the basis of the title of the
binding in another, came up with the
Center Galleries' show, which also
idea for this exhibit after being asked to
features the work of Jewish artists
plan activities associated with "Splendid
Johanna Drucker,
Pages: The Molly and Walter Bareiss
Buzz Spector and
Collection of Modern Illustrated
the late Leonard
Books," which is running through May
Baskin.
11 at the Toledo Museum of Art (see
Drucker show-
accompanying story).
cases History of
She decided to explore ways to spot-
the/my World with
light contemporary artists who have had
drawings that offer a sustained involvement with books.
a playful use of
"Some of these people have been mod-
typography.
els for other artists," says Avadenka,
whose own recent combinations of print
Lynne Avadenka, Spector has con-
tributed documen-
and images will be shown in the exhibit
exhibit curator
tation he used for
"New Work" running March 15-April 26
an installation
at the Au Courant Gallery in Ferndale. "I
about book art. Baskin, through
wanted to give a sense of the history of
works titled "Death Masks," is repre-
book art, and I have borrowed works
sented by a limited edition of etch-
from private and public collections."
ings and letterpress paintings.
Avadenka will lecture about the
Louise Bourgeois, who has done
"Builaing the Book" exhibit at noon
extensive sculptural works, will be
Tuesday, March 4, in the Center
represented with her illustrations for
Galleries. Martha Wilson, an early cre-
Artist's Material" 4:30 p.m. Thursday,
March 20, at Center Galleries. Dubansky
will present a workshop on book struc-
tures 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, March 22.
"I hope these programs will make
people pay a different kind of attention
to type, which serves as a way to draw a
page," Avadenka says.
"I like working with books because
they force viewers to get involved direct-
ly with art work as they pick up the
books and touch the pages."
❑
"Building the Book: An Exhibition
of Artists' Books" will be displayed
Feb. 22-March 22 at Center
Galleries, 301 Frederick Douglass,
Detroit. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-
5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. The
opening reception begins 6 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 21. (313) 664-7800.
"New Work" by Lynne
Avadenka will be on display at
Au Courant Gallery, 23255
Woodward, in Ferndale, March
15-April 26. (248) 548-3770.