In Issue 3

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

Welcome to issue 3 of Book Art Review and our continued conversations around the artists’ book as an object. The Book Art Review initiative started about five years ago, and like a lot of the world during those years, it’s seen changes and challenges. We want to thank Megan N. Liberty for being part of the team that launched BAR—without her, the magazine would never have gotten off the ground—and also welcome Carla Liesching, who has taken on the lead editor role as of this issue. While our schedule for publications has had to adapt to these changes, we remain committed to providing a platform for this dialogue and look forward to additional publications that will explore the history of book arts around the globe, including a series of pamphlets on the histories of artists’ book exhibitions in different countries. The interest in artists’ books on the part of makers, publishers, fair organizers, and especially readers continues to grow, and we hope you find the content here adds to the enjoyment of and stimulates discussion and thoughts about this field.

In issue 3, we continue to provide a series of reviews and explorations of recent artists’ books. We have also engaged with a group of writers to explore the reception of artists’ books and different ways that the artist and reader interact. What are the languages that the makers and designers of these books use, and how does that language develop between artist and reader in a way that facilitates communication? How do the physical processes of discovering the content (turning pages, unfolding, rotating, etc.) shape its understanding? What role do materials and typography play? Can the actions of the reader actually shape the form and content of the book in the first place? We hope these and other ideas—and the books selected to present them—elicit further questions and thoughts and invite and encourage your comments and responses.

Many thanks for your ongoing support and interest as we work to continue this journey. We welcome ideas, suggestions, reactions, and pitches for future issues and forums. We particularly invite pitches for issue 4, which will focus on the relationship of image and text, including asemic writing, in artists’ books. More details are available at https://centerforbookarts.org/bar/about.

Sincerely,

The Editors

To respond to anything you read here, please email us at bar@centerforbookarts.org or add a comment to the content online.