This session, like this conference, aims to unite the interests of art history with those of contemporary practice. It takes the recent AHRC funded research network ‘Transforming Artist Books’ (February to August 2012) as its point of departure. That network focused its inquiry upon digital transformations and explored the possibilities for artists’ books in the digital realm. What emerged, however, was a gap in our knowledge and understanding of how important collections of artists’ books across the globe have been established, developed and used. Against this background, the session asks how making, teaching and collecting have shifted over the last 40 years and how they intersect and inform each other. In the wake of the 175th anniversary of publicly funded art education in the UK, the pedagogical role of such collections is of particular interest. And the significance of book arts Masters programs and collegiate presses should not be forgotten either. Themes might include but are not limited to:

The artist-publisher and small presses
The book and the body/ performativity in reading
The artist-poet
Book arts pedagogy
The democratic multiple in the age of Amazon and Apple
Collecting artists’ books

It invites proposals from artists, art historians, museum professionals, students and teachers. Through both historical and practice-led perspectives, the session hopes to open up useful new dialogues, raise pertinent questions and establish productive new research relationships.

http://www.aah.org.uk/annual-conference/2014-conference

beth.williamson@tate.org.uk