Craft & Conceptual Art: Reshaping the Legacy of Artists’ Books

Curated by Megan N. Liberty and organized by Center for Book Arts, this exhibition reconnects artists’ books to craft by creating a meaningful link between conceptual art and craft, historically placed at odds. 

Craft practices are rooted in a material-specific approach; the same is true for artists’ books, which are medium-specific artworks in book form. The critical issues of craft theory, such as the relationship between the vernacular and the contemporary and anti-establishment and grass roots activities are shared with the book arts, an established discipline of craft arts. Yet the legacy of artists’ books, a subset of book art (which also includes altered books and book sculpture) is often traced back to conceptual art—dominated by white male artists, the dematerialization of the art object, and ephemeral art practices, negating artist books’ earlier connection to the book arts and its place in craft history.

Traveling here from San Francisco Center for the Book, this exhibition will tie artists’ books back to craft, reshaping our understanding of craft history and its influence on conceptual art. The curatorial research methodology is archival, with the goal of a cross-disciplinary show that uses archival materials to present a revised timeline of book art, conceptual art, and craft, alongside artworks from various collections including Center for Book Arts, Harvard, Pace Prints Pace Gallery, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Library, and MCBA. (The two pieces pictured here are from MCBA’s collection.)