The Collaborative Work of Harriet Bart
August 10 – November 4, 2012
Open Book Cowles Literary Commons
“Collaboration is integral to my work. My role is akin to that of the conductor of a small ensemble in which each member has a unique voice. The goal is to bring out the best in each player and excellence in the final composition. There is synergy and magic in that.” – Harriet Bart
Harriet Bart creates evocative content through the narrative power of objects, the theater of installation, and the intimacy of artist’s books. She has a deep and abiding interest in the personal and cultural expression of memory; it is at the core of her work. Using bronze and stone, wood and paper, books and words, everyday and found objects, Bart’s work signifies a site, marks an event, and draws attention to imprints of the past as they live in the present. Of special note are a number of works created through a longstanding collaborative relationship with master printer Philip Gallo (Hermetic Press) and fine binder Jill Jevne.
Bart’s work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States and Germany, and she has completed more than a dozen public art commissions in the United States, Japan, and Israel. She has been the recipient of fellowships from the Bush Foundation, McKnight Foundation, MacDowell Colony, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, NEA Arts Midwest, and the Minnesota State Arts Board. Since 2000, Bart has published numerous fine-press books and mixed media bookworks. She has won two Minnesota Book Awards. Her work is included in many museum, university, and private collections, including: Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Weisman Art Museum, Jewish Museum, National Museum of Women in the Arts, and Sackner Archive of Visual and Concrete Poetry.
“The Collaborative Work of Harriet Bart” was part of “In Association: Collaboration in the Book Arts” — four coordinated exhibitions wherein the power and potential of collaborative artmaking was revealed.