The Art of the Book: Fifth Annual Exhibition of Handmade Artist Books, Altered Books and Book-related Works

Donna Seager Gallery will present The Art of the Book: Fifth Annual Exhibition of Handmade Artist Books, Altered Books and Book-related Works from June 4 through July 31, 2010. There will be a reception for the artists on Saturday, June 12 from 6 to 8pm. On Friday, July 9, there will be a gallery talk and reading by artist Nance O’Banion.

Once a year, the Donna Seager Gallery transforms itself into a celebration of all things book. This year’s show includes handmade bound and letterpress books as well as altered books, sculpture, paintings and works on paper. Fifty artists are represented from around the country with an emphasis on bay area favorites. Highlights include works by Charles Hobson, Macy Chadwick, Julie Chen and Alisa Golden. Editions featuring the exquisite printmaking of Donna Brookman and Holly Downing are included as well as books in porcelain, clay and wood by Richard Shaw, Steven Allen and Nancy Legge and Stan Peterson. Lisa Kokin’s Irritable Vowel Syndrome is an altered book in which every vowel has been carefully removed and sent streaming from the covers. French artist Beatrice Coron has included three of intricate cutout editions and Erin Sweeney presents her stitched and sequined offerings. A large installation by Jody Alexander and the artist laura laura entitled “Worthy” encourages viewers to consider the value of books and the reading experience.

Artists included:

Jody Alexander . Steven Allen, Tor Archer . Alice Austin . Doug Beube . Renee Billingslea, Donna Brookman . Charlotte Cain . Macy Chadwick . Julie Chen . Beatrice Coron, Adele Crawford . Cathy DeForest . Marie Dern . Holly Downing . Jane Downs . Arian Dylan . Brandy Eiger .Casey Gardner . Alisa Golden .Susie Grant . Lisa Hasegawa Charles Hobson . Janet Jones . Claire Kessler-Bradner . Lisa Kokin . Vince Koloski . Mary Risala Laird . laura laura, Nancy Legge . Emily Marks . Lin Max . Howard Munson . Nance O’Banion .Pamela Paulsrud . Bettina Pauly . Stan Peterson . Laura Raboff . Rebecca Rohrkaste . Judith Serebrin . Nancy Shapiro . Richard Shaw . Elizabeth Sher . Gail Skoff . Claudia Smelser . Helen Stanley . Jack Stauffacher . Erin Sweeney . Seiko Tachibana . Marcus Uzilevsky . Peter Vogel . Laura Wait and Kazuko Watanabe.