Discovering Artists Books

Discovering Artists Books
The art, the artist and the issues

The role of digital technology
         Digital or computer technology plays an interesting and unique role in the growth of book arts. Oddly enough, computer technology is a double-edged sword. On the one hand computers make book arts more affordable and give artists more control and flexibility. On the other hand, artists seem to be reacting to the digitalization of the world around them and seek the friendly, tactile world of the book as an antidote to virtual reality.
         All of the artists I interview used a computer. For some it's use was more removed from their art and only used for writing, connecting with friends or conducting business through e-mail, or researching book questions on the Web. In these ways alone, the computer has made a significant contribution to the book arts community.
         For others, computer technology had many uses. Artists that first learned the medium using only traditional typesetting and photography noted how the use of computer(most frequently a Macintosh), scanner and software has simplified procedures, given more control and enabled the creation of effects that were previously unattainable.
         With the invention of polymer plates for letterpress printing, the ability to create type and design on the computer, output it to a negative to make a polymer plate has given letterpress printing new life. As many variations on the role of computers exist as there are artists. Some scan in hand-rendered art work, create typography and print on either laser or ink jet printers. Others create full illustrations in drawing and photo manipulation programs and print offset. Still other create digital drawings for high tech laser cutting equipment.
         Significantly, there was unanimous agreement that the computer is only a tool and as Keith Smith succinctly stated,

[The computer] is just a tool to say something. If the artist does not have anything to say, or does not have the courage to speak, they rely on technology for pretty, but vacuous images.

         For some instructors, knowledge and use of the Internet for research and publishing has become a part of the book arts curriculum. This brings in another interesting perspective: the computer is re-establishing the idea of the democratic multiple by giving more artists access to publishing and new audiences. As the computer becomes a household item, more people who may not otherwise seek out a gallery can view art online.
         Another opportunity the computer has made available is that libraries with ancient books that are far too fragile to be handled by admirers and researches can be scanned and available for viewing online.¹ With millions of these valued volumes being destroyed yearly by mildew, insects, human handling and acidic conditions, this is one way these works can be preserved for future generations (or at least until the technology they are recorded on becomes obsolete).
         Peter Verheyen also presents a caution that the availability of computers, software and desktop printers can make it easy to produce a book, but they cannot teach design and sound structure.
         Even though some people come to book arts for a more hands-on experience, they are not Luddites or anti-technology and may use the computer for various aspects of the creation of a book. They find, however, that the many processes involved in creating a book provide them with opportunity for working with their hands and is something tangible in an increasingly virtual reality. This tactile experience is discussed in more detail in a following section. Barbara Tetenbaum is a book arts professor at Oregon College of Art and Craft, a school that does not have computers on campus. She believes that although "the computer seems the antithesis to the handmade book, the two are closely related. The book is a model for the computer, which continually strives to equal the book's ease of accessibility, stable reading surface, patient survivability and body language." A student trained in book arts can bring a unique perspective to working with computer technology because they have such an indepth knowledge of the book.
         Richard Minsky, founder of Center for Book Arts in New York, reminds us that even if a book artist does not use the computer, they are still at the "frontier of new technology. ... Modern adhesives, inks and papers developed from research in conservation laboratories in the last 20 years have radically altered the chemical composition of materials available to today's artists."²

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The growth of artists books