It's April and Spring is here!  Yeah!  What is more fun than some great little events like the International Edible Book Festival and book arts celebrating all "Good Eats!".  April 1st is the birthday of French gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826), famous for his book Physiologie du goût, a witty meditation on food. April fools' day is also the perfect day to eat your words and play with them as the "books" are consumed on the day of the event. This ephemeral global banquet, celebrated by many book arts centers across the country and abroad, in which anyone can participate, is shared by all on the internet and allows everyone to preserve and discover unique bookish nourishments. This festival is a celebration of the ingestion of culture and a way to concretely share a book; it is also a deeper reflexion on our attachment to food and our cultural differences.

The International Edible Book Festival is a creation of Judith A. Hoffberg and Béatrice Coron. Judith got the idea over a Thanksgiving turkey with book artists in 1999, and Béatrice created Books2Eat website where despite the
distances everybody can enjoy worldwide's creations. They contacted friends and colleagues; their first event happened in 2000. Since then the festival continues as an annual sensation.  Check out images at www.books2eat.com.

The Kalamazoo Book Arts Centers coordinated with their annual exhibition of "Good Eats" that showcases the work of artists whose work centers on the idea of food!  What a great idea!  (Also, the writer of this blog is doing some shameless self-promotion!)  It's a great way to start the fun month of April by having your cake or book and eating it too!  Check out all great fun things at the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center at www.kalbookarts.org.  Their next exhibition is also a fun one with all entries based on the accordion book structure.  It's entitled "The Illustrated Accordion" and presents all wonderful examples of accordion books.  One entry has been an accordion structure book about the accordion.  It's always fun to view the entries online and expands the viewer's awareness of all things folded and pleated. 

So, here's to a fun-filled month with books to eat and words to swallow!

 
 
Happy Spring!  With it brings a new round of book arts exhibits!  Opening this month is "Readers' Art 12:  Longing for Home" at the Susan Hensel Gallery, Minneapolis, MN...with a theme of home and what it means to you.  This blog's writer has two works in this always inventive and exciting annual exhibit!  Also, from NJ is Mary-Ellen Campbell who also has a work in the exhibit.  Check it out at http://www.susanhenselgallery.com/.  At the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center in Kalamazoo, MI, presents "Good Eats".  This is an annual exhibit as well with all 2-d food-related artwork.  (I also have a work in this exhibit as well...shameless self-promotion here!) This coincides with their annual Edible Book Fest taking place on April 2nd, where contributors to the Fest make all books edible!  In May, their other popular exhibit, "The Illustrated Accordion" will open with another work of mine in the show!  For more information, check it out at http://www.kalbookarts.org/category/kbac-gallery/.  Also, showing here on the East Coast and closing at the end of this month is an interesting exhibit at the Center for Book Arts entitled "Fine and Dirty" curated by Betty Bright and Jeff Rathermel showcasing letterpress and its use in book arts and more!  http://www.centerforbookarts.org/exhibits/archive/showdetail.asp?showID=217 Also, for the lovers of popups, check out this:  University of Rochester showcases "Pop-up and Movable Books from the 16th Century to Today".  It will be up for awhile and looks to be a great exhibit of pop-ups and moveables.  Another fun exhibit that opened at the Santa Fe Community College celebrating the creation of their Center for Book Arts and Printmaking is "BAG Shows Off", an exhibit of book artists from the area exhibiting their wonderful creations...and, yes, I have a piece in this exhibit as well!  Enjoy this lovely weather and get out there and make some books!

 
 
Happy May!...the lusty month of May!...(from Camelot's "The Lusty Month of May)...May brings spring flowers and things in bloom...and, celebrating new things, here are some new exhibits opening in the big apple which will certainly inspire and help your creative spirit to bloom.  Now showing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art:  The drawings of Richard Serra, the sculpture of Anthony Caro up on the rooftop sculpture garden, and the great lusty and edgy fashions of Alexander McQueen at the Costume Institute.  Check them all out, particularly the Alexander McQueen exhibit which has welcomed 43,000 visitors in its first week alone!  For more info, visit www.metmuseum.org.

Also opening at the Morgan Library in New York are three exhibits: Fashion in the medieval ages as illustrated in the Book of Hours, medieval and Renaissance manuscripts with some recreated garments from these time periods, the drawings of Jim Dine, the Glypotek Drawings and some selections from their permanent collections.  For more info, go to www.themorgan.org.

Now showing nationally, is the "Artist's Books Cornucopia" exhibit at the Abecedarian Gallery in Denver, Co.  Alicia Bailey's annual presentation of artist's books always serves up a lusty selection of exquisitry culled from national and international book artists.  Be sure to check out the online photos at her website. 

Another great exhibit of artists' book is "The Illustrated Accordion" at the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center in Kalamazoo, MI.  The writer of this blog has one piece in this exhibit and the photos on their Flickr photostream are great!  Also, check out "The Accordion Book of Accordions" online!  Fun, fun, fun...what a perfect book to submit for this exhibit.

And, just one more great exhibit at the Susan Hensel Gallery in Minneapolis, MN..."Ars Domestica" where mending circles with tales and mending are combined to create a performance piece and exhibit.  Go to www.susanhenselgallery.com for more info!

So, that's it for now...enjoy and always remember, if you have a great exhibit or item, please email me or post on this blog!  Happy May!