As the news leaks Black Friday ads with big door busters and early-bird specials hit the news of major retailers, I'm looking for alternatives to check items off my holiday shopping list.  And, because I have many creative friends, my list is going towards handmade, one-of-a-kind, or editioned artists' books that make the artist and book lover oohh and aahh.  Two sites have wonderful on-line catalogs and stores to get your gift-shopping started for the creative book lovin' types in your life!  One is at www.vampandtramp.com under their on-line catalogs offering.  Check out War and Conflict which provides a look at war and conflict from World War I to 9.11 through the eyes of the book artist.  Past offerings of on-line catalogs include 50 under $50.  Perusing their many offerings of artists' books will delight and you'll be sure to find something that fits the budget!  Also, check out their recommendations for books on making books!

Another great website offering wonderful artist's book selections can be found at http://abecedariangallery.com/_wp/.  Alicia Bailey, book artist and gallerist, showcases many artists through her on-line shop with such categories as "Prudent Pix" which highlights emerging artists from Denver and across the country.  Another area to check out is the wonderful catalogs Alicia has prepared of past exhibitions.  Exhibits such as "Boxy Books", "Artist's Books Cornucopia" and "Molten II-Erotic Books" offer a wonderful array of artists' book from book artists both nationally and internationally and are a great way to introduce people to the genre.  Also check out her own works at http://aliciabailey.com/marketplace/.  I would also recommend signing up for her email with upcoming exhibits and calls for art!  The exhibits are amazing and if you can't get to Denver, one can live vicariously by viewing some of the online images of current exhibitions! 

Also, checking out the great book arts centers websites like The Center for Book Arts in New York City, The Chicago Center for Book and Paper, the Minneapolis Center for the Book, Kalamazoo Book Arts Center and the Asheville Bookworks, one will find great offerings from gift certificates for workshops as well as their offerings created and bound in their studios.  The Asheville Bookworks does a great exhibit titled "Bookopolis" annually and then curates a show from their entries which then gets produced as a catalog.  Last year's exhibit catalog entitled "Memory Palaces" was a gift I gave to many people who enjoyed viewing the wonderful selections...(shameful self-promotion occurring here as I was included!)...Published through Blurb, their website provided direct links to past catalogs and they make great gifts!

If you want to shop for someone who wants to make books, also check out Amazon.com for great selections. Offerings by authors and book artists, Gwen Diehn, Esther K. Smith, Alisa Golden, and Gabbrielle Fox have marvelous books with great directions for journeying into the book arts field!  Enjoy the journey and start crossing off those gifts! 

For the past two weekends, we've been dashing here and there to catch some great exhibits and great theater!  Here's some highlights:  Uptown at the Marlborough Gallery on 57th Street catch a retrospective exhibit of Red Grooms work whose installations and tableaux of a full-size bus with passengers, a porn shop with the requisite degenerates and wonderful tableaux of scenes of New York is a 3-dimensional cartoon come to life.  Walk through the bus and brush up close to some of those degenerates as you view Groom's view of native New Yorkers!  A great show to be seen!  Also, 3-d puppets that carry human beings can be seen in "War Horse" at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center.  This hard-to-get tickets for show is a stunner with live puppeteers working larger-than-life puppets of horses is a 5-tissue ending show...exquisitely done.  Based on the novel, the movie opens during the holidays.  But, nothing can capture the magic of the live Broadway show and the puppetry!  Also, in town, is the live 3-d pop-up cartoon Ennio Marchetto at the 47th theater for the New York theater festival going on until October 16th.  Check out his schedule at www.enniomarchetto.com...and, for $25 plus handling fee, it's a great experience!  Please note, that their is an edginess to the show...for adult audiences only!  Other great art exhibits occurring uptown include the DeKooning Exhibit and FLUXUS exhibit at MOMA!  Up until early January, these exhibits will be a great holiday treat for those who are in to enjoy the big apple for the holiday lights and shows!  Downtown, check out Nick Cave, performance and installation artist at the Jack Shainman Gallery in Chelsea.  Also, some more of Nick Cave's costumes can be viewed at Mary Boone Gallery.  Also, check out the outstanding exhibits at the Fashion Institute of Technology's Museum...The Sporting Live highlights the history of sportswear and its influence on modern fashion and downstairs view the EXCELLENT collection of couture collected and worn by Daphne Guinness...a beautiful exhibit of great fashion by Alexander McQueen and other edgy designers...Enjoy the change in the air and have fun!  Here's falling for you, New York City, so have a great one!