Story and Photos by Emily Lee Stehle
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You Can’t Judge This Book by Its Cover
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Through July 30
Florida CraftArt
Details here
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I was thrilled to witness this celebration. One of my first loves in this world is reading. With six kids in my family, we didn’t have toys and if we did, they were shared. But books. . . they were always free at the library, and you could take out as many as you wanted!
I was not prepared to see the diverse variety and the indescribable beauty of “books” at the Beyond Words: Celebrating Books as Art exhibit. Books were made out of paper, recycled and handmade paper, museum board, metal, clay, leather, fabric, glass, wood, edible flowers and herbs embedded in pastillage dough, found objects – and even, books.
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Everyone who enjoys reading books would enjoy this show, even though many of these books don’t include words. Curator Cindy Bartosek said the collection challenged perceptions of “what a book is and can be.”
“For an artist, the word ‘book’ can be a medium of artistic expression,” says Bartosek. “It is a space for experimenting with innovative combinations of images, text and formats to address topics from politics to poetry, from whimsy to deeply personal narratives that explore and communicate important themes and visual ideas in a very individual way, limited only by the imagination of the maker.”
A lot of words that express a heady concept. It’s the world of art encompassed in “a book.” The books themselves are amazingly simple, extremely complex, imaginative, little or big (as in size). Each bookmaker has their own story to tell.
The content is funny, happy, serious, sad, thought-provoking. The entire gamut of emotions (after all, books cover every subject matter) and I was close to tears after viewing some of them. Was I a little embarrassed? Yes, but that’s what happens when true communication takes place between art and a viewer who visibly responds. So if I appeared teary-eyed at opening night, I felt a connection with the work – just couldn’t talk about it!
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Awards for 10 artists were presented and highlighted in a video by Juror Robin Perry Dana for “exquisite beauty, craftmanship, details, artistic imagery, poetry, emotion.”
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Best of Show
Robert Barancik, St. Petersburg FL
Torn Asunder
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Barancik’s leather-bound book of 34 mixed media collages was a “collection of exquisite pieces of artwork. . . collage, stunning drawings and woodblock prints featuring Barancik’s signature mark-making of striking black and white tones.” – Robin Perry Dana.
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First Place
Rima Day, Thompsons Station TN
Scriptum XIV
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Day’s bound book with organza pages beautifully and finely embroidered in red thread referencing blood vessels (sounds strange but it works) was delicately gorgeous.
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Second Place
Rose Marie Prins, St. Petersburg FL
As Each Moon Passes
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This six-foot wide, bamboo piano-hinged book was inspired by a poem written by Prins’s late son, Jaro Majer. It was constructed of handmade paper with nature prints from tree and plant leaves with the poem hand-lettered by the artist. A lovely tribute.
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Third Place
Harry Bower, Dunedin FL
Buddha’s Phone Book
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Bower’s “phone book” is a sculpture made from a metal office file holder and a series of black, white and red books. Dana called it, “a celebration of the craftsmanship of piano-hinge book binding. . . an intricate painstaking process.”
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Executive Director’s Award
Melissa Fair and Emily Hashagen, Tampa FL
Book of Secrets
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This was a most intriguing book, a stark black and white assemblage on the wall. Twenty-eight metal “cards” with photos, resembling mug shots of women, with a stamped word phrase. Fair and Hashagen are best friends who’ve never done an art collaboration. They asked women, mothers, sisters, friends, about the secrets they never told anyone.
Shocking. Made an impact, caused a buzz. “Made to feel worthless.” “The Other Woman.” “Raped.” “Abused Abuser.” “I am Not Good Enough.” “Bystander to Violence.” “Cheated.” “Cheated On.” “Addict.” It’s all out there in Black-and-White.
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Honorable Mentions were awarded to
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Neverne Covington, St. Petersburg FL
The Blue Book of Love and Longing
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A beautiful, handwritten 10-fold book.
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Christine Di Staola, Clearwater FL
All the Things You Said
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A complex, concertina book, no text. You come up with the story.
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Jack King, Tampa FL
When Marcel Met Shiva, He Planned to Open with the Queen’s Gambit; Shiva Lit the Fire
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The book, like all else in this piece, is wood.
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Polly Perkins, St. Petersburg FL
Alphabet Birds
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At first glance, this is a child’s alphabet book. The woodblock printings are playful and show joy in the making. Accessible art to both children and adults.
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Shelly Steck-Reale, St. Petersburg FL
Banned
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This breaks the rules for what we think is a book. A powerful reminder of books that have been banned. . . because someone or a group of people didn’t think they should be read in our society.
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I took photos of every book and would love to show all them. I’ll feature a few that stand out in my camera roll. But really. You should see this wonderful, colorful exhibit of books that celebrates art.
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Eric Folsom, Gulfport FL
Drawings from the News
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A repurposed textbook, drawings, a music box that plays “God bless America.”
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Barbara Beyhl, St. Petersburg FL
Entirely Edible Books
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Eat this book!
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Liliana Crespi, Port St. Lucie FL
Under Construction
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Willow sticks, copper wire, drawing transfer on fabric
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Mary Correa, Lakeland FL
Sucre de Vosges
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Accordion book, tin box
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Karen Brown, Tampa FL
Word Whimsy
and Words Cubed
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“Books” as jewelry
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Elizabeth Neily, Gulfport FL
Florida the Sunshine State
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Helen Ensign, East Point GA
Small Fruit Culture
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Altered book using various collage techniques
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Kally Harvard, St. Petersburg FL
Kart
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Canvases, acrylic paint, Velcro, wood
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Kim Borowy, Tequesta FL
A Bolt from the Blue
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Gelli-plate printed fabric, recycled file folders
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Kristina Gintautiene, Holiday FL
Sunset Flipbook
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Three hinged plates of constructed stained glass
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Lauren Dykes, Tampa FL
Love You to the Moon and Back
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Book folding, cut and fold technique
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Stephen Sidelinger, Venice FL
Disc-O
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Wooden Box with CDs
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Beyond Words Events
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Saturday, July 23 at 2 pm – Make a book in the Creative Discovery Workshop for children and families. Call to register (727) 821-7391. Suggested donation of $10.
Saturday, July 30, 10 am-3:30 pm – Workshop “One Sheet Wonders: Folded Books from One Sheet of Paper” with curator Cindy Bartosek. Call to register (727) 821-7391. Cost $45.
Saturday, July 30 at 4 pm – Artists’ talk with Karen Brown, Lauren Dykes, Mary Grieco, Andrea Huffman, Kianga Jinaki, Elizabeth Neily, Polly Perkins, and Rebecca Skelton, plus closing reception.
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Florida CraftArt Gallery
10 am-5:30 pm Monday-Saturday
Noon-5 pm Sunday
501 Central Ave., St. Pete 33701
floridacraftart.org
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