Colette Fu, ‘Kaifuna’, 2017, pop-up book, 25 x 17 in. Courtesy of the Artist.
At the Maier, we aim to tell as complete a story of American art as we can, and artists’ books deserve a spotlight. Back to Front: Artists’ Books by Women features work by 33 artists and represents the diverse community of women in the United States creating in this genre. The exhibition presents expansive concepts of the book as art, in an array of formats and materials. Content and themes are wide-ranging as well, expressing beauty, outrage, hope, loss, humor.
Back to Front is also inspired by current unsettling trends that seem to vilify books in general. In conjunction with the exhibition, we anticipate offering a range of engagements for our visitors to champion the book and academic freedoms.
Back to Front: Artists’ Books by Women is curated by Martha Chiplis, in collaboration with Lyall Harris and Martha Kjeseth Johnson.