Photo of an accordion book featuring pastel colored paste paintings with stenciled birds overlayed with a white block with the exhibit title in black and a smaller box with the Guild of Book Workers calligraphy logo of an open book.

September 17 - December 3, 2021

This exhibition features approximately 50 works by members of the Guild of Book Workers, an book artists organization that promotes interest in and awareness of the tradition of the book and paper arts by maintaining high standards of workmanship, hosting educational opportunities, and sponsoring exhibits. Members were invited to interpret the theme of “wildlife” in any way they wish, be it literal or abstract, humorous or serious. In a biological sense, wildlife describes the myriad of creatures sharing this planet, interacting and adapting, all connected to each other and their environment. "Wild" also describes an untamable essence that survives despite the constraints of society and culture. As craftspeople, knowledge of materials and keen observation of how they behave (and often how they refuse to comply) is an integral part of the practice of book making, and a reminder of how traditional bookbinding materials originate in nature.

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Photo of the gallery entrance with a teal title wall on the left, limited view of cases inside the gallery, and a portable banner on the right side of the hallway

Green title wall with the vinyl words Wild Life just below the Guild of Book Workers logo of an open book

Book cases to the left of the gallery door

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Floor case with four books, a book with wooden covers and black printed paper crow spanning the spine, an open book with colorful calligraphy and watercolor, a book open to a black blockprint, and a tan leather book with black marks on its cover standing up

Gallery shot of the floor case to the left of the gallery entrance, the east wall of the large gallery with wall mounted cases, and the partial wall that leads to a peach colored accent corner with a floor display case pushed into its corner

5 small individual wall mounted plexi cases of various sizes holding books by 7 different members of the Guild of Book Workers

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A partial wall on the south side of the large gallery features a wall mounted case with a teal leather book cover of a hawk's wing next to a framed letterpress printed and hand painted image of an evening grosbeak on kraft colored paper.

A large rectangular plexi-covered floor case sits pushed into a peach colored accent corner. The case has three books inside, one opened to a spread with text on the left side and a printed portrait with collage elements on the right-hand side; a closed book lying on its side with wooden covers, bone inlays, and brass clasps; and a grey leather book standing up and slightly cracked open. To the right of the accent corner are three alcoves set back into the wall and protected by plexi sheets. There are 10 small books displayed within the alcoves.

Close-up of the large rectangular plexi-covered floor case pushed into a peach colored accent corner. The case has three books inside, one opened to a spread with text on the left side and a printed portrait with collage elements on the right-hand side; a closed book lying on its side with wooden covers, bone inlays, and brass clasps; and a grey leather book standing up and slightly cracked open.

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Large alcove inset in the wall with a glass shelf just shy of halfway down. Two small almost square alcoves stacked one above the other to the right of the large alcove. A scroll mounted in a wood frame attached to a hardcover sits open in the top square. The bottom square holds a peach spined book covered in fish scales stands next to another book covered in fish scales with black leather on the spine and the edge of the cover near the fore edge. The large alcove has a rolly polly shaped book, an embroidery covered pink book, and a diamond shape book with its clamshell case on the top shelf. On the bottom shelf a black box with a wooden top sits in the left corner, a golden leather book with visible seems and stitches, a small 2" book with spider legs, and a small mica book with a clamshell housing an ocean specimen.

Long case in the middle of the floor in the large gallery houses three books, two of which have clamshell cases on display.

Two square pedestals housing blue leather covered books stand on either side of a long floor case housing a brightly illustrated accordion.

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View of the entrance from the large gallery into the small gallery. A wall of inset wall cases lie to the left of a short walk way and a square pedestal stands on the right side of the open door way. A vague view of a wall mounted case in the small gallery.

Two framed poetic broadsides, one featuring a linoleum block print of roots and another with ink and gouache abstractions, hang on the far wall of the small gallery. A hanging plexiglass case immediately to the right contains three blue books; two with abstract covers and one with a nautical illustration on the front. A framed piece containing a gouache drawing of a meteoric onion bulb is displayed immediately to the right of the entrance.

View of the small gallery featuring a large floor case with greenish handmade books inside. Three framed works of art are displayed on the far wall behind. A plexiglass wall case with three blue-colored books hangs to the right.

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A hanging plexiglass case contains three blue books of various shades, two with fascinating abstract covers and one with a nautical illustration spanning its back, spine, and front.

A blue-green letterpress print of the moon over a streetscape and two framed poetic broadsides, one featuring a linoleum block print of roots and another with ink and gouache abstractions, hang on the far wall of the small gallery.

Two plexiglass wall cases in the small gallery. The case on the left contains two items; a tunnel book with a forest motif and an accordion book with cyanotypes of dandelions. The case on the right contains four books, two above closed to display their ruddy front covers and two below open to designated pages.

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A hanging plexiglass wall case in the small gallery containing four books, two on a top shelf closed to display their ruddy front covers of collaged foil peacocks and an cut-out image of a frog, and two below open to designated pages showing text with an image of a knot in a tree and text beside an image of a bird.

A hanging plexiglass wall case in the small gallery containing two items; a tunnel book with a forest motif and an accordion book with cyanotypes of dandelions.

A plexiglass floor case in the small gallery displaying several books: the foremost book, a salad of leafy green paper pages flopping out beside an interior page inscribed with “The Unknown Vegetable” in gold, is bound together by a mass of red threads. Behind it on a pedestal stands a pop-up carousel book depicting colorful tropical animals bound together in a paper cabin topped with snow.

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A plexiglass floor case in the small gallery displaying several books. On the left is a salad-like book of leafy green paper pages embroidered with veins and flopping out beside an interior pages bound together by a mass of red threads. Behind it on a pedestal in the middle stands a pop-up carousel book depicting colorful tropical animals bound together in a paper cabin topped with snow. The right foreground pedestal displays a blueish gray book that forms a cylindrical shape bound at the center.

A plexiglass floor case in the small gallery displaying several books. On the left is a blueish gray book that forms a cylindrical shape bound at the center. Behind it on a pedestal in the middle stands a pop-up carousel book depicting colorful tropical animals bound together in a paper cabin topped with snow. A book in the right foreground is open to a colorful spread featuring linocut prints of a flying fish and other organisms.

A plexiglass floor case in the small gallery displaying several books. The book in the foreground is open to a colorful spread featuring linocut prints of a flying fish and other organisms. Behind it on a pedestal in the middle stands a pop-up carousel book depicting colorful tropical animals bound together in a paper cabin topped with snow. On the left sits a pile of leafy green sheets of paper, bound together and embroidered with red thread.

Wild/LIFE Exhibitors

Eric Alstrom  |  Alicia Bailey  |  Leith Calcote  |  Valerie Carrigan  |  Rebecca Chamlee  |  Kyle Clark  |  Jim  Croft  |  Coleen Curry  |  Mari Eckstein Gower  |  Erin Fletcher  |  Brenda Gallagher  |  Suzanne Glemot  |  Jane Griffith  |  Penelope Hall  |  Karen Hanmer  |  Lang Ingalls  |  Caitlin Jochym  |  Peggy Johnston  |  Meg Kennedy  |  Beth Lee  |  Christopher McAfee  |  Elizabeth  Mellott  |  Patrice Miller  |  Suzanne Moore  |  Bonnie Thompson Norman  |  Emily Patchin  |  Graham Patten  |  Todd Pattison  |  Beth Redmond  |  James Reid-Cunningham  |  Laura Russell  |  Patricia Sargent  |  George Sargent  |  Mardy Sears  |  Jillian Sico  |  Priscilla Spitler  |  Julie Stackpole  |  Peter and Donna Thomas  |  Mary  Uthuppuru & Andrea Peterson  |  Carolina Veenstra  |  Tom Virgin  |  Leslie Walthers  |  Thomas Parker Williams  |  Charles Wisseman  |  Stephanie Wolff