Handmade artists’ books at Maine Fiberarts

Sandra Barry of East Boothbay and Sarah S. Harvey of Woolwich are exhibitors
Fri, 07/17/2015 - 8:00am

Story Location:
13 Main Street
Topsham, ME 04086
United States

“Handmade Artists’ Books: One of a Kind” is an exhibition on view now through Sept. 30 at Maine Fiberarts, 13 Main Street, Topsham. The exhibition includes 62 works of art by 22 Maine artists who have created unusual and remarkable pieces resembling and moving far away from traditional book structures.

A reception for the show will be held on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 1-2:30 p.m. and will include poetry readings by Gary Lawless and Stephen Petroff. Lawless is a poet and co-owner of Gulf of Maine Books in Brunswick. Petroff has books and paintings displayed in the current show.

Hands-on workshops and other events will be posted at the group’s website at www.mainefiberarts.org.

Artists include Sandra Barry, East Boothbay; Sarah S. Harvey, Woolwich; Libby Barrett of Cape Elizabeth; from Portland: Kathleen Bender, Elizabeth Berkana, Solange Kellermann, Anna Low, Jill Osgood; Sissy Buck, Cumberland Foreside; Bonnie Faulkner, Yarmouth; Rebecca Goodale, Freeport; Kathleen Leggett, Falmouth; Susan Colburn Motta, Kennebunk; Natasha Kempers-Cullen and Stephen Petroff of Topsham; Richard Lee, posthumously; Cynthia Motian McGuirl, Thomaston; Arlene Morris, Brunswick; Scott Mullenberg, Biddeford; Abigail Robbins, Brunswick; and Sue West, Brunswick.

Many of the artists showing work are associated with the Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts at the University of Southern Maine. Several have been students of CBA Program Coordinator and exhibitor Rebecca Goodale.

A definition of “artists’ books” can be as varied as the artists who make them. Formats include traditional structures, altered books, inventive structures, flags, accordions, pamphlets, and stars.

Material may include paper of every kind, fabric, metal, glass, photographs, prints, thread, paint, ink, and found objects — all of which may be assembled, disassembled, or reassembled. Artists’ books “read” in their own way.

They may or may not include words or images, but you will find they always have something to say.

Books on view at Maine Fiberarts spiral, hang from the ceiling, spill over, are hand-stitched, feature watercolors, have metal pages, are comprised of receipts, or are made of glass. One can even be worn! The books are inventive, unusual, disconcerting, and beautiful. Stories are told through images, pages, imagination and form.

Since the year 2000, statewide nonprofit Maine Fiberarts has hosted exhibitions that change every two or three months. The group also hosts an online Maine Fiberarts Tour of artists’ studios, fiber farms and other craft destinations at www.mainefiberartstour.com.

Visit Maine Fiberarts  in Topsham Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., or at its flagship website at www.mainefiberarts.org.