“In my mind, I'm trying to give the viewer/reader an experience that has to do with reading, that has to do with a one-on-one physical experience with the object.”
“Even though I'm getting more and more away from physical book structures, it's still solidly in my mind, a book."
Craft in America Theme: Process
Lesson Overview:
In this lesson students will view the work of contemporary book artist Julie Chen. Through investigating Julie Chen’s non-traditional approach to bookmaking and the process she employs, students will contemplate and discuss the definition of a book, consider how books are made, collaborate and brainstorm ways to push the boundaries of books, and explore books as sculpture. Students will create their own artist books that have personal meaning and go beyond the confines of a traditional book.
Grade Level (8-12)
Estimated Time (seven 45 minute class periods)
Background Information:
People have long found ways to record and communicate information, from writing on stone, wood, and clay tablets in the earliest times, to using papyrus and parchment for scrolls. Scrolls evolved into early forms of books. Rare and valued for their exquisite beauty, books were written and constructed by hand with handmade materials, and each book was a unique creation or a copy of an existing book. Multiple copies were handmade prior to the invention of the printing press in about 1440, which has evolved into the production methods we know today.
Despite available technology that allows for multiple copies and wide distribution, some artists still craft books by hand. Most handmade books fall within a continuum where, at one end you find more traditional forms and, at the other end, are structures that push the boundaries of what it means to be a book.
Julie Chen playfully pushes the conceptual limits of books. Always mindful of the reader who will interact with her structures, she selects papers to delight the eye and appeal to the touch, while creating forms that function as “vessels” for text, images, ideas and meaning. The element of surprise is integral to her books—what might be anticipated as a “page” emerges as three-dimensional sculptural space. In one work, Bon Bon Mots, a superbly crafted “candy” box opens to reveal five small sculptural forms; each is a book in its own right, albeit a book that seems much more like a toy than a book. Despite the nontraditional forms, the text in Chen’s creations is letterpress printed. Even as she explores unconventional structures, Julie Chen maintains the longstanding bookmaking tradition in which exquisite craftsmanship is the norm.
• Artists sometimes explore conceptual boundaries of art forms.
• During the process of making art, artists often consider how the viewer will experience the artwork.
• A book can be considered a three-dimensional artwork - a sculpture - that has both content and form.
• Some artists allow for new ideas and directions to gradually enter into the art-making process.
• What is a book?
• When is a book a work of visual art?
• Why might it be important for the artist to consider the viewer when planning and creating an art book?
Students will:
• Explore the parts and defining characteristics of a book.
• Compare and contrast traditional books with the books of Julie Chen.
• Investigate nontraditional structures for books.
• Create a book with personal meaning that goes beyond the confines of a traditional book.
Artist’s Book, Prototype
Language Arts, History/Social Studies
Content Standard:
1. Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes
2. Using knowledge of structures and functions
3. Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas
5. Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others
Worksheets:
• Amazing Books
• From Prototype to Final Book
Materials for Studio Production:
• Various packaging materials for students to consider as book structures
• Old hardbound books to be “gutted” and used for structure
• A variety of colors, textures, and weights of paper
• Pencils, rulers, compasses
• A variety of color writing implements
• Paints, brushes
• Newspapers, cardboard
• Collage materials
• Glue, rubber cement, double sided tape
•Exacto knives and scissors
Download the Julie Chen Process Guide in .PDF Format. [Get a copy of Acrobat Reader free from Adobe HERE if you don't already have it installed on your computer]
Julie Chen Education Guide
Julie Chen Guide Worksheets
