This collection of artists’ books was donated by retired Lehigh professor, George Shortess. Beginning in the 1980s, Shortess began creating and collecting artists' books that merged his research interests in perception, cognition, and sensory experience with the formal experimentation of book arts.
This collection includes published artists’ books, exhibition catalogs, a zine, and works of literary fiction. This collection includes 31 artists’ books, seven of which were created by Shortess himself. Most of the artists’ books were published by small-presses based out of New York from the 1980s.
One such press is Wedge Press, in which this collection includes a box set of 14 artists’ books, published by Wedge. Wedge Press was a groundbreaking 1980s periodical that combined artists’ projects with critical theory, focusing on media regulation in mid-20th century America and its effects on public consciousness. It also addressed global political issues, including U.S.-backed sterilization in Puerto Rico and Korean resistance to Japanese occupation.
The Shortess artists’ books collection addresses a number of themes, such as: beauty, love, the influence of television, and more. The collection spans from the 1970s to the 1990s, with emphasis on the 1980s.
A standout artist book in this collection is on the theme of HIV/AIDS and was created by Shortess. It is titled, “How Do You Feel About AIDS?” This one is from 1990 and takes an honest look at people’s feelings about HIV/AIDS at that time in history.
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Within this collection there are also exhibition catalogs. These catalogs mostly feature exhibits put on by Franklin Furnace in the 1980s. Still around today, Franklin Furnace has a mission “to present, preserve, interpret, educate, and advocate on behalf of avant-garde art, especially forms that may be vulnerable due to institutional neglect, cultural bias, ephemerality, or politically unpopular content.”. These catalogs show what artists were creating and proclaiming during this time. It is a glimpse inside the world of avant-garde art exhibitions in New York City in the 1980s.
There are also works of literary fiction within the collection. One unique piece was created by Richard Kostelanetz, titled, “Recyclings, 1959-1981.” Richard Kostelanetz is an American artist, author, and critic known for his experimental and avant-garde works in literature, visual art, and audio, particularly his contributions to concrete poetry and alternative narrative forms. “Recyclings, 1959-1981” is interesting in that it includes no punctuation, an example of the alternative narrative form.
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