Exhibits in 2008
Travel, Typology, Technology: Photography and the (Re)Production of Empire
November 3 - December 1, 2008
This exhibition of historical photographic objects developed around a question central to our individual research: what was the role of photography in the creation and maintenance of empire? We present nineteenth- and early twentieth-century photographs from the Belgian Congo and British colonies in the Middle East as case studies for the ways in which photography galvanized the (re)production of empire through visual images. In addition, the juxtaposition of photographs from diverse global colonial projects, including the Philippines, Central Asia, and the Caribbean, expose photography as a key technology for disseminating ideologies about race and empire around the world during the colonial period.
Curated by Beth Ann Zinsli and Heather S. Sonntag.
Changelings: Artists' Books That Transform & Inspire
October 1 - 31, 2008
The Bone Folders' Guild presents a delightful exhibit of "changeling" books--books that fold, flip, move, slide, twist, and rotate--books that are part toy, part book, and pure magic for the viewer. Come experience the transformative power of the changing shapes, secret niches, and kaleidoscopic colors and images of these handmade artists' books. The Bone Folders' Guild was formed in Madison in 2001. Artists in the exhibit are: Suzanne Berland, Susie Carlson, Debby Henning, Nancee Wipperfurth Killoran, Laura T. Komai, Katherine Engen Malkasian, Petra Press, Cathy L. Rocca, Karen Timm, Marilyn Wedberg, Carey Weiler, and Kristin Yates. The exhibit runs from October 1-31, 2008 and is mounted in conjunction with the Wisconsin Book Festival.
Curated by members of the Bone Folders' Guild.
College Humor to Italian Tesserae: Celebrating the Centennial of James S. Watrous
August 1 - September 30, 2008
Marking the centennial of James S. Watrous (1908-1999), the exhibit looks at the many contributions of this artist and art historian to the UW campus. The exhibit was inspired by John Dobbertin, a collector of college humor magazines, and Lynne Watrous Eich, daughter of James Watrous. During his student days in the early 1930s, “Jimmy Watrous” illustrated a number of covers and cartoons for the campus magazine called Octopus. A few years later, he worked as a muralist for the government sponsored Public Works Art Project (PWAP) and frescoed the walls of the Paul Bunyan Room in the Memorial Union, creating striking images of that large lumberjack of folklore fame and Babe the Blue Ox. As a doctoral candidate, Watrous studied with the noted German art historian Oskar Hagen, earning his Ph.D. in 1939, at which time he joined the Department of Art History until his retirement in 1976. His interest in art flourished in the 1950s when he travelled to Italy to study mosaic techniques. Using small tesserae of colored Venetian glass, he created memorable mosaics for buildings on campus (Vilas Hall, Memorial Union, Ingraham Hall, and the Social Sciences Building). His major publications include The Craft of Old-Master Drawings (1957), and A Century of American Printmaking, 1880-1980 (1984), both published by the University of Wisconsin Press. As chairman of the building committee, he played a key role in the planning and construction of the new Elvehjem Art Center, which opened in 1970. The exhibit displays photographs, books and realia from the University Archives, the Kohler Art Library and the Watrous family. The exhibit is mounted in conjunction with exhibits on college humor magazines at the Memorial Union and Department of Special Collections (Memorial Library) during August and September.
Curated by Lyn Korenic, director, Kohler Art Library, and David Null, director, University Archives.
Blooming Books
June 18 - July 31, 2008
The books in these cases all explore the beauty and wonder of nature found in flowers, trees, blossoms and leaves. The colors of summer, the burst of a bud, the growth of a vine, and the potential of a seed are all evident in these wonderfully inventive artists' books. A variety of book structures and bindings are used to explore this theme: pop-up, tunnel, accordion, interlocking forms and concertina, among others. And what's a plant community without bugs? They're here for your viewing pleasure as well!
The books are on exhibit at the Kohler Art Library from June 18-July 31, 2008.
Curated by Lyn Korenic.
Sketchbooks: Selections from the Kohler Art Library
February 18 - May 19, 2008
One can almost see the hand of an artist by looking at a sketchbook. Artists use sketchbooks to quickly capture a fleeting moment depicted in a scene, face, impression, interior view, animal, rambling thought (doodle), or general idea. Sketchbooks come in all sizes, but for the most part they are portable and accompany the artist to local sites or faraway places. Facsimiles have been published to reproduce the exact sketchbook and/or pages of the sketchbook used by the artist. Smudges, rips, stains, and stray marks are all reproduced to match the original artifact. The art library has a growing collection of these facsimiles, such as the sketchbooks of Picasso, Renoir, Cezanne, Paul Klee, and Le Corbusier, among others. Contemporary book artists such as Henrik Drescher and Susan Bee incorporate a sketchbook-like quality in their work with splashes of dazzling color and playful line drawings. All of the sketchbooks on display show work that is “in the moment” and unrehearsed. They are fresh, vibrant, and great fun to view! This exhibit is a corollary to the “Workbooks” exhibit currently on display in Memorial Library, Special Collections. Both exhibits run from February 18 – May 19, 2008.
Curated by Lyn Korenic.
The Scientist's Eye: Dialogues between Art & Science
an exhibition of artist and rare books from the Kohler Art Library and Special Collections (Memorial Library) 
January 14 - February 16, 2008
The disciplinary division between the visual arts and the natural sciences was not always as strictly demarcated as our contemporary academic conventions might suggest; rather, the line between art and science was blurry, by preference and necessity. Many prime movers of the Scientific Revolution, including Copernicus, Vesalius, Hooke and Descartes saw the visual arts as an essential piece of scientific inquiry and the dissemination of knowledge. The motivation behind The Scientist’s Eye: Dialogues between Art & Science is to explore the visual discourse between artistic expression and scientific inquiry. Many rare books from Special Collections and artists’ books from the Kohler Art Library dialogue directly with one another, creating a transhistorical conversation that indicates the profound interactions between the arts and sciences.
The Scientist's Eye is presented in conjunction with "Visualizing Science," an interdisciplinary conference organized by the Visual Culture Center at UW-Madison. For more information about VCC events, please visit www.visualculture.wisc.edu/events.htm. Funding for The Scientist's Eye is provided by the Department of Art History at UW-Madison.
There will be an exhibition viewing and curators' talk in the Kohler Art Library on February 8 at 3:30-4:00 pm.
This exhibition was co-curated by Amy Noell and Beth Zinsli. Amy Noell is a PhD Student in the Department of Art History at UW-Madison. She studies transnational contemporary art and visual culture. Beth Zinsli is a PhD Student in the Department of Art History at UW-Madison. She studies the global history of photography.
Exhibits in 2007
The Art of Ediciones Vigia: Handmade Books from Cuba
September 19 - November 18, 2007
On display are over 50 books published by Ediciones Vigia, or Vigia Press, an “editorial collective” which began in the mid-1980s in Mantanzas, Cuba. The books, usually made in small editions of 200 copies, are collaborative works between Cuban artists, artisans and writers. Vigia Press provides a ‘semi-official’ publishing venue outside government controlled publishing entities. Noted contemporary Cuban writers such as Nancy Morejon, Ruth Behar and Senel Paz have contributed their work to Vigia Press. These creative works utilize natural and recycled materials such as twigs, leaves, dried flowers, brown craft paper, and twine. The books are on loan from Associate Professor Linda S. Howe, Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. This book exhibit is part of the multi-month conference, “Afro-Cuba at the Crossroads: Arts, Culture, History,” organized by Art History faculty member Professor Henry Drewal. Professor Howe will present a talk, “Ediciones Vigia: The Cultural Politics of Bookmaking in Cuba,” in the Kohler Art Library on September 21, from 4:00-05:00 pm. The exhibit is on view in the Kohler Art Library from September 19-November 18, 2007.
Curated by Linda Howe, Lyn Korenic, and Keisha Simpson.
Chinese Art Books from the Simon and Rosemary Chen Collection
July 13 - September 16, 2007
In 2006, the Kohler Art Library received over 200 books and serials on Chinese art from Simon and Rosemary Chen. This extraordinary gift focuses on contemporary Chinese art from the late 19th century to the present day. Most of the books and serials, some of which are rare, were acquired by the Chens during travels to Taiwan in the 1970s and to mainland China in the 1980s. Many of the titles are owned only by a small number of libraries worldwide and are not available on the book market today. The sizeable and important donation creates a new collection of strength for the library. Simon Chen, a local engineer, placed his chop (the characters translate: Self Reliance Hall Collection of Chinese Books and Paintings) in each item to mark their provenance. Complementing the library gift, the Chens donated a collection of over seventy works of Chinese paintings, calligraphy, and rubbings dating from the 17th to the 20th centuries to the Chazen Museum of Art. Important works in the collection include paintings by the early Qing artists Zhu Da (1626-1705) and Yu Zhiding (1647-1716) and by the Republican artists Gao Qifeng (1889-1933) and Chang Dai-chien (1899-1983). The most recent examples of art represent the revival of traditional ink-painting techniques in mainland China after the Cultural Revolution. The gift of Chinese art books and paintings combine to form an invaluable teaching and research tool in the arts and humanities. The exhibit runs from July 13-September 16, 2007.
Curated by Lyn Korenic.
Book (fri)Ends: Friends of the UW-Madison Library support artists' books
May 1 - June 30, 2007Proceeds from the UW-Madison Friends of the Library Booksale are awarded annually to campus libraries for the purposes of acquisition and preservation of library materials. Since 2001, the Kohler Art Library has been the fortunate recipient of this important grant funding. Our wonderful "book friends" directly supported the purchase of the eight artists' books currently on display by Harriet Bart, Carol Chase Bjerke, Julie Chen, Maureen Cummins, Johanna Drucker, Brad Freeman, and Jackson Mac Low. Special thanks to the Friends of the Library! The exhibit runs May 1 - June 30, 2007.
Curated by Lyn Korenic.
The Artists' Book Collection Online!
February 15 - April 30, 2007Marking the debut of the online Artists' Book Collection, the exhibit displays a selection of limited edition and one-of-a-kind works from the Kohler Art Library's large collection of art books. Now available to browse and discover online, the Artists' Book Collection (http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/ArtistsBks), serves as a "visual finding aid" that provides detailed indexing to each artists' book. Users can browse the entire Artists' Book Collection, or search for individual works by artist, press name, medium, binding, structure, collaborator role, or any word contained in the colophon. The Artists' Book Collection is available for viewing by appointment. The exhibit runs from February 15, 2007-April 30, 2007.
Curated by Lyn Korenic.
Student books
November 1, 2006 - January 31, 2007The books in this exhibit are representative examples of student works printed in typography and graphic design courses taught by Professor Philip M. Hamilton during his earliest years of teaching at the UW-Madison, 1964-1985. The students have combined handset type with photography, relief printing, serigraphy, intaglio and lithography to produce books as works of art. The books include pieces produced by familiar professional artists, designers and cartographers who are now or have worked at the UW-Madison, such as Professor Bill Weege, Professor Jim Escalante, the late David Woodward, John Risseeuw, Susan Kae Grant, Kevin Henkes, Marta Gomez, and the late Joe Wilfer, among others. The books are part of a larger gift of student books donated to the Kohler Art Library by Professor Hamilton. The exhibition runs from November 1, 2006-January 31, 2007.
Curated by Lyn Korenic.
Exhibits in 2006
Rooted in Wisconsin: Artists' Books & the UW-Madison
April 1 - May 30, 2006This exhibit was a selection of the work of UW-Madison alumni and faculty that are represented in the Artists’ Book Collection at the Kohler Art Library. The books on exhibit span 1978-2004. Some pieces reflect student work, but most of them were created after the student left the UW. Faculty members such as Claire Van Vliet, Walter Hamady, and Phil Hamilton shaped a generation of students, leaving a lasting imprint on many of the artists on view, most of whom are still actively involved in creating artists’ books.
Curated by Tracy Honn and Lyn Korenic.
Lewis Koch: About Time, 25 Years of New Year's Cards
December 1, 2005 - January 31, 2006For nearly three decades, artist/photographer Lewis Koch has been creating New Year's cards to delight and occasionally bewilder his friends. Koch's annual tradition of card making uses collage, photography and wordplay as a contemplation of the transient nature of time, to mourn the passing of another year and celebrate the next. Presented together for the first time are twenty-five years of cards, accompanied by source material from books and broadsides, original photographs, rubber stamps and other ephemera. The exhibit was on view from December 1, 2005 - January 31, 2006 at the Kohler Art Library.
Curated by Lewis Koch.
Exhibits in 2005
Mary Nohl: Smaller Works
April 1 - May 31, 2005Mary Nohl (1914-2001) did not label herself artist or craftsman, but enjoyed the process of "arts activities." She may be seen as sculptor, painter, jeweler, illustrator, writer--but especially, builder. Mary's greatest body of work became the unified whole of her home, informed by her familiar surroundings and by the world at large. Although she is best known for her sculpture-filled yard surrounding her cottage decorated with wood cutouts in Fox Point, Wisconsin, this display presents a glimpse beyond, into the interior realm of her lesser-known jewelry, ceramics, wire sculpture and drawings. The exhibit ranfrom April 1-May 31, 2005 at the Kohler Art Library.
Curated by Jane Bianco, UW-Madison alumna.
Dancing with Cows: In Celebration of Schomer Lichtner
February 19 - March 31, 2005On March 18, 2005, Milwaukee artist Schomer Lichtner will celebrate his 100th birthday! Known for his colorful depictions of ballerinas and cows, Lichtner is still actively engaged in creating art. The artists’ books, paper sculptures, and archival prints of his paintings will delight viewers with their whimsy, humor, and joy of life. A UW-Madison student from 1927-1930, Lichtner took classes from art historian Oscar Hagen, worked for Porter Butts at the Memorial Union art gallery, and even was acquainted with Frank Lloyd Wright. The exhibit at the Kohler Art Library ran from February 19-March 31, 2005.
Curated by Lyn Korenic and Rob Nurre.
Exhibits in 2004
The Chamber Pot: Culture Contained
November 15 - December 31, 2004Is there a cultural story in your toilet? What about in a chamber pot? Chamber pots have largely been neglected by the academic community and polite circles due to their less than savory connotations. This exhibit of chamber pots from 1450 to 1940 looks at the field of material culture as an approach to studying objects, analyzing the shifting cultural values embodied in the use of and production of chamber pots. The show ran from November 15th until December 31st, 2004.
Curated by Matthew Baumann, Meghan Doherty, Matthew Harris, Ellen Hickman, Andrea Hoffman, Anna Huntley, Margaret Lee, Philip Lyons, Cory Pillen, and Sooyun Sohn (graduate students in Art History 800, "Ceramics in America," taught by Professor Ann Smart Martin).
A Progressive Conversation Party
October 1-31, 2004In conjunction with the 3rd annual Wisconsin Book Festival, members of the Bone Folders' Guild collaboratively created artists' books addressing Ethel Cotton's "Course in Conversation" (1959 edition). The exhibit recalls the etiquette of the 1950s, when the game of sparkling conversation was considered a social art. The artists participating include: Carol Chase Bjerke, Suzanne Berland, Nancee Wipperfurth Killoran, Karen Timm, Katherine Engen Malkasian, Marily Wedberg, Susan Carlson, Carey Weiler, and Linda Streifender. The opening will be held October 9, from 5:00-7:00 pm. During the opening "A Progressive Conversation Party" will be played. Come join the artists for "the game." The exhibition could be viewed at the Kohler Art Library from October 1-31, 2004.
Curated by Carol Chase Bjerke and Susan Carlson.
The Book Artistry of Xu Bing
September 1-30, 2004Chinese-born artist Xu Bing works in a variety of mediums, from the graphic art of woodblock printing, which he incorporates in his artists' books, to large scale installations, such as the "net of words" based on a passage from Thoreau currently on display upstairs in the Elvehjem Museum of Art's Paige Court. The Kohler Art Library's collection is fortunate to include two of Xu Bing's artist's books: Tianshu or Book from the Sky and Square Word Calligraphy, which are on exhibit in conjunction with the Elvehjem Museum of Art's exhibition of "The Net," and "Xu Bing: The Glassy Surface of a Lake." Xu Bing's books, like his installations and drawings, are works of fine art that deal with the written word and altered meanings.
Curated by Lyn Korenic and Rob Nurre.
The Book as Art
April 2 - May 2, 2004The Bone Folders' Guild was founded in February 2001 as a network of regional book artists who learn from, support and encourage each other artistically. As a group, they frequently challenge each other to produce artist books based on themes. Examples of these artist books will be on display.
Also on display is "If Death Were a Woman Interpreted," the collaborative project between the Bone Folders' Guild and Ellen Kort, Wisconsin's Poet Laureate. With Kort's permission, the artists of the Bone Folders' Guild created the artists' books as expressions of their connection to her poem.
The participating artists of the Bone Folders' Guild are Suzanne Berland, Carol Chase Bjerke, Susan Carlson, Nancee Wipperfurth Killoran, Katherine Engen Malkasian, Tricia Schriefer, Karen Timm and Marilyn Wedberg.
Curated by Carol Chase Bjerke and Karen Timm.
The Photograph as a Book: Artist Books by Carol Chase Bjerke
March 1 - April 1, 2004This exhibit focuses on the combination of books and photographs and the tradition and challenge to the readers and artists they provide. Books and the photos that go with them have the ability to capture and delight artists and readers alike and share a rich tradition of multiple imagery, narrative and their stance in society as culturally-integrated objects, according to Bjerke.
Curated by Carol Chase Bjerke.
Exhibit is part of PhotoMidwest 2004.
An Artist with a Mission: Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.
February 1-29, 2004The Kohler Art Library features an exhibit of alumni book artist and fine printer, Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr., from February 1-29, 2004. Kennedy employs historic printing methods through which he expresses his socio-political views about such topics as: the vulnerability of children, his African heritage, and community activism. Kennedy specializes in old-world traditions of creating paper by hand from pulp, typesetting text, illustration of African symbolism, and covering his books with African mud cloth. Kennedy's passion for book art is evidenced in his cover-to-cover creations of books in a variety of non-traditional forms, such as wearable charm books. Viewing Kennedy's work is an exercise in consciousness, you will be moved.
Curated by Nola P. Walker, SLIS doctoral student.
Book Artists' Holiday Greetings
December 10, 2003 - January 31, 2004As a complement to its Artists' Book Collection, the Kohler Art Library has a growing body of ephemeral material designed by book artists. On display are some of the holiday greetings sent by book artists over the years to the Kohler Art Library or to the former art library director, William C. Bunce. The greetings are from John Carrera, Steve Clay, Bill Drendel, Marta Gomez and Ivan Soll, Caren Heft, Tracy Honn, Amos Paul Kennedy Jr., Lewis Koch, Katherine Kuehn, Ronald King, Jim Lee, Jo Anna Poehlmann, Joan Soppe, and Claire Van Vliet. Other types of ephemera in the collection include small exhibition catalogs, artists' biographical information, prospectuses for books, postcards and other correspondence.
Curated by Lyn Korenic and Rob Nurre.