Engage, Perform, Act

Utilizing the nationally recognized artists' book collections at Yale, National Museum for Women in the Arts, New York Public Library, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Brooklyn Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Joan Stoltman explores one of Contemporary Art's most fascinating and elusive genres of production and exploration---the artists' book. This thesis dissects the issues of definition, exhibition and access that have plagued the artists' book field since its inception. Utilizing five works (Erica Van Horn's "Jewels I Have Loved"; Yoko Ono's "Grapefruit"; Tate Shaw and Andrew Sallee's "God Bless This Circuitry"; Suzanne Lacy's "Falling Apart"; and Angela Lorenz's "Soap Story"), this work attempts to inject new thought into the analysis of the wide variety of forms and concepts that occur in the field. The thesis ends with a critical essay on the struggle for legitimacy as a contemporary genre, a vigorous battle against typical art and book (i.e. museum and library) viewing practices.