[Artists and the Mass Media]

Black and White and Read All Over: Artists & the Mass Media
April 15 - August 31, 2013

Works of art lurk in all sort of unexpected places in the library: in the stacks of bound periodicals, on rolls of microfilm, in online digital collections. You might find an artwork in the pages of an old Harper’s Bazaar or when flipping through back issues of Fortune Magazine.  The artists included in this exhibition each made works of art that appeared in the mass media: in a magazine, in a newspaper, or on television. Rather than make unique, precious objects destined for exhibition in a gallery, museum, or private collection, these artists bypassed the art world and created artworks that could circulate far and wide.  

[Soundlings]
Kate Ferrucci
Soundings
Bloomington, IN: People to People Press, 2006
Gould Library Special Collections

Soundings: Collected Stories from Bloomington's Music Community

The vibrant city of Bloomington, Indiana and its rich musical heritage inspired Soundings: Collected Stories from Bloominton’s Music Community. The text of the book is drawn from oral interviews with a diverse group of influential Bloomington musicians (including violinist Joshua Bell) about the role of music in their lives.

The design and construction of the book reflect the musical theme: the book is stored in a musical instrument case, and is bound with lacquered ebony and figured maple boards attached to a goatskin vellum spine. The covers are inset with pearl dots and a narrow wood decorative strip to resemble a finely crafted stringed instrument.

Photograph courtesy of Kate Ferrucci

[William Blake Watercolor]

Image courtesy Tina Chen

Tina Chen: Drawings from William Blake's Auguries of Innocence

Inspired by William Blake’s The “Auguries of Innocence”and its rich visual imagery, Tina Chen has created twelve watercolor paintings that all demonstrate Blake’s elusion to the sublime reality of mankind and nature. In this stunning series, Tina illustrates Blake’s portrayal of joy, terror, and sorrow through her own interpretations of the piece, expressing her own emotional responses and shedding light on the dramatic narrative that is implicit within the poem. 


 Baedeker Books: The Birth of the Travel Guide

[Baedeker cover][Canvas]
This exhibit features fifteen Baedeker books – a series of popular travel guides invented in 1827 by German publisher, Karl Baedeker (1801-1859). The Baedeker books, known for their distinctive red covers, were celebrated for their function as practical guides, providing European tourists with everything from restaurant recommendations to common
language translations.