Bookworks 14
Drone (iris) by C.S. Chewning
The Cincinnati Book Arts Society (CBAS) 14th annual exhibit of traditional and contemporary handmade books is on view in the Atrium of the Main Library from June 11 to August 18. This year’s exhibit showcases a selection of handmade books that demonstrate a variety of techniques and approaches used in traditional and contemporary bookmaking. The artist’s contributions range from traditional bindings to conceptually playful books that incorporate mixed media to books composed of found objects or crafted from handmade paper.
To learn more about the pieces in the exhibit and the artists who created them, please join Cincinnati Books Arts Society artists for special guided tours:
- Sunday, June 23, 2:00 p.m.
- Sunday, August 11, 2:00 p.m.
There will also be a hands-on bookmaking demonstration on Saturday, August 3 at 2:00 p.m.
Kinderduden by Alice Balterman
The Keith Kuhn Memorial Artists’ Book Exhibit
In conjunction with the Cincinnati Book Arts Society’s Bookworks exhibit, the Keith Kuhn Memorial Exhibit, which showcases artists’ books from the Library’s permanent collection, will be on view in the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Main Library from June 11 through August 18. Many of the books are hand-made, unique objects from well-known international, national, and local artists. This year’s exhibit is a retrospective of the works of Alice Balterman, a local collage and altered book artist who has contributed to the arts community throughout the years.
The show is organized annually in the memory of former Library Services Director Keith Kuhn, under whose direction the collection grew to be widely admired by art and book lovers from all over the region.
A Place of Beauty, Health and Play: A History of Cincinnati Parks
Through June 30, the Main Library is displaying selections from its historic postcard collection in A Place of Beauty, Health and Play: A History of Cincinnati Parks. This display features more than 60 images of 17 parks, including Ault, Eden, Lincoln, Mount Echo and Washington parks. Images from the display can be viewed online.
Inventing an American Style: Prints from the Library’s Collection, 1880s-1920s
American Express Train
With views of 19th century Cincinnati, fine examples of the American Etching Revival movement, Currier & Ives lithographs, and full-color commercial prints, the images on display show America’s desire, at the turn of the last century, to invent visual forms that express a national cultural identity. During the Gilded Age (1865-1905), the United States underwent deep social, economic, and cultural changes, and as a result grew from a rural society into a world-leading urban and industrial power. These transformations are reflected in the diversity of new artistic trends and aspirations. Colorful commercial prints proliferated, produced for a fast growing urban, entertainment-seeking class. For half a century, the popular Currier & Ives prints “held a mirror up to America” depicting genre scenes of everyday life. At the same time, American landscape painters and etchers developed a new maturity: abandoning traditional topographic and panoramic views, a more personal and suggestive vision of the American landscape emerged. Behind all these images, the recurrent theme is a glorification of American life, character, and nature. The exhibit will be on view in the Cincinnati Room until August 20.
For additional information about any of the exhibits listed please call our Programs & Exhibits Coordinator at 513-369-6944.