The Altered Book Project, on display at Summit Artspace from June 17 through July 30, was the brainchild of Kent artist Claudia Berlinski.
“I first learned about altered books when researching collage techniques for a workshop I was teaching,” Berlinski said. “Not only did I want to recycle a book, I wanted to see if I could find one with content that could play a part in the concept of the artwork.”
Altered books can be defined as books that have been recycled and repurposed creating works of art by gluing, painting, collaging, rubber stamping, cutting, tearing or embellishing. They are the artists’ expressions of self, experiments in creativity and personal journals.
Berlinski, a senior lecturer at The University of Akron’s Myers School of Art, recognized that many people have intimate relationships with books, whether it’s with the story, the look, the smell of an old edition or even the weight in their hands. “Because of this I knew that numerous artists would have it in them to create a special piece from a special book,” Berlinski said.
She invited 17 professional artists to join her in creating the Altered Book Project, and then proposed the concept to Summit Artspace. The artists are: Bradley Hart, Cheryl Shepherd, Daniel Coffield, Emily Vigil, Ingrid Westberg, John Reddington, Mark Keffer, Tom Webb, Beth Lindenberger, Charles Beneke, Christopher Hoot, Donna Webb, Hui-Chu Ying, James Lenavitt, Kate Budd and M.M. Palmer.
Special events during the exhibition include a meet-the-artists opening reception on Friday, June 17 from 5 to 7 pm plus two Saturday workshops. These are free and open to the public. The workshops are designed for adults and older teens. Both beginners and professional artists are welcome. Please register for workshops by emailing psargent@neo.rr.com.
June 25 -- Photographs & Altered Books: An artist's demonstration by Bradley Hart 1-3pm
July 9 -- Begin Your Altered Book Journal Today! with Claudia Berlinski 1-3pm
Summit Artspace, a growing downtown art center, is a project of the Akron Area Arts Alliance in cooperation with Summit County government. Summit Artspace also houses a second gallery called The Box and several artist studios. It is located at 140 E. Market Street, one block east of the Akron Art Museum.
Regular Summit Artspace Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday noon to 5 pm. The Altered Book Project will also be open until 9 pm on Saturday, July 2 for the Downtown Art Walk and July 3 from noon to 5 pm for Sunday Sampler, an event with the Akron Art Museum and Akron-Summit Public Library. Admission and parking are free.
The Arts Alliance is a non-profit advocacy group that promotes the value of a strong, diverse and vibrant arts and culture community in Greater Akron. Its membership includes 48 organizations plus 70 artists and arts supporters. It is supported by the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation, Akron Community Foundation, Knight Foundation, Summa Foundation, OMNOVA Foundation and Ohio Arts Council.
