Books a Manifesto - in their own words ...

Much has happened since I last wrote here. The Pandemic, an election and its results, and more, seem to have overtaken our lives. We have to eke out enough time to contemplate and read while fighting the distractions of the day, the hour, the minute. Reading an entire book feels like an accomplishment these days yet books so enrich our intellectual, artistic and emotional lives especially in these crazy times that we live.

Once again we are reminded of the importance of books in our personal collections and in our public and special libraries. The latter being threatened by the intense economy we live in and lack of interest in research by those who make financial decisions. Time to give voice to books themselves and to the libraries that house them!

Manifestos have always played a major role in the art and book worlds (worlds that frequently overlap). The manifesto featured here, created by Stephen Bury and Sara Rubinow, is written in the voice of books. Thank you to Stephen and Sara for permission to reproduce this manifesto published on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Contemporary Artists’ Books Conference held in New York, September 2017 in conjunction with the Printed Matter Art Book Fair. The Printed Matter Art Book Fairs and conferences have been a vibrant place to look at, purchase and discuss artists’ books. In 2021, the Conference will be held virtually so stay tuned for more discourse.