The 6 Foot Drop

April 17, 2017

“I always assume that the person unpacking/re-packing has never worked in a gallery before, that they are an 18-year-old trainee and it's their first day on the job.”

An artist’s response to my query on packing and re-packing works of art for an exhibition.

In the recent past, I received an artists' book back from a show. It was in its original box, bravo! for matching the box to the artist’s work. Here, the problem was inside the box. The book sat atop a very thin sheet of bubble pack with no protection for its top or sides. I have no qualms in mentioning that the bottom had no protection either. I phoned the gallery and their response was “The gallery ships the books the same way they arrive!

Of course, for security measures, I pack my books with no protection to survive USPS or UPS delivery. SURE!

Who oversees the procedures for return shipping? Anyone?

I don’t believe my book would have survived the six-foot drop the Saskatchewan Craft Council recommends for shipping artwork. If damage had occurred to my artists’ book, who would have been responsible?

“Do you feel a gallery should have insurance for damage, theft, and return shipping conditions”?

In my opinion, the gallery is also responsible for how it takes care of books/work while in their possession.

An experienced binder like Monique Lallier insists on having her bindings and boxes exhibited under glass. Even with her demand one of her gorgeous boxes got a corner banged up. How do we limit these type of accidents or carelessness from happening?

Artists, librarian, curators, and staff should read the article Proper Care and Handling of Books by the Library of Congress.

This brings us to insurances! “Who should pay the insurance costs?

This year I made a conscious decision to no longer exhibit my work in galleries without the artists work insured for the duration of a show. According to a Boise gallery, an invited artist should not refuse to exhibit hundreds of dollars worth of work for lack of insurance on the gallery’s part. Most galleries make sure with their contract that they are not responsible for any stolen/damaged artwork. I realize we always take a chance when exhibiting, but the galleries/curators need to take responsibility. How, would galleries survive without us?

One can’t place all galleries in the “I will never exhibit there again” category.

A few galleries are superb at taking responsibilities, I have found 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland and the MCBA in Minnesota, both respectful of book artists and their work.

Food for thought! Make sure you are content with the understanding between the gallery and the artist. Read the contract carefully; if you don’t like what’s written, say no to the invitation. Better not to exhibit than to be sorry.

“Don’t forget during your decision-making that there is a tendency for the artist to be the last person considered when people are thinking about money and art”—Cathryn Miller

Be aware and make good decisions... Enjoy your exhibitions without regrets!

"Amoché"

April 10, 2017

Was a book/binding/artwork of yours ever damaged or stolen while on display as part of an exhibition?

As an artist, one has to deal with exciting situations and some not so nice experiences. Lessons learned have jaded me from exhibiting. It is difficult to let go of your prized possessions for a month or more. One never knows what happens on the premises of a gallery.

Are you responsible for your books while alone in the darkness of a gallery?

I had an acrylic painting damaged back in 1984. I won my case in court and the city paid for the damages. If the gallery took serious responsibility for the artwork while dismantling an exhibition, they could save time and money for everyone involved.

I saw the inside of a courtroom for the second time when an owner of a Toronto gallery stole nine of my collages and drawings and shipped them to Korea while in his possession. I don’t know what happened to these pieces. Did he sell them? If you can’t trust the gallery owner, who can you trust? I won my case in Small Claims Court, but retrieving the money was another matter—never did, since jurisdiction did not extend to Korea!

By 2005, I picked up lots of information on how to do business—I thought—till I took part in an ARLIS conference after being invited to display a volume of City Shields in New York City. Several phone calls later and an amazing response to my inquiry, I found the reason for the un-returned book.

"The bad news is someone stole your volume of City Shields from the exhibition hall.
What was the good news, I asked?
It was loved enough to steal."
What the... is this for real?
The organization felt it was a great compliment!!! WOW! For me, it was a financial loss!

Not too long ago on the BookListServ, I read about similar experiences other artists have gone through. I communicated with them to find out their account. Some stories were positive and others were costly. Lucky or sensible?

Preparing for a show demands you ask many questions and more questions!
Who's responsible for the insurance costs?
Are galleries responsible for the art work displayed in the space?
Who should pay for damages during the show?...

Mary Kritz is an artist in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Exhibiting her books were positive experiences until showing a book in a private gallery. This disappointing situation happened when her book was damaged during the exhibit set-up. At the vernissage, the owner, (while in front of the crowd), embarrassed Mary by informing her that the book had “fallen apart”. As if Mary exhibited a book with an already damaged page with a detached corner. Mary mentioned she would repair the book the next day. At her return to the gallery, Mary learned the owner himself repaired the book without permission. Was he a binder? Did he use the proper materials? What right did he have to touch this artists’ book?

“I think the situation has happened to all of us artists at one point or other,” says Cathryn Miller from Saskatchewan.

It took two hours to repair her piece In Winter after being damaged in a touring exhibition. Cathryn was paid for the repair by the Saskatchewan Craft Council who insure all work while in their possession. The work is still salable which is great!

© 2017, Cathryn Miller, In Winter damaged during exhibition

© 2017, Cathryn Miller, In Winter with smudge marks

The Saskatchewan Craft Council ships touring exhibitions by commercial transport, the Council recommends that all works be packed so that the container can be dropped upside-down from a height of six feet without damaging the contents. What a risk factor!

Cathryn insisted on being paid for books damaged when a commercial gallery returned books with non-removable price stickers that adhered to the back. Who thought of that one, I wonder?

“I have exhibited at galleries who do not provide insurance but in those cases, I exhibit work I can afford to lose, comments Cathryn”.
“Very few galleries cover stolen work, so one has to think about what security measures are provided (vitrines, staffing, location, etc.) and we need to make a case-by-case decision.”

Cathryn writes long and descriptive directions for unpacking and re-packing art work for shipping. How difficult can it be to re-pack a book with its original box and filling? But, wait can they find the same box? What is the gallery’s best practices for keeping boxes and fillers connected to the book?

© Cathryn Miller, instructions for unpacking and re-packing In Winter

© Cathryn Miller, instructions for unpacking and repacking In Winter, part 2

© Cathryn Miller, instructions for unpacking and repacking In Winter, part 3.These instructions are fantastic, every artist should be this dedicated to their work! — © Cathryn Miller, instructions for unpacking and repacking In Winter, part 3.
These instructions are fantastic, every artist should be this dedicated to their work!

Alice Simpson who brings her ability of drawing and brush skills to paper talks about her experience with a damaged book. Alice’s books are hand-painted and mostly unique books, they are colourful and whimsical, and are of interest to international dance collectors.

BALLROOM, (a one-of-a-kind hand painted book Alice created in 1994), was damaged somewhere along the recent past. The gallery’s signage description had been carelessly Scotch-taped on the back cover, attached to the delicate paper used to bind the book.

When I attempted to remove the tape, it pulled the paper off. Unfortunately, I have no memory or record of where the book was damaged. It was returned a while ago, and I never opened the wrapping. If I had, I would have immediately notified the curator, and complained. What would they have offered to do? I have no idea. The book, the basis for my novel of the same name, is not for sale but now is damaged forever.

Forever is a long time! This subject matter is too important not to write more.

To be continued...

Tasks...

February 19, 2017

Tasks at hand this week in my 1/2 Measure Studio...

The gallery walls of Ming Studios are freshly painted and the pedestals are more or less prepared.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Ming Studio Space

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Ming Studio, pedestals being painted

I finished the volumes of City Shields, had a couple of boo-boos, re-print time!

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, City Shields oops!

Spent three days in Salt Lake City for business and pleasure. Taking some time off to relax.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, hiking in the Dimple Dell Gully Trailhead in Sandy, Utah

Received my prints from WhiteWall Photo Lab in Germany. They look great, it’s nice to see the pages of my artists' books in large format.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, prints for the show

I cataloged my books for the exhibition and I’m anticipating the big event at Ming Studios.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, six artists' books plus 78 volumes of City Sheilds

Thinking of submitting to the MCBA Prize—an international artists’ book award. Here are the links for the submission guidelines and the Book Art Biennial. Good luck to all who submit!

Drafting text for a grant, eager for newer and better equipment.

Twittered for the first time!!

An interesting and busy week filled with preparations.

Last, but not least, excited to finish a prototype of a recently developed artists' book. Will take photos next week.

Planning...

February 13, 2017

My first week of residency behind me, I’m contemplating the space, the books, the projection of images...

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Ming Studios in preparation for my residency

There are many details and it’s not a good idea to keep details and lists only in one’s mind. Notes, many notes, are required when creating an on-going project or any edition. These instructions are important to keep around for future reference. Writing details, such as the type of paper, colours used in Photoshop, set-up of jigs, binding... because you will forget! I don’t care how young you are! I’m happy to create an edition at once, but when low on cash, printing when needed is the best way to go, and it creates less inventory.

After answering many emails and particulars for the show at Ming Studios, I took the time to finish another volume of City Shields—Illinois Vol US7 No2.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, City Shields—Illinois Vol US No2 — © 2017 Louise Levergneux, City Shields—Illinois Vol US No2

When I started the project, each volume contained 18 manhole covers. Since 2006, I print and die-cut the manhole covers myself. With thinner paper, I added three more manhole covers to a volume. More manhole covers the better? Right. Now, I print a volume when I receive an order. It has become more complicated to print odd numbers of manhole covers. I could print three sheets of 13 x 19 inches. Voilà, two volumes printed with no math or a headache. With 21 manhole covers, I always have an odd number to keep track of printing without waste. It becomes a guessing game on what manhole covers to print. Aye! The dilemma of an artist!

Needing a meditation moment, I cleaned my junk. Screw posts anyone?

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, my many screw-posts

The National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives and the Centre Canadien d'architecture have purchased these new volumes. The volumes are in the mail today.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, eleven new volumes of City Shields

A new week begins, must get ready for more conversations and planning. Check it out.

Preparations!

February 5, 2017

The week flew by with residency and exhibition preparations. Lots of details to iron out as the days are short and timing is everything. City Shields will be part of the show, but not the focus. The attention will be on the idea behind my work, my obsessions, my collecting and my archiving. City Shields is the most obsessive and most popular project of my career, so it is a major component of the exhibition.

Time was spent choosing between all my published books—the ones that best describe my artist statement. Equinox was the first to make the list, but since I found a new home for the books at the beginning of the year, the books won't be present at the gallery—with imagination you might see nine years of my life. Other books in line are: A Day Filled with Onomatopoeias, Traverse, Parade, Perception, and Ambivalence.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, spread of Ambivalence artists' book

WhiteWall Photo Lab will print large prints of certain pages of books, these will adorn the walls. I’m anxious about the proofing—there goes that obsession again! Kristen Cooper the Program Director at Ming Studios is overseeing the printing in Berlin, Germany, where she lives and works. Cooper is a conceptual artist, her work is exhibited internationally, Kristen must know about the printing process. I hope the surprise will be good.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, spread of A Day Filled with Onomatopoeias artists' book

Set-up of pedestals begins next week—a good start to figuring out the gallery space. I am contemplating on the look of the show, the books, the prints... Stay tuned, here I go!

The Beginning!

January 31, 2017

I’ve met with the executive director and the program director of Ming Studios to prepare for my residency starting February 6th.

MING Studios is an international contemporary art center and residency program in Boise, Idaho. The gallery brings international artists to Idaho and introduces new opportunities for regional artists. Ming serves the community by hosting innovative programs including workshops and cultural activities, performances, screenings, readings and artist talks.

Keeping active between meetings and emails, I’ve verified files, edited text, printed and cut the last eleven volumes of City Shields.

Through the conversations, the scope of the exhibition has changed. Subsequently, we wanted the viewers to capture the nature of artists’ books. The spotlight is no longer on City Shields but the idea behind my work.

I appreciate simple moments characterizing our lives, building our history, whether sensational or monotonous. Fascinated by memory and identity, the day-to-day events entertain me.

I want to familiarize the readers with mundane activities that link us together to regain our childhood innocence. Autobiographical references are characteristic of my work, which centers on the act of collecting and storing my memories, my self-identity, and my environment. I study my surroundings with camera in hand and accumulate memories. My process of investigation continues as I manipulate images in Photoshop and iMovie, re-organize, write and plan my artists’ books. I finish a book when my conceptual framework reads as a physical object.

A digital method of reproduction gives my books a contemporary look. I work with different binding structures that respond to the book in question. The final product is a limited edition book representing the mundane in a unique, imaginative, and dynamic way for the reader to experience.

This video is my interpretation of the game Decision of the Flower: She loves me, she loves me not, originally Effeuiller la marguerite. I present this game in the French style making the potential outcomes more numerous. "Il/Elle aime un peu, beaucoup, passionnément, à la folie, pas du tout" (translates to "He/She loves me a little, a lot, passionately, madly, not at all"). I created four small flip books that demonstrate these outcomes: m'aime pas du tout (loves me not), m'aime un peu (loves me a little), m'aime (loves me), and m'aime à la folie (loves me madly).

The exhibition represents how I collect, document and archive using my complex, French Canadian culture.

Farewell Equinox

January 15, 2017

I studied the responses of emails to my inquiry about a donation to Special Collection Libraries. I finally made a decision and I’m delighted to announce that I found the perfect home for Equinox. Equinox will be part of the other 65,000 books housed in the Golda Meir Library. The library is part of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

After speaking with Max Yela, the Head of Special Collections, I relinquished all of my stress. I can now breath easy and able to let go of my project. The UWM Book Arts Collection endeavors to document and show the use of the book form as an art medium and has a world-wide reputation. With its active exhibitions, the Golda Meir Library will bring Equinox to the public and make them aware of my work.

The Golda Meir Library already holds 3 of my artists’ books: City Shields, Outside the Studio (AIR.10, copy #4), and 26NOV2006.

The most important criteria on my list were that Equinox would find a home in a Canadian Collection. When that turned out negative because of budget restraints my thoughts went to other important criteria, the library receiving Equinox as a gift had

acquired my artists’ books in the past, and
understood my work.

New Year, New beginnings!

January 1, 2017

Celebrating one year of blogging! It’s been a pleasure getting to know all of you through my posts. Thank you for the support.

Major changes are in the air for my 1/2 Measure Studio this year. The reasoning behind my books is on my mind these days. I’m questioning the trajectory of my work. Changing paths is a big moment and one I want to see bring forward movement to my work.

For now, confusion! Why do this? Why do that? Why be an artist?

Do you have questions that haunt you as an artist?

In the last month, I have been working on a new artists’ book—a sequel to my book entitled Beside Me. Beside Me was a wonderful book on teams published in 2005.

How do your books come to life?

Mine usually start with a trip, a thought, an experience... This one started with an emotion.

Completely filled with emotion, my mind started to think of how to create this book and in what format. Thoughts raced through my mind.

Think, re-think, plan, images, dream, re-think, write, view it in my mind’s eye, dream of it, camera in hand, photograph, template, re-think, write, play in Photoshop, design pages, dream, cover? Binding! Think! Choose fonts, discussion, re-think, compose photographs, relate to book Beside Me, write, edit, paper size, size of book, re-design, Edit...

Ideas have gelled, cover and binding chosen. The real work starts and frustrations follow!

I had difficulties in ordering paper with the proper grain direction needed for printing the pages of my book. Was everyone in the companies I called asleep at the switch? After many phone calls, I’m hoping to receive the correct paper.

Particular companies understand book publishing and grain directions. One of those companies is Moab papers by Legion. They are always happy to talk about the needs of their customers.

What type of difficulties do you run into with paper? Size, grain direction, thickness, durability...

This waiting period is giving me time to conceive the cover and how the new book will flow with the first book Beside Me.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, cover of Standing Alone

I continue working on my files of manhole covers to create eleven new volumes of different cities across the Canadian provinces.

©2016 Louise Levergneux, Saskatchewan manhole covers in Bridge ready to action in Photoshop — ©2016 Louise Levergneux, Saskatchewan manhole covers in Bridge ready to action in Photoshop

© 2013 Louise Leverghneux, Hotel Aloft, Minneapolis, MN, April 30, 2013

I hope happiness and prosperity comes your way in 2017!

Welcome Bienvenue

Hello, my name is Louise Levergneux, I’m a book maker. This blog is where I share and reflect on the approaches and structures used in my creative process, artists' books, photography. and more...

Your comments and stories are welcome.

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