Arts

Welcome to the world of altered books.

“Altered books have been in existence as an art form for a very long time,” says Gail Deery, chair of the printmaking department at Maryland Institute College of Art and co-director of Dolphin Press & Print.

“At MICA, we offer a book concentration with some 20-plus classes, which allows students to make paper, sew books, work with letter press, and take books apart and reconfigure—or alter—them.

“Our students are of a generation that researches through Google, but nonetheless, they really treasure books and the book as an object.”

Part of the popularity of altered books is that they appeal to all ages and, with the popularity of e-books, these old-fashioned books now have an alternative use.

“This is really a great art form for people who are not trained artists,” says Sandra Abbott, the curator of collections and outreach at the University of Maryland Baltimore County’s Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture. “People begin to explore altered books when they sign up for workshops at art centers and libraries.”

Abbott adds that books have very defined parameters, and there is a comfort level in knowing where a book begins and where it ends. And in this age of technology, there is the increasing appeal of making things by hand.

“Books challenge us in a way that traditional fine art does not,” says Abbott, a judge for the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s altered book exhibition last year.

“By that I mean they are so intimate that you really have to look closely. You have to really handle these pieces in a way that you cannot with a museum painting or sculpture.”

By way of illustration, Abbott points to a book in the Enoch Pratt show.

“One of the works I loved was a book with a large crevice in the middle of the cover,” she says. “It didn’t look like much at first glance. But as I got closer, I could see that the artist had placed a tiny figure at the edge of the crevice that was maybe one-quarter-inch high. It was microscopic, but it brought another meaning to this piece.”

Nicole Chen, a 2011 MICA graduate who is now employed by Dieudonne Papermill, a New York “nonprofit artist workspace dedicated to the creation, promotion and preservation of contemporary art in the hand papermaking process,” cherishes the hands-on aspect of making paper and altering books.

“Making paper has given me a connection to my artwork in a way that graphic design did not,” she says. “Making paper and books both require a love for technique and a love for the craft.”

In the end, altered books are sculpture with endless possibilities.

“Bookmaking is a great tool for educating everyone,” says Chen. “Working with these books teaches everyone patience and creativity.”