Preface and Acknowledgements

Celebrating the 50th anniversaries of the Chazen Museum of Art and the Kohler Art Library, Speaking of Book Arts: Oral Histories of UW-Madison showcases the inspiring work and voices of UW-Madison instructors and students working in the field of book arts. This groundbreaking exhibition takes a retrospective look at a vibrant, yet largely unfamiliar art form by showcasing artists’ interviews with specimens of their work from the library’s collection.

Artists’ books have long been an integral part of the Kohler Art Library’s distinctive collection. As artistic works they can be studied and enjoyed for a panoply of reasons, be it their printing and printmaking techniques, structures and bindings, papermaking methods, or interplay of form and content. Now numbering over 1400 titles, the library’s collection reflects the UW-Madison Art Department’s rich history of teaching graphic and book arts for five decades. Ongoing library acquisitions and stellar programming funded in part by the Leonora G. Bernstein Artists’ Book endowment invigorate campus and community understanding of this art form.

While co-curating this exhibition, I was often reminded of the vital role that William C. Bunce, former head of the Kohler Art Library, played in the development of the Artists’ Book Collection. From 1970 until he retired in 1999, Bill was committed to acquiring outstanding artists’ books. His discerning eye for high quality craftsmanship and his artistic flair shaped the Artists’ Book Collection into an esteemed resource of regional, national, and international work. He was passionately drawn to works that interrogated the idea of a book, explored the use of interesting materials and structures, and excelled in book production methods such as letterpress printing and handmade paper. His efforts have shaped the identity of the Kohler Art Library.

Bill encouraged and mentored many book artists during their studies and early career. One can discern his profound impact on students in Amos Paul Kennedy Jr.’s audio clip about deconstructing a work of art to see how it is made, as well as in the sculptural book, Sacred Space, by Jeffry Morin. Other interviewees pay tribute to him in their full-length oral histories.

There are many people who made this project possible. Tracy Honn, co-curator and former director of the Silver Buckle Press, brought an in-depth knowledge of bookmaking, keen attention to detail, and a strong artistic sensibility to the tasks of selecting works and writing exhibition text. She worked closely with sound engineer Craig Eley on specifying the audio recordings to be played in the exhibit, and worked with Dana Lytle and staff at Planet Propaganda in designing the printed audio guide. It was a joy to work with her.

The Kohler Art Library’s partnership with the UW-Madison Archives Oral History Program to record the oral histories was the vision of David Pavelich, director of Special Collections and Archives at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries. Guided by Troy Reeves, head of the Oral History Program, iSchool graduate student Sarah Lange conducted twenty-one oral histories. This extensive interview work, which began in 2018, was funded by a generous grant from the Friends of the UW-Madison Libraries.

I am very grateful to Amy Gilman and other Chazen Museum of Art staff, including Katherine Alcauskas, Kate Wanberg, Candy Waterloo, Kirstin Pires, among others, who were flexible partners in this successful enterprise. The show was supported in part by the Anonymous Fund; the Evjue Foundation, Inc. provided support for the curation, programming, sound engineering, and printing connected to the exhibition. The Foundation also enabled UW-Madison alumna Ruth Lingen to visit campus to deliver two talks: “A Life in Book Arts” (reception lecture) and “Talking Prints with Ruth Lingen” (Chazen print room talk). I also want to thank Anna Simon, Art Reference and Instruction Librarian, for taking the lead on this important e-catalog, which documents and provides added value to the original exhibition.

I hope this experience of shared storytelling about UW-Madison book arts will spur new opportunities for the Kohler Art Library to collaborate and build relationships with partners, near and far, in the future.

Lyn Korenic
Head, Kohler Art Library, April 2021