Puget Sound Book Artists Opening Reception

Thursday, June 7, 2012
4:30-6:30 p.m.
Exhibition Dates: June 7 – July 31

Collins Memorial Library,
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, Washington
Library Hours

The exhibit, curated by Lucia Harrison, MalPina Chan, Debbi Commodore and Randi Parkhurst, showcases the work of members of the Puget Sound Book Artists organization.  The exhibition opens on Thursday, June 7 and runs through July 31, 2012.  The opening reception where the public can meet the artists will be on June 7 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Curator’s Statement:

The Puget Sound Area of Washington State has a vibrant book arts community and we are delighted to present the works of 27 talented artists in the Puget Sound Book Artists (PSBA), 2nd annual Members’ Exhibition.  Each year, this exhibition gives our members a goal and experience exhibiting their work.  This year, PSBA brought in artists to give lectures or workshops on pattern design, handmade paper, and pop-up book design.  The contemporary artist books in this exhibition are exceptional in their many forms. The exhibition features many different book structures, re-purposed found materials, fabric, wood, handmade papers, and papers embellished with paint, rust, dirt, stitching, and calligrapher elements.  This year’s artists were inspired by nature, personal memory, family history, cultural memory, toys, art historical book forms, natural history, science and travels.

Puget Sound Book Artists (PSBA) is a nonprofit organization comprised of both amateurs and professionals from all quarters of the book arts field for the purpose of creating a spirit of community surround the books arts and those who love books. This new organization strives to increase educational opportunities for individuals as well as institutions and other organizations, fostering excellence through exhibitions, workshops, lectures and publications related to various aspects of book arts throughout the year. The group meets monthly for play days which are designed to be brainstorming opportunities” for beginning and experienced book artists. There is time to discuss the lectures, work on a personal project, ask questions about formats, surface design, and the latest products as well as view samples of handmade and published books.

The PSBA would like to thank all of the wonderful artists who chose to participate in this exhibition as well as  acknowledge Collins Memorial Library staff and especially graphic designer Jeanne Young  and Administrative Coordinator, Jamie Spaine for their support and gracious hospitality at The University of Puget Sound Collins Memorial Library.

Article on Puget Sound Book Artists from the Weekly Volcano.

May 2012
Counting Down to Summer with some Year End Facts

Number of visitors to the library this school year: 41,190
Busiest day of the school year (in visitors): Monday, April 30, 2012 – 2,296 visitors

Library Snapshot:  Learn more about a “typical day” in Collins Library
Link to Library Stats:  Check out our library stats which are continually updated

Studying students have filled every nook and cranny of the library!

Top Ten most widely used electronic journals:

1.       Science (New York, N.Y.)
2.       Nature (London)
3.       Medicine and science in sports and exercise
4.       Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation
5.       The New York Times
6.       Harvard Business Review
7.       The American Journal of Sports Medicine
8.       Disability and Rehabilitation
9.       Sex Roles
10.   British Journal of Sports Medicine

Top Ten Most used subject guides:

1.       Psychology
2.       Biology
3.       Physical Therapy
4.       Comparative Sociology
5.       Politics and Government
6.       Business and Leadership
7.       History
8.       Communication Studies
9.       Exercise Science
10.   Welcome to Collins Library

Most widely viewed articles, citations and papers held in Sound Ideas:

1.       Aquatic Therapy for Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder: Occupational Therapists’ Perspectives
2.       Fictional Monuments to Women in Propertius IV
3.       Mini-Mental State Examination and Large Allen Cognitive Level Screen:
Predictive validity for discharge disposition among patients of a skilled nursing facility
4.       Bending the Gaze: An Ethnographic Inquiry into Contemporary Contortion
5.       Validity and Reliability of the Nintendo Wii in Measuring Standing Balance
6.       The Construction of the Curia Julia
7.       Current Trends in Occupational Therapy Treatment for People with Stroke
8.       History of Oceanography, Number 03
9.       The Economics of Penny Auctions
10.   Fashion and Self-Fashioning: Clothing Regulation in Renaissance Europe

Need Information? Don’t forget the Collins Memorial Library Database List A-Z

Questions? Contact your liaison librarian

Comments: Contact Jane Carlin, Library Director

Remember – Your best search engine is a Librarian!

Spoils of War in the Stacks of the UPS Library

One of the most remarkable volumes in the UPS Library is the one whose title page appears to the right. It is a 900-page collection of pro-slavery treatises published in Georgia just before the Civil War. These treatises defend slavery on several grounds: economic, social, political, and religious — yes, religious, for two of these works exhaustively document the Biblical acceptance of the institution of slavery.

As valuable as this volume is for the historical importance of its content, there is something even more remarkable about it: the story of how it came to UPS. On the flyleaf is a penciled inscription: “Presented to Capt. E.Lewis Sturtevant, Co. G, 24th Maine Regt., upon compulsion, by Mrs. Wood, wife of Guerrilla Wood, Livingston Parish, La., May 13, 1863.”

It is hard to tell whether this is in the handwriting of Capt. Sturtevant or of Mrs. Wood. (A direct descendant of Sturtevant has compared this with his ancestor’s handwriting and is of the opinion that it is his.) In any case, the circumstances are clear. During the spring of 1863, Union forces under Nathaniel P. Banks were besieging Port Hudson, La., on the Mississippi, just north of Baton Rouge. (It fell at last on July 8, four days after the fall of Vicksburg. The Mississippi would then be entirely under Union control, and Lincoln would declare, “The Father of Waters again goes unvexed to the sea.”) In May and June, Livingston Parish, a few miles to the east of Port Hudson, was thick with Union troops preparing for the final assault.

These were the circumstances under which Capt. Sturtevant paid his visit to Mrs. Wood. Perhaps he was billeting his troops in her house. Evidently he caught sight of this fascinating book on her shelves and “liberated” it. Some years later (after he had become a famous expert on edible plants), he or his heirs donated the book to the Framingham, Mass., Town Library, as a sticker on the flyleaf notes. No doubt the library at some point discarded the book into a library sale, a sharp-eyed dealer picked it up., and it was eventually sold to a small Methodist college in the Pacific Northwest. It is on the open stacks, call no. E449 E48.

-by David Lupher

And that’s not all! On pages 26-27, there’s a great article that was written by Julie Nelson Christoph’s English 408 class on a particular genre of books held in the Special Collections—artists’ books. Students spoke to book artists, Jane Carlin, the library director and founding member of Puget Sound Book Artists. Thanks to: Emily Alfin Johnson ’12, Victoria Bonomo ’12, Sophie DeWitt ’12, Laura Derr ’12, Kelsey Eldridge ’12, Molly Lewis ’12, Zane Muller ’12, Evan Pearson ’12, Will Potenberg ’12, Jill Sanford ’12, Allison Schoenin ’12, Thao Tran ’12, Olivia Weitz ’12, Jeff Winograd ’12, and Brendan Witt ’13 for their fantastic article!

Last but not least, this issue of Arches features some great information and photos about the new library furniture, a kind donation from Lee Diane Collins  Vest ’70, and Ron Thomas’s meditations on the connections between libraries, special collections, and angels.

On that uplifting note, we encourage you to go find a copy ASAP, or read it online!

-Jane Carlin

Jennie grew up in Gunnison, Colorado and became interested in art when she took classes in high school from an inspirational teacher, Erin Vokoun.  An outdoor enthusiast, Jennie enjoys the beauty of the environment. Her appreciation of the natural world influences and informs her work as an artist. She is particularly fascinated with human forms and patterns of nature. Jennie attributes the playfulness of her work to her Ewok heritage.  After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art at Puget Sound, Jennie will spend the summer as a river guide in Utah. In the future she wants to keep making art and exploring different parts of the world.  Congratulations, Jennie!

Artist’s Statement

Human beings take themselves quite seriously. We are the only species that seeks to visually communicate ideas through our clothing, how we carry ourselves, or do our hair. By removing these visual accessories, an abstract nude form allows some assumptions and judgments to fall away. Here, patterns found in nature can be reflected on the body, mirrored in parts, or wholes, and a raw figure opens a space for a unique interpretation to fit a familiar form. My approach fosters a new way of thinking about how the human body is represented, how we conceptualize and identify with personality, and how these ideas come together to inspire expression.

Friday, Apr.27, 2012
3:30- 4 p.m.
Collins Library Reading Room