The Sloane Art Library is restarting its monthly Artists’ Books Book Club which meets every fourth Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. The monthly installations are original works of art in book form pulled from the library's collection.
Josh Hockensmith, the art library technical assistant, curates each month’s exhibit. There is no discussion or lecture along with the showing, but viewers can interact with tangible art up close.
“It’s a nice way to be able to engage with an artwork, where you can handle it, you can sit with it, look very closely at it — it’s very different from seeing something on the wall at a museum,” Hockensmith said.
Each selection showcases an array of what the library has to offer, such as small-circulation magazines called zines and DIY works. The exhibits come in a variety of mediums like handmade paper or handbook binding. The works chosen in the past have had a relevant theme or message. The pieces for this month’s show have not yet been selected.
Veronica McGurrin, a third-year dual-degree graduate student in art history and library science and former library assistant, hopes to see more engagement with the book club this year.
“Overall, I hope to see this book club grow this year and that more members of the community, especially students, attend these events so they can use the collection in their own work as well,” said McGurrin, who worked alongside Hockensmith to help curate last year’s exhibits.
“I think that the Artists' Books Book Club has a wonderful impact on our community,” McGurrin said. “Many people — including students, faculty and Chapel Hill community members — are completely unaware of this incredible resource that we have at the library.”
The exhibit was launched in spring 2018, but not widely publicized on campus or in the community, Hockensmith said.
“We love to connect all of our users with our special collections,” Hockensmith said. “Libraries deal with having these collections that we have to have locked up for their protection, but we want to share them with everybody, so this is a good way to get them out there.”
