To Kitty Maryatt, assistant professor of art and director of the Scripps College Press, a book is more than just a collection of pages. It’s a means to fuel artistic expression that transcends culture and time – and it’s a perfect touchstone to comment on the histories of the present.
Maryatt’s class From Materiality to Immateriality questions and analyzes the motivation of these artists through the most intimate means possible: by getting students to craft paper for their own artist books. “I wanted students to understand how the appropriate fibers are harvested, cooked, and made into paper,” she says. “In Core we learn about the history of books, mount an exhibit of contemporary artist books, and make their own artist book, so they discover how papermaking is an essential part of the bookmaking process. Making it themselves and reading about the history gives them perspective on how complicated the process is.”
The video below offers a quick peek into the process of papermaking:
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