Text as Inspiration

Art has been associated with books since the invention of the printing press. There is the book cover. Often, there are internal illustrations. But what if the book itself took the form of a piece of art? Well, that was the premise of the exhibit Text as Inspiration: Artists Books and Literature at the National Gallery of Art.

In the exhibit, 14 artists took prose and poetry and transformed a book into a total, tactile art project.

Some of the artists wrote the words they used as inspiration themselves, but most used the words of a familiar or favorite author.

Personal highlights included:

• "There are monsters in my hair" by Rebecca Aarons which incorporates Ralph Steadman-like  black and white etchings.
• Maryline Poole Adams' "Presenting - The Seven Ages of Man" which sets the text of Shakespeare within a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theater
• "Eve" by Sandra McPherson which consists of an accordian-folded strip representing Adam's rib.

These and the other pieces in the show can be viewed by clicking on the link in the first paragraph.

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
You can no longer view this exhibit as it closed Jan. 29. We checked it out as part of a 3-museum, 1-day visit to see 3 shows the day before they closed. But not to worry. On the very day that we made our just-before-they-close trek, The Washington Post published a 16-page section of things to do and see in DC from now until April. Ah, so much to see and do, so little time. What a great problem to have.