Wunderkammers
Alicia Bailey
May 5 – July 1, 2017
EXHIBITION DATES:
May 5–July 1, 2017
OPENING RECEPTION:
Friday, May 5 at 5-7pm
The Friends of the Art Library are pleased to present a solo exhibit of artwork by Denver-based artist, Alicia Bailey.
Wunderkammers
Popular in 18th century Europe, cabinets of curiosities, also known as Wunderkammers, were created to hold personal collections of things of wonder, most often of wealthy, well traveled individuals. The concept of juxtaposing objects from diverse and varied sources rather than imposing a categorical style sorting method of presentation, remains popular in contemporary culture. This concept, in a general way, well describes the ongoing work of Denver based artist Alicia Bailey.
Bailey uses the Wunderkammer concept to develop her book and box works into series of portable Wunderkammers, juxtaposing apparently unrelated cultural artifacts, natural history specimens, personal artifacts and custom fabrications to show their interconnectedness in ways that encourage curiosity about the world.
A selection of her book and box works will be on display in the Friends of the Art Library Gallery, upstairs in the Durango Art Center, from May 5 – July 1, 2017.
In conjunction with this exhibit, Alicia will also be teaching a Pivoting Panel book workshop on May 6 & 7 in the DAC Education Studio.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Studio artist Alicia Bailey, Denver, Colorado, has a particular passion for book and box works that include elements beyond surface printed images and text; that move beyond traditional forms and embrace presentation flexibility, interactivity and use of alternative materials.
Alicia is affiliated with several professional organizations and is is owner/director of Abecedarian Artists Books in Denver, Colorado. She is also a member of Denver’s Spark Gallery. Alicia acts as an independent curator/juror, instructor/mentor and regional events coordinator in the book arts. In her studio work, she has focused on book and box arts since the mid-nineties, producing box works, artists’ books, sculptural books, limited edition books. Her work has been featured in dozens of solo and group exhibits throughout the world and is held in numerous public, private and special collections. An archive of her work is under development at University of Denver Penrose Library Special Collections.
Rigid Page Book with Rotating Panels
2-day workshop with Alicia Bailey
Maximum number of students 10.
Using pre-cut materials, each participant will make a rigid page book structure that is a combination of Hedi Kyle’s Mongolian Binding with swiveling interior panels on each page. Pushing the notion of book as interactive sculpture, this structure lends itself to pictorial, non-linear content and is well suited for mixed-media use.
Each of the three pages and covers are ¼ inch thick and are bound with a leather spine. In addition to learning the structure, the workshop covers planning and preparation of materials for mixed-media imaging. There will be an opportunity for each student to image or write on their pages, but the emphasis of the workshop is on the structure more than the content. For this book, students will be able to make pages with circular, square or diamond shaped interior panels.
Instructor provides all book and box materials. Material fee per student $25.
Previous bookmaking experience is helpful.
DAC is grateful for the generous support of our exhibit sponsors who enable culturally innovative programs to exist in our community. This show is sponsored by New Face Productions.
Barbara Conrad Gallery Hours:
Tuesday – Saturday
10am – 5pm
Entry to Durango Arts Center galleries is always free. The galleries are closed to the public on Sundays and Mondays.
