Surrounding communities can immerse themselves in storytelling, creativity and hands-on book crafting during the upcoming Book Arts Week, which will take place at multiple locations around campus and Downtown Conway from March 3-7.
Co-organized by Anna Mukamal, Loren Mixon and Meghan O’Connor, the event is a special collaboration between Coastal Carolina University’s visual arts department, the Digital Culture and Design degree program (DCD) and the University Libraries.
These departments invite students, faculty and Conway communities to enagage in the art of bookmaking.
Assistant professor of DCD and co-organizer Anna Mukamal said this year’s theme is “Making Embodied Experiences Material,” which will highlight how bookmaking can be used to convey lived experiences, empower individuals to share their stories and express their voices through book art.
“Books are not always with words. They’re not always with a spine and pages; they can be imagined as art pieces and these art pieces are communicating to people in a sensory somatic affective way that’s not only words,” Mukamal said.
Books are tangible items; they can transform narrative into a physical experience, unique to the art of books.
The event will feature a range of student exhibitions, hands-on workshops and community-facing activities to connect the digital arts and the humanities.
Co-organizer Loren Mixon, the academic engagement and outreach librarian at CCU, expressed their excitement about meeting the visiting artists and showcasing student work.
“A lot of people think of books as just text. But we’re really looking at books as objects of art, right? 3D pieces of art that are kind of bookish, or kind of tell a story,” Mixon said.
Events will include exhibitions of students’ artwork, numerous workshops, a craft night and lectures hosted by visiting artists Blake and Hannah March Sanders.
There will also be handmade bookmaking skills workshops for all ages taught by CCU students. Along with an exciting gallery reception featuring book arts created by students of Mukamal and Assistant Professor Meghan O’Connors’ classes.
Theresa Glazer, a junior studying studio art in the B.F.A. program, is one of the printmaking room monitors at CCU.
“I’m also really excited just to see what my other classmates bring to the table with teaching an actual workshop in Conway,” Glazer said. “I think it’s a great way to spread the wealth of knowledge that we have about bookmaking to other people, but not just on campus.”
For more information search for “Book Arts Week” under CCU’s University Libraries’ webpage.