The Sheltering Book Chapter 3
I am honored to have been one of 17 artists who received an inaugural ‘The WORD Grant 2016: The Bruce Geller Memorial Prize” from the Institute for Jewish Creativity, a project of American Jewish University, to create, “The Sheltering Book“.
“The Sheltering Book will be a life-sized book structure which will become the backdrop for community bookmaking workshops drawing parallels between the meaning and architecture of the book, and that of the Sukkah. The project also explores the relationship between the public sphere and private space, whether that space be our personal creativity, where we create, or what we create.” —Debra Disman
“The WORD Grant, a project of American Jewish University’s Institute for Jewish Creativity, supports artists creating projects that explore Jewish ideas, themes, tradition, history, and identity. We believe in supporting a contemporary, vibrant, Jewish cultural landscape in Los Angeles.” —The Institute for Jewish Creativity
Made of corrugated cardboard, primed, base-painted, and treated with layers of transparent color, the Sheltering Book becomes a Sukkah With the addition of dyed netting stenciled with ferns, the “s’chach“, roof of the Sukkah.
The Sheltering Book at The Braid Theatre Gallery, Home of the Jewish Women’s Theatre
Our first community bookmaking workshop was held at the lovely Braid Theatre Gallery.
The Sheltering Book onstage, becomes a theatrical backdrop, a set, and a theater in and of itself, as participants create their books nearby,
using brilliant and beautiful materials.
Mother and daughter work side by side.
Participants focus on”building”, then developing their flag books.
Documenting while doing.
Putting together word and image,
color,
text and texture,
themes.
Then we shared….in the safety of The Sheltering Book.
Was it a fluke that black was the predominant clothing color that day? Creating a striking contrast between Book and Bookmaker.
Glorious…and sublime.
…to be continued…