BEDFORD gallery

Unbound
A National Exhibition of Book Art
July 11 - September 19, 2010

Preview the exhibition with an online slideshow

Sir Francis Bacon said, "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested." The artists in our summer exhibition Unbound: A National Exhibition of Book Art have other ideas in mind. This show features 65 artists who tear, paint, puncture, and sew the pages, covers, and spines of books to create new two and three-dimensional works. Some of the artists recreate the book form in ceramic or fabric and others create one-of-a-kind books that pop up, fold out, or hang on the wall.

Regardless of the popularity of the electronic book, Kindle, iPad, etc., the traditional book form of paper between covers has a protected place in the hearts of readers. The book has been the body of human thought for many centuries and those who cherish the written word also cherish the book. Many artists in Unbound have produced books that are creatively hand-built and bound, while others have embraced the book as medium to repurpose its shape and content into meaningful objet d'art.

Although the work in this show is extremely diverse, the artists all seem to be borrowing the intimacy and profundity of the book into their personal works. At times the objects might be barely recognizable as book parts, but they still provoke nostalgia for those portable, private companions we love to hold in our hands. Unbound includes artworks in every media from drawing, painting, and printmaking to ceramics, photography, and video.

Bedford Gallery presents Unbound concurrently with the grand opening of the new Walnut Creek Downtown Library. The library will house several art works purchased and commissioned by the city including Christian Moeller's Portrait in 12 Volumes of Gray, Marta Thoma's Journey of a Bottle, and other works by Lorene Anderson, Jennifer Bain, Amy Blackstone, Catherine Courtenaye, Guy Diehl, Don Farnsworth, Sheila Ghidini, Peter Goldlust, Susie Grant, Joyce Hsu, Norie Sato, Gina Telcocci, and Peter Tonningsen. Guided tours of the library art will be offered by Bedford Gallery docents beginning in July. The Walnut Creek Downtown Library opens to the public with a celebration on Saturday, July 17th.

- Carrie Lederer, Curator of Exhibitions

This exhibition has been generously funded by a Lesher Foundation grant and Diablo Regional Arts Association. Thank you as well to our media sponsor, Contra Costa Times.

Kim Anno • Richard Baker • Kelly Ball • Cara Barer • Michael Bartalos • Tony Bellaver • Doug Beube • Squeak Carnwath • Macy Chadwick • Julie Chen • Sas Colby • Claire Dannenbaum • John DeMerritt • Carl Dern • Marie Dern • Lauren DiCioccio • Arián Dylan • Marcel Dzama • Daniel Gonzalez • Susannah Hays • Lisa Hasegawa • John Hersey • Charles Hobson • Lisa Kokin • Hung Liu • David Mamet • Mary Marsh • Emily McVarish • Tucker Nichols • Abner Nolan • Catie O'Leary • Lisa Onstad • Francesca Pastine • Pamela Paulsrud • Nora Pauwels • Emily Payne • Stan Peterson • Nigel Poor • Maria Porges • Laura Raboff • Ehren Reed • Jim Rosenau • Luz Marina Ruiz • Ed Ruscha • Dickson Schneider • Ward Schumaker • Nancy Selvin • Tim Sharman • Richard Shaw • Helen Stanley • David Stein • Inez Storer • Travis Somerville • Erin Sweeney • Robert The • Peter & Donna Thomas • Andie Thrams • Jina Valentine • Andy Warhol • Allison Weiner • Gail Wight • William Wiley • Alison Yates