MemoryMaking Books

MemoryMaking Books

In celebration of the 125th Anniversary of the Santa Monica Public Library, I had the opportunity to lead a bookmaking program at the  Montana Avenue Library, my home branch of the SMPL

“Making Memory Books” was requested… a single signature style book, embellished with fabric.

Leather, denim, beads, as well as decorative papers and fabric scrap were some of the goodies laid out for participants to use.

The signatures were already prepared, with holes punched. Once bound with the three-hole pamphlet stitch, the first and last pages were glued to the inside of the front and back covers, and the book was formed.

Then, the fun could really begin!  let the embellishment commence!

Paper, “eco-fi” felt, cloth, lace and leather transformed the book structures into unique works of art.

Upon request, a square shape was used, instead of the more common vertical  rectangle.

A mother daughter duo enjoyed adorning their book covers with butterflies.

Is this a pink planet, surrounded by butteries?

The inspiration for the project was a series of fabric covered sewn book models,

with cloth pieces applied patchwork style.

The colors, patterns, shapes and tactile quality of cloth and textiles can evoke powerful memories.

The effect can be pleasing visually, as well as tracing remnants of life stories barely remembered but held in the body, memory and emotions through the sense of touch.

These books, that may hold memories barely discernible to the maker, can now become the repository of new memories, as scrapbooks, photo albums, journals, or sketchbooks.

What a beautiful gift.

Happy Holidays, and peace and blessings for the New Year.

Betye Saar: Still a Star

Betye Saar: Still a Star

Betye Saar is an American visual artist. She is  87 years old.

Betye Saar

Betye Irene Saar was born July 30, 1926, in Los Angeles, California, where she still lives.  Her ancestry is a mixture of African-American, Irish, and Native American.

“The Mystic Window #1”, 1965, (Assemblage with etchings, graphite, ink and watercolor on paper, with antique window frame)

“The Phrenologer’s Window”, 1966, (Assemblage of two panel wood frame with print and collage)

Betye Saar is known for creating visual art called “assemblages”. She is very interested in using memories as inspiration for her art. She uses family “memorabilia”: objects or materials that are collected because they relate to an event or person, and collected as souvenirs. Examples might be letters or notes, baby announcements, or photographs.

“The Loss”, 1977,  (mixed media on handkerchief)

When her great-aunt died, Saar became immersed in family memorabilia and began making very personal assemblages using mementos of her great aunt’s life. She arranged old photographs, letters, lockets, dried flowers, and handkerchiefs to express memory and the passage of time.

“Rainbow Friendship”, 1976,  (Collage)

Remember the surrealist artist Salvador Dali…and his famous painting “The Persistence of Memory”, with the melting clock…that expressed his feelings about the passage of time?

“The Persistence of Memory”, 1931, Salvador Dali (Painting)

Through her art, Saar expresses family nostalgia, or remembering the past, maybe even missing the past. She uses pieces of photographs, and other items that express memories.

“Brown Sugah”, 2001 (Mixed media collage with frame on paperboard)

Betye Saar is one of the leading artists of our time. Her use of photographs and the power of photography helps her put together the personal and historical into something universal, something we all might relate to.

Bittersweet (Bessie’s Song),  above, 1973, shows respect for jazz legend, Bessie Smith.  It incorporates photographs, handbills (fliers) about Smith’s performances, and other decorative elements.

Midnight Madonnas, 1996, (Mixed-media assemblage

Betye Saar