In the digital age what does a book mean? What should it look like?
Is it still a “book” if you read it on a tablet or your mobile phone? Does a book consist only of the words in it, or do we still think of it primarily as a physical artifact, with bound pages, a spine and front and back covers? What distinguishes the book as art from the book as commodity, and does it depend only on the means of production?
If we were handed scrolls each containing the entirety of, say, Thoreau’s Walden, Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon or even Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat, how likely would we be to read them in that format?
Those questions spring to mind while looking at the works in “Unbound: Vol. VI,” an exhibition at ArtisTree, the community art center and gallery in South Pomfret.
Six years ago the gallery, which was then in Woodstock, began showing works by artists that focused, loosely, on books. As you might imagine this offered artists a fair amount of latitude.
In this year’s version of “Unbound,” the book takes on various forms. Some artists have produced their own small illustrated books, or they have adapted published books to their own purposes.
Some works in the show don’t really address or expand on the theme of books unbound — and these works seemed the least successful.
But the bolder, more intellectually ambitious pieces make you think about how humans turned ideas and images into pictures, and, later, text. And, consciously or not, these works touch on the mystery of the development of language.
Charlet Davenport, the Woodstock artist who also plays host each summer to SculptureFest, the big sculpture show held on the grounds of her home, has contributed two works, Horizontal: Love Note to a Tired Man and Vertical: Desire for a Birth, that mimic ancient tablets.
She has carved pictograms, or perhaps hieroglyphs, of small human figures, eyes, owls and fish into clay that is then fired into porcelain. I have absolutely no idea what it all means, and I don’t think it matters that I don’t know. The tablets jolted me into thinking about how humans in the ancient world began to use characters and images to coherently sequence ideas, and how that, in turn, led to alphabets, which led to words, manuscripts and printed books.
Another Woodstock artist, Judith Taylor, who has exhibited her work in previous “Unbound” shows, has contributed Yarn, an audacious, witty, large-scale piece that is shown on the floor. Taylor “knit” together a rug or throw that, on closer inspection, turns out to be made from paper, with a large ball of paper yarn nearby. The rug, made of intricately interwoven ribbons of paper, cascades across the floor, and onto the paper Taylor has inscribed marks and characters. In theory, you could wrap yourself in Taylor’s enormous woolly blanket of words. Yarn was awarded first prize.
Chris Perry, a Brooklyn artist, took second prize for 158 Ripples: Icicle (Study), a mixed media work in which he has lined up handmade books next to each other, as if they were in a bookcase. Waterfalls of paper strips spew from the book spines, a lovely conceit for all the knowledge that exists within books.
A particularly handsome free-standing sculpture, Judges, comes from Dunstable, Mass., artist Ella P. Carlson. Carlson took a piece of driftwood and sets it on a base. Opposite it she placed a hook from which she has hung a copy of the Bible, or at least a copy of the Old Testament book Judges. The sculpture resembles a scale with weights attached, and Carlson has given it a bronze patina, to suggest age, and the passage of time.
Like other first-rate sculpture, Judges, which the judges gave an honorable mention, has the appearance of inevitability: it’s difficult to imagine it looking any other way than the way Carlson has made it.
Burlington artist Dorsey Hogg has three works in the show, but I was struck particularly by Interpretations. Hogg took an old Webster’s dictionary and hollowed it out. He then constructed three intricately honeycombed fans, made from the dictionary’s pages, that spring out of that hollowed-out space. The level of workmanship is painstaking, and I liked the way the definitions literally erupt from the dictionary, a book of words about words.
“Unbound Vol. VI” continues through Aug. 27. For information go to artistreevt.org or call 802-457-3500.
Artist Janet Cathey will lead a workshop on gelli and collagraph printmaking from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday at Two Rivers Printmaking Studio in the Tip Top Building in White River Junction. The cost is $95, with an additional $20 materials fee. For registration and information call 802-295-5901 or go to trps@sover.net.
Painter Jennifer Brown will offer an introductory workshop for adults on watercolors Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Justin Smith Morrill Estate in Strafford. Brown is an illustrator for Stave Puzzles, teaches art at The Sharon Academy and is a member of the Vermont Watercolor Society. There is a $35 fee. To register, go to: morrillhomestead.org. Or call the estate at 802-765-4288.
Arabella, Windsor. The gallery exhibits works by local artists and artisans in a variety of media including jewelry, oils, acrylics, photography, watercolors, pastels and textiles.
AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon. The 2015 Juried Art Show Award Winners display their work through Aug. 19. Also on view: “Take Another Look: Aging with Dignity” runs through Aug. 19.
BigTown Gallery, Rochester, Vt. “Painting in the Neighborhood,” paintings by Celia Reisman and Peter Fried, is on view through Aug. 27.
Chandler Gallery, Randolph. “Boundaries,” a show featuring the works of numerous New England artists, continues through Sept. 5.
Cider Hill Art Gallery and Gardens, Windsor. Gary Milek exhibits his work in the gallery.
Converse Free Library, Lyme. Japanese nerikomi ceramics by John Quimby are on view until Sept. 30.
Aidron Duckworth Museum, Meriden. An exhibition of photographs by Ann Barlow, of Burlington, taken from her “Salt Storage Series,” runs through Sept. 11. “Developing Dimension,” works by Aidron Duckworth that show his ability to create depth in drawings and paintings. are up through Oct. 30. The sculpture of Terry Lund, on the grounds, is also on view through Oct. 30.
Hall Art Foundation, Reading, Vt. “Landscapes After Ruskin: Redefining the Sublime,” curated by photographer Joel Sternfeld, continues through Nov. 27.
Hopkins Center, Hanover. Dartmouth College’s Department of Studio Art presents the POD Award exhibition in the Jaffe-Friede and Strauss Galleries in the Hopkins Center through Aug. 21.
Howe Library, Hanover. The Ledyard Gallery exhibits the work of Strafford artist Joshua Yunger through Sept. 28.
Main Street Museum of Art, White River Junction. The museum holds its annual Russian and Pan-Slavic Festival.
Norwich Public Library, “Quotography: Photos by EM Reynolds” is on display until Aug. 30.
Kilton Public Library, West Lebanon. An exhibition of landscapes and cityscapes by Lyme painter and illustrator Meg McLean is on view through Sept. 30.
Library Arts Center, Newport. “The Landscape We Call Home” runs through Aug. 26.
Long River Gallery and Gifts, Lyme. “SKIN! (exposed)” includes works by Stephanie Reiniger, Betsy Derrick, Liliana Paradiso, Nils Johnson, Meredith Muse and Doug Masury. Through Sept. 6.
Roth Center for Jewish Life, Hanover. “White on Black: Images of Antigua,” an exhibition of photographs by Mort Wise, is on view through Sept. 13.
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, Cornish. Standing Lincoln is now on view. The work of minimalist artist Lynne Harlow is on view in the Picture Gallery: “SONG” continues through Aug. 30.
SculptureFest, Woodstock. The annual celebration of three-dimensional art, is on view at the farm of Charlet and Peter Davenport. This year’s featured sculptors are Judith Wrend and Joseph Chirchirillo. The show remains open for public browsing through foliage season. A second piece of the show, curated by Edythe Wright and Jay Mead, opens in September at the nearby King Farm. For more information, go to sculpturefest.org.
Tunbridge Library. “Quartets,” a show by artists Janet Cathey and Kristen Johnson, is on display until Sept. 3.
Two Rivers Printmaking Studio, White River Junction. will present the works of Carol Lippman, an artist from West Newbury, Vt. The show runs through Sept. 30.
225 Gallery. The paintings of Patrick Dunfey and Enrico Riley are on view until mid-August. Hours are by appointment. Call Dunfey at 603-513-8861 or Riley at 603-359-5214. For more information, go to the gallery website at www.225gallery.com.
Nicola Smith can be reached at nsmith@vnews.com.