Hidden Poems Art 1 Kirsten Balaban

Agenda Introduce challenge See video showing process Look at artists who create book art Select books/book pages from the old books you brought from home Planning in sketchbook

Challenge: Create a work of art that alters or repurposes a product or design.  We will be using old books to create illustrations with hidden poems.

What are we going to do? Teacher Sample

Will Ashford

Will Ashford – Artist Statement Recycled Words: I rescue, salvage, and recycle other people’s words. Browsing through garage sales, street markets and used bookstores I search for interesting, preferably discarded, old books. When I find a good candidate I explore every page. Like an archeologist I hunt for the words that speak to me with new meaning. Intuitively, one word at a time, they turn into a kind of haiku or philosophical poetry that I can call my own. At some unpredictable point along the way, in my mind, the images start to invent themselves. Using graphite and or India ink to highlight or obscure my words; I create the image of that invention. Though I strive to make each document visually engaging I find it is the words that I value most. Art is often described as "timeless" at the same time as it is considered definitive to a particular era. This art, however presents a more compelling temporal "can of worms" in that: it brings the past (the text and the pages themselves) into the present where it becomes not just a medium but a collaborator in the creation of something new with hardly any indication of the period in which it was created using themes, imagery, and materials that can be presumed to remain relevant long into the future. Something about working with these pages quietly reminds me that culture is about recycling ideas.

Book art installation by Ekaterina Panikanova

Embroidery on paper

Process ① Select at least 5 books or book pages to work with. The books or pages do not need to be related by topic or theme. Any five books or pages! They do not need to be the same size or from the same book. ② Books/pages must be at least 6x8 in. ③ Use your sketchbook to complete the planning guide provided for you in your student handout. This will help you think a little about how you may like to display your work at the end, which could affect your process. (Ripping pages out vs. keeping them in) ④ There are two ways to begin. You may begin by sketching in pencil directly onto the page, OR like Will Ashford, scan the pages first for words that stick out to you and create your poem before you begin the image. ⑤ After you have developed the page, you may begin working in pen and ink to finish it. ⑥ All five drawings should be unified in some way and will be displayed in a creative way of your choosing.

Wait, display? I expect you to display your work! You could matt each book page and display on the wall. This can be very creative! You do not need to hang the works in only a straight line. You could leave the book pages intact and stand the books up on their spines. One drawing/poem could span 2 pages! You could create more of an installation like the example we saw from Ekaterina Panikanova. In that case you could have a drawing that starts on one book page and continues onto another!

Criteria for grading Books &/or book pages are 6x8in or larger You selected words or letters on each page, and these words or letters are clearly outlined You created an image on the page and finished the image using a combination of transparent and opaque ink drawing techniques. The display of your finished work reflects thought and careful planning The five illustrations, when displayed together, are unified in some way. This could be visual or thematic. Stretch your abilities! Take risks!

What you should do today ① Select at least 5 books or book pages to work with. The books or pages do not need to be related by topic or theme. Any five books or pages! They do not need to be the same size or from the same book. ② Books/pages must be at least 6x8 in. ③ Use your sketchbook to complete the planning guide provided for you in your student handout. This will help you think a little about how you may like to display your work at the end, which could affect your process. (Ripping pages out vs. keeping them in)

Next Class I will be demonstrating pen and ink techniques! You will get a chance to experiment with the pen and ink too. Come to class ready to work on your poems and illustrations. Bring more books (or different books) if necessary