糖心Vlog传媒

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to host Cuban artists鈥� book exhibit

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host an international exhibit of handcrafted books created by Cuban artists.聽 The March 14 to April 19 multimedia exhibit, 鈥淏inding Communities: Cuba鈥檚 Ediciones Vig铆a and the Art of the Book and Entrepreneurism,鈥� will be displayed in 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Ottenheimer Library. The exhibit will feature 71 artists鈥� books created by the Cuban publishing house,, from 1985 to 2016. Founded in 1985 by Rolando Est茅vez and Alfredo Zald铆var, Ediciones Vig铆a artisans in Matanzas, Cuba, created handmade books using collaged, repurposed materials. According to an, Ediciones Vig铆a originally served as a meeting place for artists and writers to discuss their work. They began creating artistic fliers to advertise their meetings. This eventually grew into an independent publishing house that creates handmade interactive works of book art that are internationally renown. Ediciones Vig铆a came of age during the economic depression in Cuba that followed the 1989 collapse of the Soviet Union. 鈥淭hroughout the 1990s, an extreme shortage of paper and materials 鈥� not to mention food, petroleum, medicine, and other basic resources 鈥� exacerbated the difficulties of publishing in Cuba,鈥� said Dr. Erin Finzer, chair of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Department of World Languages. The publishing house responded to the shortage of paper by seeking out diverse, talented young authors to publish in limited edition artists鈥� books. 鈥淐ommunity members from Matanzas would gather to piece together these books out of found materials and butcher paper, which was relatively inexpensive and more readily available than bleached white paper,鈥� Finzer said. 鈥淭hese precious books quickly earned an artistic cachet that led established authors to want their texts to be interpreted by Ediciones Vig铆a.鈥澛� The exhibit will open with a reception and talk with Bill Fisher, a San Antonio-based lawyer and rare book collector whose Ediciones Vig铆a collection will be featured in the exhibit. The reception, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, in Ottenheimer Library Room 535. The exhibit will also include a March 17 lecture by Steven Miller, a book artist and University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa professor who has to create book editions. Additionally, Miller will lead a bookmaking workshop during the weekend of March 18-19 in the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Applied Design Studio at University Plaza 300. Other events include a March 29 bookmaking workshop by book artist David Clemons and Finzer; student presentations and a closer examination of select Vigia books on April 6; an April 12 screening of Ediciones Vig铆a: Poet铆ca visual/Visual Poetics and a scholar-led tour of the exhibit by Finzer; and a closing reception and lecture by Vig铆a scholar and filmmaker, Dr. Juanamar铆a Cordones Cook, on April 14. All events are free and open to the public. Class sizes for the bookmaking workshops are limited. Those interested in attending the workshops should RSVP to Mia Hall, chair of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Department of Art and Design, at [email protected] or Finzer at [email protected]. A complete list of programming for the exhibit includes:

• 听听听听听Opening reception and talk with rare book collector Bill Fisher. 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 14. Ottenheimer Library Room 535. 
• 听听听听听Lecture/Artist Talk by book artist Steven Miller. 5 p.m., Friday, March 17. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Fine Arts Building Room 161. 
• 听听听听“Get Under The Covers. Let鈥檚 Make Books!鈥� Bookmaking workshop with book artist Steven Miller. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 18, and Sunday March 19. Applied Design Studio, University Plaza 300. Participation is limited. Please RSVP to Mia Hall at [email protected].
• 听听听听听Bookmaking workshop and lecture: 鈥淭he Committed Art of the Book鈥� by book artist David Clemons and Dr. Erin Finzer. 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 29. Applied Design Studio, University Plaza 300. Participation is limited. Please RSVP to Mia Hall at [email protected]. 
• 听听听听听Up Close and Personal: Student Presentations of Select Vig铆a Books. 3 p.m. Thursday, April 6. Ottenheimer Library Room 535.
• 听听听听听Screening of Ediciones Vig铆a: Poet铆ca visual/Visual Poetics with scholar-led tour of exhibit by Dr. Erin Finzer. 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 12. Ottenheimer Library Room 535. 
• Closing reception and lecture by Vig铆a scholar and filmmaker Dr. Juanamar铆a Cordones Cook. 4:30 p.m. Monday, April 17. Ottenheimer Library, Room 535.