Student work from a spring semester topics course, "The Photobook," is on view in the Fourth Floor Gallery at James Branch Cabell Library.
The Department of Photography and Film and VCU Libraries collaborated to develop and teach the 400-level course. The exhibit includes work by Christine Addison, Stephanie Fry, Anna Hendrick, Emily Jones, Melissa Rabin, Stephen Turner and Diego Valdez.
"The Photobook" course coupled studio instruction in bookmaking with a critical examination of artists' books and photobooks in the Cabell Library collection. Throughout the semester, students learned bookmaking techniques and structures ranging in difficulty from concertinas to case bindings. Students also met in Special Collections and Archives each week to explore the history and ideas represented by rare and important examples of artists' books and photobooks. Combining technical skills with their knowledge of the genre, students designed and produced their own photobooks.
A photobook is an autonomous art form in which images are sequenced to tell a story or convey specific concepts. Unlike other photography books, the images in a photobook are less significant as stand-alone photographs but are meaningful as parts of a comprehensive whole.
The course was taught by Helen Cassidy, a professional bookbinder, and Yuki Hibben, assistant professor and assistant head of Special Collections and Archives.
The Department of Photography and Film and VCU Libraries collaborated to develop and teach the 400-level course. The exhibit includes work by Christine Addison, Stephanie Fry, Anna Hendrick, Emily Jones, Melissa Rabin, Stephen Turner and Diego Valdez.
"The Photobook" course coupled studio instruction in bookmaking with a critical examination of artists' books and photobooks in the Cabell Library collection. Throughout the semester, students learned bookmaking techniques and structures ranging in difficulty from concertinas to case bindings. Students also met in Special Collections and Archives each week to explore the history and ideas represented by rare and important examples of artists' books and photobooks. Combining technical skills with their knowledge of the genre, students designed and produced their own photobooks.
A photobook is an autonomous art form in which images are sequenced to tell a story or convey specific concepts. Unlike other photography books, the images in a photobook are less significant as stand-alone photographs but are meaningful as parts of a comprehensive whole.
The course was taught by Helen Cassidy, a professional bookbinder, and Yuki Hibben, assistant professor and assistant head of Special Collections and Archives.