The “American Narrative/Story Art” Exhibition in 1978
In 1978, Paul Schimmel organized the exhibition American Narrative/Story Art: 1967-1977 at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH). This exhibition was one of very few shows featuring multiple artists’ books in the city of Houston prior to the last decade–particularly outside the setting of a library.
Pages 108-109. Schimmel, Paul, Alan Sondheim, and Marc Freidus. 1977. American Narrative/Story Art: 1967-1977. Houston, Texas: Contemporary Arts Museum.
Artists with bookworks featured in the exhibition include Vito Acconci, Kathy Acker, Dennis Adams, Roberta Allen, Laurie Anderson, Jackie Apple, Ida Applebroog, Robert Armstrong, John Baldessari, Paula Parr and Jack A Krueger, Glen Baxter, Karl Beveridge and Carole Conde, Christian Boltanski, Terry Braunstein, Marcel Brothers, Kathan Brown…
The artists’ books leaned towards process, time, and narrative. Many were heavily conceptual and performative while others were less serious and playful. Below is a sampling of artists’ books exhibited.
Exhibited works (not necessarily the same edition)
Terry Braunstein, A Motherhood Notebook
9 x 12 inches, 20 pages, collage, photographs, handwritten text in a regular notebook.
John Baldessari, Brutus Killed Caesar, 1976, Akron, Ohio : Emily H. Davis Art Gallery of the University of Akron. Listed on Digital Commons at RISD.
Victor Burgin, Family, 1977, Lapp Princess Press Series no. 2. in association with Printed Matter. Inc., 6 x 6 inches, 24 pp. Listed on Printed Matter.
Laurie Anderson, October 1972, New York City, USA: Self-published, 1972, 32 pp., 21.6 x 27.9 cm. Listed on Artists’ Books and Multiples.
Robert Cumming, A Discourse on Domestic Disorder, 1975, 8 x 10 inches, 21 pp. Listed on MASSArt.
Douglas Huebler, Durata Duration, 1970, Torino, Italy: Sperone, 120 pages, 6 1/2 x 4 1/2. Listed on Artists’ Books and Multiples.
Joan Lyons, Abby Rogers to her Grand-daughter, 1976, Rochester, NY: Visual Studies Workshop, 7 1/4 x 10 inches, 28 pages. Listed on Digital Commons at RISD.
Carole Condé and Karl Beveridge, ...It’s Still Privileged Art, Toronto, Canada: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1976
[44] pp., 13.5 x 20 cm., staple-bound
Edition size unknown
Learn more
Several artists from Houston had work included in “American Narrative/Story Art”. Those works, however, would not be classified as “book art” or “artist books”.