Report from CODEX, part 1
Guest Blog by Richard Minsky, book artist and FB&C book art columnist Field Report from CODEX Monday, Feb. 7, 7:20 a.m.
The CODEX book fair and symposium kicked off last night with a VIP reception at the UC Berkeley Student Center Ballroom. One hundred and thirty-eight exhibitors from around the world have tables filled with book art, fine press books, and livres d'art.
Peter Koch (seen here at left), the entrepreneur who created and directs the CODEX Foundation, is himself an artist and publisher of fine editions. He is showing recent works, and I was particularly taken by The Lost Journals of Sacajawea by Debra Magpie Earling, illustrated by Peter with photographs. Debra is a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation.
Marshall Weber of the Booklyn Artists Alliance had a plethora of books by artists they represent. When you stop at his table, ask to see the needlework Composition books of Candace Hicks (pictured here at right). It's always a treat to see artist, papermaker, printer, and publisher Robbin Ami Silverberg of Dobbin Books. Very few people can make a book from conception to growing the plants for special paper fibers, creating text and images, printing and binding, and Robbin's work is exemplary.
In addition to several recent books Russell Maret has on display, he has been designing his own type faces for his press and is showing sample pages from his forthcoming book, Specimens (two of which are seen above). He is currently president of the Fine Press Book Association. According to Russell, CODEX is the most important exhibition for book sales, and is an order of magnitude above the rest.
The Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts has copies of JAB, the Journal of Artists' Books, and when you stop by there be sure to talk to the founder & editor-in-chief, Brad Freeman, who has been publishing it for sixteen years.
Maddy Rosenberg has a table (pictured above) with works by the artists who show at Central Booking, her gallery in Brooklyn that features contemporary book artists.
There are many more to talk about, but now I have to go because the CODEX Symposium is about to begin...
To meet more of the artists exhibiting at CODEX, read last week's preview of the fair.
