Meet Ala Ebtekar, our 2008
artist-in-residence. Born in the United States to Iranian parents, Ebtekar was raised in both Iran and the U.S. As a young teenager, he joined the K.O.S. (Kids of Survival), working with artist Tim Rollins in collaborative artworks involving groups of urban youth. In the late 1990's, he traveled to Iran and lived there for many months while studying the rich traditions of Persian miniatures and Iranian coffee house paintings. Iranian coffeehouse and hip-hop sets are not so incongruous. The coffeehouse congregate was a working class that valued the practices of painting, oration, and honing the body through physical activity. Analogous is hip-hop's commitment to graffiti, DJ, rap, and breakdance. The function of the traditional Iranian coffee-house was not so much to serve coffee, but rather to champion the creative expression of their patrons. His experiences have allowed him to reach across decades and continents and continues to strike a parallel chord which is evident in much of his work over the past five years. You can see more of Ebtekar's work on his website.
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Imprint Publications
These publications of the Imprint of the San Francisco Center for the Book are available for purchase. Shipping for each book is $7.50, and California residents add 8.5% tax. Inquiries: (415) 565-0545 / imprint@sfcb.org
The Relative Value of Things (2007)
Nigel Poor
Edition of 120
$350
The Relative Value of Things consists of three projects that investigate
the joys, follies and contradictions of collecting, desire and
valorization. The first project is the books' front covers, each uniquely
embellished with encapsulated hair or lint donated by a multitude of
individuals. The second is the books' contents, comprised of color images
and letterpress-printed lists documenting personal possessions discarded by
the artist over time. The third project comprises the back covers,
featuring meticulously drawn text that addresses the struggle to find
reassurance and meaning amidst life's mysteries and uncertainties.
The Artist
Nigel Poor's work has been shown in various national venues and can be
found in the collections of the SFMOMA, the M. H. de Young Museum, The San
Diego Museum of Contemporary Art and the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
She has received several nationally recognized awards, including a SF Arts
Council Grant and a Polaroid Artist Support Grant. She received her BA from
Bennington College in Vermont and her MFA from Massachusetts College of Art
in Boston.
Nigel Poor is represented by Haines Gallery in San Francisco and is an
Assistant Professor of Photography at California State University,
Sacramento.
De Rekening (2006)
Nora Pauwels and John DeMerritt
Edition of 50
$350
De Rekening
is a work built upon an artist-created system of "fake writing"
used to mark the passing of time. Inspired by the anonymous entries in
19th Century ledgers and account books, De Rekening
borrows its form and
repetitive structure from those utilitarian yet evocative receptacles of
time. The ruled lines in the book were mechanically drawn using a pen
ruling machine at Golden Business Forms in West Burlington, Iowa,
especially for this edition. Pen ruling was widely used in the 19th and
early 20th Century in the ledger and account book trade; Golden Business
Forms is one of the last purveyors of this technology. Bound in Japanese
buckram with stamped title, the book was letterpress printed by the artists
at the Center for the Book.
The Artists
John DeMerritt operates a bindery in Emeryville specializing in small
editions and boxmaking. His client list includes many well-known artists,
photographers and galleries. He has taught at the San Francisco Center for
the Book, the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley and currently teaches
bookmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute. He is married to printmaker
Nora Pauwels, with whom he collaborated on De Rekening.
Nora Pauwels is an
internationally recognized printmaker. Originally from Belgium, where she
was educated in fine arts and fine art restoration, Pauwels is notable for
her exploration of unusual means of creating intaglio prints, such as using
the Dremel tool with various plexigravure processes. Pauwels has been
actively involved with the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, where she has
created several portfolios of prints that have been collected both
nationally and internationally.
29 Degrees North (2005)
Michael Bartalos
Edition of 29
$450 (sold out)
Letterpress trade edition, unboxed, 3" x 4": $25
The title of our first publication
refers to a
degree of latitude shared by six destinations depicted in this artist's
travelogue. From west to east, the poem and images progress from Mexico to
Morocco, through India on to China, and over to Japan before terminating in
Hawaii. Two-color iconic images, printed by Nat Swope at Bloom Screen
Printing, Oakland, CA, extend over an accordion-fold structure which can be
unfolded in an attractive display. The binding was designed by John
DeMerritt in collaboration with the artist and features a deluxe clamshell
box covered in Japanese silk with foil-stamped title and illustration.
The Artist
Michael Bartalos attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and
Pratt Institute. Best known as an illustrator, Bartalos works extensively
in the graphic arts in the U.S., Europe and Japan. His fine art work
includes limited print editions, artist's books and sculptural assemblages.
Bartalos has created limited book editions with New York's Purgatory Pie
Press, the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, where he served as an artist in
residence, and the Maryland Institute College of Art. He lives and works in
San Francisco.
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Small Plates
We've invited selected artists and writers to create books of a specific size and cohesive theme. For 2008, the books are four inches square and devoted to the theme "How-To." The artists are John Hersey, Kay Ryan with Tucker Nichols, William Wiley with Michael Hannon, and Nanette Wylde. The books are available for purchase individually or as a subscription to the series.
Subscription for the series:
$170 (plus shipping, California residents add sales tax of 8.5%).
For sales contact us by email or call (415)565-0545
To view the books, visit the Center during business hours.

Thumb War by John Hersey ($40)

Gray Matter Gardening by Nanette Wylde ($40)

How Birds Sing by Kay Ryan & Tucker Nichols ($40) [June 30 release]

Lyrica by Michael Hannon & William T. Wiley ($70) [September 26 release]
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