Remember Me: American Carved Stone Books from the Ian Berke Collection, curated by Mindell Dubansky, is a fascinating exploration of the realm where book-like objects and folk art intersect. San Francisco collector Ian Berke began collecting these intriguing artifacts during a chance encounter at an antique show in New England in 2007. Fascinated by a small, white marble book bearing the inscription “Remembr the Maine,” Berke’s interest was piqued, leading him down a path of discovery that ultimately resulted in amassing a collection of over 500 unique pieces over seventeen years.

Join exhibition curator Mindell Dubansky as she introduces attendees to a selection of these intricately carved stone books from noted San Francisco collector Ian Berke. Crafted from various types of stone, these objects are more than mere curiosities; they are tangible expressions of emotion, whether friendship, love, devotion, or commemoration of significant events.

(photos, top to bottom: Mindell Dubansky, "Linked Chain", Ian Berke showing "Birth Commemoration Book" from his collection)

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: As an artist, conservator, librarian and collector, Mindell Dubansky has been affected by the power of the book as an object and the ways in which others have created book-shaped objects and integrated them into their lives. Mindell is Museum Librarian for Preservation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she has worked for over forty years. During that time, Mindell has authored several monographs on book and paper arts, including Pattern and Flow. A Golden Age of American Decorated Paper (New York: Thomas J. Watson Library, 2023) and Blooks: The Art of Books That Aren't (New York: Mindell Dubansky, 2016).  She has recently initiated the Blook Institute, a series of activities designed to promote the study of book-like objects in relationship to book history, material culture, the book arts, and other fine and applied arts.

ABOUT THE COLLECTION: Ian Berke (b. 1940 New York City, d. 2024 San Francisco) was a passionate collector from the age of ten. He began by collecting stamps and later minerals and seashells. Berke attended the Colorado School of Mines, where he graduated as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army Corp of Engineers and served in Vietnam. Berke moved to San Francisco in 1971 to work for Bechtel and, two years later, began a career in residential real estate. Berke’s stone book collection began in 2007 when he purchased his first two books at an antique show in New England; over time, his collection has grown to encompass over 500 carved stone books.