The Book as Art: Accordion Adaptations

This exhibition features books that incorporate and expand upon simple accordion folds to add complexity and movement.

Sande Wascher-James, *How Long?*, 1994; Liberty Lawn fabrics, color copies, metallic thread, text printed with Gocco, 5 x 9 1/2 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the artist; © Sande Wascher-James

Overview

Inspired by the 1,000+ collection of artists’ books at NMWA, this series of online exhibitions, organized by book format, introduces the boundless range of mediums, techniques, and topics artists explore to transform and reinvent books as we know them. Part of “The Book as Art,” a series of online exhibitions that introduces the boundless creativity artists use to transform and reinvent books as we know them.

What Are Adapted Accordion Books?

One of the most basic folding mechanisms, the stretchy, zig-zag accordion lends itself to myriad adaptations. Carousel, tunnel, and flag books all incorporate accordion folds to add complexity and movement.

Carol Schwartzott

Kimono/Kosode

Carousel books like Kimono/Kosode by Carol Schwartzott (b. 1945) unfold like an accordion and form a circle when fully open, resembling their amusement park namesake. Here the overlap of die-cut windows and decorative-paper panels evokes the layers of traditional Japanese dress.

Several standing paper panels, each with a kimono-shaped cutout, are arranged in a row. Fabric or patterns show through the cutouts, and the background is plain white. — Carol Schwartzott, *Kimono/Kosode*, 2002; Letterpress on hand-dyed paper, Chiyogami paper, mat board, basswood dowels, 6 x 10 1/2 x 2 1/2 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Purchased with funds provided by the Library Fellows of the National Museum of Women in the Arts; © Carol Schwartzott

Carol June Barton

Tunnel Map

When closed, tunnel books such as Tunnel Map by Carol June Barton (b. 1954) lie flat. We “read” them by stretching the book into three dimensions, motion made possible by the accordion-folded side panels. Extending Barton’s book reveals the tunnel, which offers a glimpse of a landscape by framing fragments of geographic forms that recede into space.

Multiple green and yellow paper globes are stacked on one another with a circular hole in the middle. Through the hole oceans, mountains, and trees are visible. — Carol June Barton, *Tunnel Map*, 1986; Watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil on paper, 13 x 7 7/8 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the artist; © Carol June Barton

Julie Chen

Octopus

In Octopus, Julie Chen (b. 1963) creates imagery to complement text from a poem by Elizabeth McDevitt, which explores loss and the ways that language can divide rather than connect. The book’s tunnel structure features irregular, wave-like openings. Its increasingly shadowy, three-dimensional space evokes the undersea realm of the eponymous creature.

Susan Elizabeth King

Women and Cars

A flag book’s structure depends on the orientation of the “flag” pages to the accordion folds of the spine. Opening the book pulls the flags in opposite directions. Women and Cars by Susan Elizabeth King (b. 1947) reveals essays about her mother’s and aunt’s cars and a photograph of her mother, by her father, in which his car is the actual focus.

A pop-up book is open, displaying layered, accordion-style cutouts in beige and white, with printed text on the flat pages and abstract images on the folded pop-up sections. The background is plain and light gray. — Susan Elizabeth King, *Women and Cars*, 1983; Offset printing on paper, 5 1/8 x 6 1/8 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Trudi Jacobson; © Susan King

Sande Wascher-James

How Long?

Sande Wascher-James (b. 1946) often employs techniques and materials associated with so-called “women’s work”, embroidery, quilting, and beading. How Long? honors the suffrage movement by combining postage stamps of famous American women with quilt blocks. The gold-and-purple palette nods to colors associated with the movement.

A colorful, intricate pop-up book is open, with multiple panels and pages standing upright, each featuring various images, patterns, and designs on a white background. — Sande Wascher-James, *How Long?*, 1994; Liberty Lawn fabrics, color copies, metallic thread, text printed with Gocco, 5 x 9 1/2 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the artist; © Sande Wascher-James

Annie Alexander

Women in Black

Women in Black by Annie Alexander (b. 1943) honors the bravery of women she witnessed protesting the imminent Iraq War. The flag book reveals a line of standing figures when opened. The leading figure, Christ, riddled with bullet holes, evokes the violence of war, and the black-and-white palette conveys political extremes.

Accordion-style book with black and white cutout human silhouettes standing upright, partially unfolded, with abstract designs on the figures and a textured, dark cover at either end. Set against a plain light background. — Annie Alexander, *Women in Black*, 2003; Cardboard, paper, Xerox, velvet, glass beads, 10 x 7 1/4 in. overall; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the artist; © Annie Alexander; Photo by Lee Stalsworth

This online exhibition series is created with gratitude to Curator Emerita Krystyna Wasserman, who assembled the museum’s rich collection of artists’ books during her 30-year career.

Text is adapted from object labels from the special exhibition The Book as Art: Artists’ Books from the National Museum of Women in the Arts (October 27, 2006, to February 4, 2007).

Inspired to teach someone how to create an artist’s book or to make one yourself? Check out NMWA’s Art, Books, and Creativity Curriculum.

Online exhibition team: Traci Christensen, Deborah L. Gaston, Adrienne L. Gayoso, Alicia Gregory, Ashley W. Harris, Mara Kurlandsky, Elizabeth Lynch, Adrienne Poon, and Emily Shaw.

Photos by Lee Stalsworth unless otherwise noted.

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