Though books have long been vessels for challenging convention, the collection currently on display at White Lotus Gallery in downtown Eugene defies the everyday notion of a book itself.
Titled “Pushing the Margins,” this unique exhibit features books that are not mass-market commodities but one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Some contain writing, while others contain illustrations or abstract patterns. But each transcends the everyday assumption that a book’s primary purpose is to house a visual message, and the books themselves become works of art.
“We chose the title ‘Pushing the Margins’ just to sort of expand people’s ideas of what a book is,” curator Elizabeth Uhlig said. “Books are very utilitarian, but artists also use them as a means of expression.”
The exhibition runs through June 18 and features book art by 18 artists from the Eugene area and the Pacific Northwest. They include printmakers, fiber artists, weavers, calligraphers and bookbinders.
“It’s really interesting to have books be a common denominator for so many different people on different levels,” curator Jennifer Rowan said.
And each artist brings his or her own nuanced approach to this innovate art form. Some are personal, such as Diane Jacobs’ “The Black Hole,” which unfolds like an
accordion to reveal a clump of human hair at the end of a winding line of text. Others are political, such as Elsi Vassdal Ellis’ “The Quest for the Ethical Compass,” which is styled like a children’s popup book, complete with intricate movements on each page. Of all the pieces in the exhibition, Ellis’ most closely resembles a traditional book.
Other pieces in the exhibit take on less recognizable forms, such as Roberta Lavadour’s “A Book About a Thousand Things,” which binds 1,000 pages of paper handcrafted from day lily fiber into a mobius strip.
The artists combine a creative array of materials to construct the pieces, ranging from delicately textured paper to vacuum cleaner bags. The three-dimensional nature of the exhibits requires onlookers to explore each piece from several angles without handling them, which makes them challenging to display.
“This is why you don’t see them as public art very often or displayed even in libraries or museums,” Rowan said. “They are fragile, and they have structures that don’t stand up well by themselves over extended periods of time.”
Several events will be offered in conjunction with the exhibit. Lavadour will teach workshops Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon at Lane Community College. Artists and artisans from the Emerald Book and Paper Arts Guild will offer a free workshop May 21 from 1 p.m. to
5 p.m. at the Eugene Public Library.
And on May 26 at 7 p.m., the Knight
Library will host a lecture by Sandra Kroupa, curator of book arts at the
University of Washington.
“Pushing the Margins” can be viewed at White Lotus Gallery, located at 767 Willamette St. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Pieces from the exhibit can also be viewed online at www.wlotus.com.

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