Bartalos

I’ve posted new sketchbook pages to my Long View project blog!

Come celebrate with us as the Imprint of the San Francisco Center for the Book launches its quarterly Small Plates editions for 2009. Our first artist this year is Ward Schumaker, whose book God’s Femur is hot off the letterpress. Ward will treat the guests to a reading of what he describes as “a reminiscence of an event in which my drawing skills were pitted against the power and imagination of the government of Nebraska.” He even promises to show a photo of the offending painting — “but only if you promise to look with a clean mind.”

The release party will also feature an exhibit of framed original art from Ward’s two artist’s books created in collaboration with Yolla Bolly Press: Two Kitchens in Provence by MFK Fisher with an afterward by Alice Waters, and Paris France, a memoir by Gertrude Stein with an afterward by George Plimpton. Both letterpress editions are illustrated throughout by Ward and produced by Jim and Carolyn Robertson. On view for one evening only!

When: Friday April 10th from 7-9 P.M.
Where:The San Francisco Center for the Book, 300 DeHaro Street (entrance on 16th Street) in Potrero Hill. 415-565-0545 | www.sfcb.org | imprint@sfcb.org

This year’s Small Plates series, whose theme is anatomy, will also include books by Daniel Gonzalez, Emory Douglas, and Allison Weiner. Please visit the Imprint page for more on the Center’s publications and our Etsy page for sales.

What does Mr. Peanut have to do with Antarctica? Check in on my Long View project blog!

Spring has sprung at the San Francisco Center for the Book where events, publications and new developments are in full bloom. Here’s some of what’s happening:

In March I became Chair of the Imprint Committee which I’m quite excited about. The Imprint publishes the Center’s artist residency editions and Small Plates editions and oversees the Center’s artist-in-residency program. As a committee member since its inception, I’m looking forward to building on former Chair Penny Nii’s successes (thank you Penny!) and continuing to work with the best artistic talent the Bay Area has to offer. I’ve posted about the Imprint previously as co-chair, but expect more frequent updates now that I’m at the helm.

The Art of Stepping Through Time by Ala Ebtekar

When I last posted about the Imprint back in November, we’d just published 2008 resident artist Ala Ebtekar‘s book The Art of Stepping Through Time. This past week, we sold the last remaining copy which set a speed record for selling out of an SFCB edition — an impressive feat considering that residency publications are our highest-end product. On the other hand, it is an undeniably irresistible book if we say so ourselves. We’re all very proud of it. Congratulations Ala!

Gail Wight at work in her Stanford campus studio.
Photograph by L.A. Cicero / Stanford News Service.

This year we’re thrilled to announce Gail Wight as our resident artist. Gail’s specialty is experimental media art focusing on issues of cognitive science and the history of scientific theory and technology. She is the recipient of numerous awards, residencies and exhibitions, and is currently Associate Professor at Stanford University‘s Department of Art & Art History and Director of Graduate Studies in Studio Art and Experimental Media Arts. Here at Imprint we’ve long admired Gail’s work and feel truly fortunate to have her on board this year. Stay tuned for progress reports and prepare for the release of another extraordinary residency edition this fall.

In addition to our annual residency edition, the Imprint also publishes a series called Small Plates which invites selected artists and writers to create books of a specific size and theme for quarterly release each year. In 2008, the books were 4″ square with the theme of “How To.” Our contributors included current Poet Laureate of the United States Kay Ryan and artist Tucker Nichols who collaborated to create How Birds Sing in an edition of 200 copies.

How Birds Sing by Kay Ryan, with artwork by Tucker Nichols.

On March 6 of this year, Tucker and Kay extended their generosity further still. They both participated in a benefit reading at the Center for the Book along with poets Clive Matson and D.R. Goodman. Our gratitude goes out to all four engaging speakers and to Paul Geffner who sponsored the event.

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If you’ve heard Kay read, you know that her delivery is as winning as her writing. In the clip above, she concludes the evening at the Center with “Hide and Seek.”

Michael Bartalos and Kay Ryan at the Center for the Book, photographed by Kathleen Burch.

We can’t thank our guests enough for their support for the Center for the Book. That includes our audiences whose purchases help keep Imprint alive. Interested in purchasing? Available editions are online. For signed copies of How Birds Sing, please email imprint@sfcb.org to check on availablility.