Masks Magic!

Though the Oxford English Dictionary states that the word ‘mask’ is of uncertain origin, we offer a particular look at several books on the subject of masks and its origins.

There are ceremonial and ritual masks, theatrical masks, festival and carnival masks, functional masks, and an infinite variety of other masks to view.

Throughout history people have used masks as a form of disguise or persona, but masks have multiple uses and functions.

We hope you'll browse and even check out some of the assembled offerings about the mysterious, captivating, and visually spectacular world of masks.  They're on display now at the Library Circulation Desk through the month of October. 

P.S. Don’t forget Halloween!

NEW Artists' Books Collection Display

HAND–DRAWN TYPOGRAPHY

In this era of instantaneous communication and mass produced objects, a handwritten book is a rare and wondrous item.

Originally, all books were in handwritten manuscript form. In China, and later other parts of East Asia, Woodblock printing was used for books from about the seventh century. The earliest dated example is the Diamond Sutra of 868. In the Islamic world and the West, all books were in manuscript until the introduction of movable type printing in about 1450. Handwritten manuscript copying of books continued for at least a century, as printing remained expensive. Private or government documents remained hand-written until the invention of the typewriter in the late nineteenth century.

Today, technology has made it easier to reproduce documents and books at a much faster pace. However, the look of calligraphy and hand-drawn lettering is becoming increasingly popular compared to the rigid and sometimes, impersonal feel of digital typography. These selected books from the Artists’ Books Collection highlight hand-drawn typography from England, Germany, France & the United States.

The display case is located across from the circulation desk as you enter the library. Pages will be turned frequently to reveal other examples within each book.

Artists' Books Collection

Tamashi by: Amanda Degener, a photo by mcadphoto on Flickr.

Professor Amy Sands requested Artists' Book samples for her Advanced Print, Paper, Book class. She was interested in books that showcase experimental construction, accordion folds and decorative binding among other things.

Here are some of the highlights of what we found!

Click the image to see more images in our flickr photostream!

9/11 : Artists respond

The reminders that this Sunday marks the 10^th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. are everywhere.

The MCAD Library has graphic novels, films, photo journalism, and an artist’s book about 9/11 and they are now on display in the Library.

Click here for a full listing.

Take a moment to look at how the artist’s creative response continues to help us process this national tragedy. Peace.

Art news you might have missed this summer, from the New York Times

In case you didn't get a chance to read the New York Times every day this summer, here is a selection of art-related news articles and reviews from the Times, from May to August.

5/6:
Crystal Bridges Museum Receives $800 Million From Walton Family

5/12:
The Met to Take Over Whitney’s Breuer Building

5/14:
Marseille: City on the Verge of a Culture Buzz

5/19:
“Yarn bombing” seems to be having its moment in pop culture.

5/20:
‘Access to Tools’ and Whole Earth Catalog at MoMA: Empowering People of Spaceship Earth

5/25:
Alexander Melamid’s Art Healing Ministry in SoHo

5/27:
Leonora Carrington Is Dead at 94; Artist and Author of Surrealist Work

Medieval Style Files: Tailored Artistry

5/29:
Steve Rutt, an Inventor Behind Early Video Animation, Dies at 66

The Pietà Behind the Couch

6/4:
Chinese Artist Wang Jun Speaks Out After Release

6/5:
A Chronicler of the Art-Vandal Underground

Middle Eastern Artists at the Venice Biennale

6/6:
An Artist Who Gained Fame From a Work’s Disappearance

6/8:
William Toye Pleads Guilty to Fraud: For a Longtime Forger, Adding One Last Touch

6/9:
The 54th Venice Biennale, Sedate and Pumped-Up

6/10:
Maqbool Fida Husain, India’s Most Famous Painter, Dies at 95

6/11:
Georgian Artists, Doing It for Themselves

6/12:
Op-Ed: The 4-Year-Old Artist

6/13:
Claudio Bravo, Artist Who Blended Hyperrealism and Classical Elements, Dies at 74

6/14:
Ben Wilson Makes Art Out of Chewing Gum on London Sidewalks

Adam Szymczyk: Superstar Among Curators

Stereo Blindness Allows Some to See a Masterpiece

Show Highlights the Return of the Loom

6/16:
Alice Walton on Her Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

6/17:
‘Otherworldly’ at Museum of Arts and Design

El Museo’s Bienal: The (S) Files 2011

6/19:
From a New Generation of Artists, Vivid Canvases of Iraq’s Pain

6/21:
Spoonfuls of Medicine, Marketed for Centuries

6/22:
Artnet Has Online Art Sales Success

6/23:
Artists Investigate Identity and Boundaries in Extraterritorial Waters

6/26:
John Waters, Guest Curator at Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

7/5:
Pushing Boundaries, Mixed-Race Artists Gain Notice

7/6:
Cy Twombly, 1928-2011: American Artist Who Scribbled a Unique Path

A Reunified Painting Stirs Big Thoughts in China and Taiwan

7/7:
Freed Chinese Artist Reported to Be Back at Work, Though Barred From Talking to Press

7/10:
Chicago: Laid-Off Art Teachers Turn to Their Craft to Express Themselves

Science to Art, and Vice Versa

7/13:
Revolution Dims Star Power of Egypt’s Antiquities Chief

7/14:
T. Lux Feininger, Photographer and Painter, Dies at 101

For Florence, Vasari Was a Man of All Talents

7/15:
Illustrating Damsels in Distress and Emissaries From Our Deep, Dark Ids

7/18:
Locus of Sadness in Mexico, Bathed in Light, Begins to Heal

MoMA Exhibit Shows How Technology Is Getting the Point Across

7/20:
At Two Apple Stores, Creating Art via Webcam, Secretly

7/21:
Guy Wildenstein Defends Holding Missing Art in Paris Vault

7/22:
Lucian Freud, Figurative Painter Who Redefined Portraiture, Is Dead at 88

“Ostalgia,” Art From Russia and the Former Soviet Bloc, at the New Museum

7/28:
A Gamble on Art on the ‘Redneck Riviera’ May Not Be Paying Off

7/30:
Jerome Liebling, Socially Minded Photographer, Dies at 87

7/31:
Frank Bender, ‘Recomposer’ of Faces of the Dead, Dies at 70

“Ajiaco: Stirrings of the Cuban Soul” -- Myths, Legends and Cuban Culture

8/2:
Arts Outposts Stung by Cuts in State Aid

8/3:
Guggenheim Outpost as a Pop-Up Urban Lab

8/6:
A Sarajevo Bunker Takes on New Life as Art Museum

8/7:
The Trivialities and Transcendence of Kickstarter

8/10:
Roman Opalka, an Artist of Numbers, Is Dead at 79

Controversial Art Exhibit Is Shut Down in the Philippines

8/12:
A Beijing Exhibition on Art for the 'Post-Human Era'

8/18:
Robert Breer, Pioneer of Avant-Garde Animation, Dies at 84

8/19:
‘Dialog in the Dark’ at South Street Seaport: Darkness Visible, and Palpable

8/21:
Comic Book Art Showcased in Books

8/24:
Suit Against MoMA Highlights Time-Limit Rule in Nazi Looting Claims

8/25:
American Folk Art Museum Weighs Survival Strategies

Art and Fashion in Dasha Zhukova’s Garage

8/27:
Jeanette Ingberman, a Founder of Exit Art, Dies at 59

Leonardo Mural in Florence May Be Revealed

8/28:
June Wayne, Painter and Printmaker, Dies at 93

Old Mug Shots Fuel Art, and a Debate on Privacy

Works by Asco at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

The Changing Face of the Burning Man Festival

(Creative Commons photograph by Ken_Mayer)

Tim Kiser, weekend circulation assistant.