Description
About this piece:
This artist’s book speaks to relationships affected by book banning in libraries. So many of the most frequently banned and challenged books represent marginalized voices sharing important narratives and diverse stories. I deconstructed a banned book and used pages as inclusions in the handmade paper for the prints. I used polymer plate text to showcase the American Library Association list of the 2023 Most Challenged Books and their authors. I printed excerpts from each book on each of 10 pages. On the top layer, I printed P22 Blox words: love, joy and happy (highlighted from the book excerpts) on top of the book text. Last, I hand stitched the sashiko mending pattern on top of the cover text. This artist’s book references textile processes such as quilting, embroidery and mending for community healing.
Materials:
paper, thread, davey board, adhesives
About the artist:
Naomi S. Velasquez is a contemporary textile and book artist. Her artwork is consistently shown internationally and nationally and in diverse venues ranging from galleries to public works installations. Naomi holds an M.F.A. from the University of North Texas in Studio Art, Fibers. Naomi is a Professor in the Department of Art at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho. She is the coordinator for the Fiber Media and Papermaking areas. Her work is held in numerous private and public collections including the University of Denver Library, Emory University Library, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts and the University of North Texas Special Collection.
