Sharing the Artists’ Book Experience Remotely

One of the best parts of my job is sharing artists' books with students. Before March 13, 2020 we always showed artists' books in-person. During the pandemic I found myself trying to find a way forward to preserve the artists’ book classes that had not been canceled after our campus was closed and we were fully remote. What can I do with a lack of access to our collection? What can I do remotely? At the time we had a small collection of scanned Artist’s Books. I searched my house for books that could be considered artists' books, I reused a wire bookshelf and made a set up with my iPad and cutting mat. This allowed an overview of the items and gave me hands free operation. I began teaching shortened sessions focusing on a handful of titles and also spent some time on how the books were made. I focused on making simple structures that anyone could make with items easily found in their dorm room or home.