The Clark Institute of Art
Ordinary Magic: How Artists’ Books Transform Reading & Writing
Artists’ Books Day is an annual celebration at the Clark honoring the library’s diverse collection of over 5000 artists’ books. Artists’ books are works of art inspired by the form or concept of a book. They can take the form of a traditional book or challenge the boundaries of what a book can be!
Novelist and critic Lucy Ives discusses the ways in which artists' books reconfigure reading, literacy, and how we value, handle, and spend time with books. Closely examining both material and narrative aspects of publications from the Clark's collection, she offers a series of aesthetic lessons we can derive from artists' interventions into the book form. Ives's reflections will be of use to creative writers, visual artists, and anyone who is curious about what artists' books may mean in the digital age.
Date: April 12, 2026
Publisher: The Clark Institute of Art
Format: Video
