Karen Hanmer
Glenview, Illinois

Karen Hanmer's artist-made books are physical manifestations of personal essays intertwining history, culture, politics, science and technology. She utilizes both traditional and contemporary book structures, and the work is often playful in content or format. Hanmer's work is collected internationally by institutions ranging from the Library of Congress to Graceland. She is a leader in the book arts community, having served on the editorial board of The Bonefolder, as Exhibitions Chair for the Guild of Book Workers, and as frequent exhibition curator and juror. She offers workshops and private instruction focusing on a solid foundation in basic binding skills.

Website: karenhanmer.com

To Serve and Protect: Containers, Conveyances, and Cosmic Happenings

To Serve and Protect: Containers, Conveyances, and Cosmic Happenings uses vehicles, containers for food, and other period receptacles to provide a framework for the artist's musings on life in the 1960s and 1970s. Ostensibly about banal period items such as the wicker-wrapped chianti bottle, electric frying pan, and Chevy Nova, thirteen micro essays touch on Vietnam, fashion, the Cold War, cuisine, the economy, the women's liberation movement, and other issues reflecting Americans' perseverance, and our often misguided quest for peace and stability. This sewn boards binding is covered in full, custom psychedelic marbled paper by Pamela Smith and presented in a paper slipcase with marbled paper accent.
Pigment inkjet prints on Mohawk Superfine.
7 x 5 x .25 inches; 18 x 13 x 1 centimeters. Created 2014.