Project Statement

by B. Freeman

The Journal of Artists’ Books (ISSN 1085-1461) is published twice a year, once in Spring and once in Fall. JAB20 contains the announcement from Brad Freeman: JAB will cease as a periodical after this current issue. However, JABBooks will continue to publish artist books – the next will be Nether Wallop due for publication in 2004. The decision to quit publishing JAB was difficult and long and I remain somewhat conflicted. We’ve had an unexpectedly good ten-year run of twenty issues on what started out to be a one-shot deal. At first the purpose of JAB was to serve as a vent to get somethings off my chest. It seemed there were some rather uninteresting or contrived books getting a lot of attention and I wanted to feature work by serious artists who were making books in a rigourous and sustained manner. (Statement continues, for full text see JAB20 pp. 1-2.) The film for JAB20 was imageset through a production grant at the Institute for Electronic Arts at Alfred University, NY. JAB20 was printed at the Borowsky Center for Publication Arts at the University of the Arts. The cover was designed by Ruth Laxson and printed in 175 lpi duotone at Nexus Press, Atlanta. All design and offset printing was done by BF. The paper is Opus Dull at approximately 500 copies.

JAB20: The Journal of Artists' Books

Brad Freeman

title note: On the masthead it says, “The Journal of Artists’ Books, JAB20, Fall 2003, ISSN 1085-1461, jabeditor@earthlink.net [K. Shewmaker]

Agents

Brad Freeman

type: initiating

role:
artist
author
binder
designer
photographer
printer
publisher

nationality:
born: United States

location:

dates:
birth: 1951-01-23

Publication Information

publisher: JAB

dates:
publication: 2003-00-00 Fall 2003

publication history: The Journal of Artists’ Books (ISSN 1085-1461) is published twice a year, once in Spring and once in Fall. JAB20 contains the announcement from Brad Freeman: JAB will cease as a periodical after this current issue. However, JABBooks will continue to publish artist books – the next will be Nether Wallop due for publication in 2004. The decision to quit publishing JAB was difficult and long and I remain somewhat conflicted. We’ve had an unexpectedly good ten-year run of twenty issues on what started out to be a one-shot deal. At first the purpose of JAB was to serve as a vent to get somethings off my chest. It seemed there were some rather uninteresting or contrived books getting a lot of attention and I wanted to feature work by serious artists who were making books in a rigourous and sustained manner. (Statement continues, for full text see JAB20 pp. 1-2.) The film for JAB20 was imageset through a production grant at the Institute for Electronic Arts at Alfred University, NY. JAB20 was printed at the Borowsky Center for Publication Arts at the University of the Arts. The cover was designed by Ruth Laxson and printed in 175 lpi duotone at Nexus Press, Atlanta. All design and offset printing was done by BF. The paper is Opus Dull at approximately 500 copies. [K. Shewmaker]

Aesthetic Profile

movement:
other

subject:
artists' books (LCSH)
artists' books (LCSH) Publisher’s statement, “Last JAB, Book of Ruth, MCBA/Bolger Concept to Print Residency.”
artists' books (LCSH) Johanna Drucker’s article, “Thinking About Ten Years of JAB.”
artists' books (LCSH) Article by Mary Jo Pauly, “A Centering, of Sorts: The Evolving Idea of Minnesota Center for Book Arts.”
artists' books (LCSH) Article by Betty Bright, “Alter-Aesthetics.”
artists' books (LCSH) Article by Susan Viguers, “In the Context of Reading.”
artists' books (LCSH) Article by Brandon Cooper Black, “Book Rats.”
artists' books (LCSH) “JAB Covers 1994-2003.”
artists' books (LCSH) “JAB Index 1994 - 2003.”

content form:
journals (AAT)
non-fiction (AAT)

publication tradition:

small press (local)

related works: The works of Ruth Laxson – A Hundred Years of: LEX FLEX (2003); Keith Smith’s, Book 11, Up (1969); Siri Beckman’s A Small Victory (nd); Syd Crow’s book of days (nd); Margaret Kessler, A Common Confusion (nd); Britt Stadig, Mary Angela and Gertrude (nd); JAB, issues 1 – 19. [K. Shewmaker]