Abstract

This applied thesis project deals with a selection of fifty books published by the Visual Studies Workshop (VSW) Press in the 1970s and 1980s. The selection of books can be found in the Independent Press Archive that is currently held in the Research Center at the Visual Studies Workshop (VSW) in Rochester N.Y. The objective for this applied project is to facilitate access and describe the selection of books through the construction of a website. The thesis is divided into two parts, a website description of the books and an analytical paper. The website will allow for visual access to some important experiments with the book format, analog experiments that were revolutionary in their time. The analytical paper includes a discussion of the decisions made while selecting and digitizing the books for the website. This thesis project will add to the current knowledge about VSW Press by providing a snapshot view of how the book format was utilized by artists and students working at VSW at a particular moment in history, a historical period in which photography media and publication were undergoing a time of remarkable growth.

Highlights

  • In
1969,
photographer,
writer,
curator,
and
educator
Nathan
Lyons
founded
the
 Visual
Studies
Workshop
(VSW)
as
an
artist‐run,
educational
and
support
center
for
 photography
and
other
media
arts.1

VSW
Press,
a
program
of
VSW,
has
been
producing
 artists’
books
and
titles
in
the
visual
arts
since
1972

  • Workshop Press was a venue through which artists learned the conceptual and technical disciplines
for
producing
a
book
and
were
encouraged
to
think
critically
about
the process
of
bookmaking

  • The selection of books in the exhibit is from a specific period of time, a time
of
interest
in
new
technology
and
new
systems
of
distribution
related
to
artwork

Read more

Summary

Introduction

In
1969,
photographer,
writer,
curator,
and
educator
Nathan
Lyons
founded
the
 Visual
Studies
Workshop
(VSW)
as
an
artist‐run,
educational
and
support
center
for
 photography
and
other
media
arts.

VSW
Press,
a
program
of
VSW,
has
been
producing
 artists’
books
and
titles
in
the
visual
arts
since
1972. VSW began in 1969, and during the time period of 1970 to 1977 the press utilized
a
number
of
tools:
an
old
letterpress
and
an
offset
duplicator,
a
process
camera, 6
Booklyn
Artists
Alliance,
accessed
May
23,
2011,
http://www.booklyn.org/
 7
The
Center
for
Book
Arts,
accessed
May
23,
2011,
http://www.centerforbookarts.org/
 8
Printed
Matter,
accessed
May
23,
2011,
http://printedmatter.org/
 9
Publication
Studio,
accessed
May
23,
2011,
http://www.publicationstudio.biz/
 10
Rollo
Press,
accessed
May
23,
2011,
http://www.rollo‐press.com/
 11
Self
Publish
Be
Happy,
accessed
May
23,
2011,
http://selfpublishbehappy.com/
 12
Joan
Lyons,
Conversation
at
Visual
Studies
Workshop,
Rochester,
NY,
January
31,
2011. Introductory
Note: The
literature
consulted
has
been
divided
into
six
categories
including:
publications
and
 writing
about
VSW
Press,
the
photographic
book,
artists’
books,
independent
publishing, printing
and
technologies,
and
technical
resources
for
the
creation
of
a
website. Websites
for
organizations
such
as
Coach
House
Books,
Booklyn
Artists
Alliance,
 The
Center
for
Book
Arts,
Printed
Matter,
Publication
Studio,
Rollo
Press,
and
Self
 Publish
Be
Happy
are
all
relevant
to
examine
alongside
the
organizational
structure
of
 VSW
Press. This
text
considers
 how
digital
media
influences
the
cultural
heritage
sector,
and
was
a
valuable
resource
 while
completing
the
project

Methodology
A Close Brush With Reality
Full Text
Published version (Free)

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