Just in time for New York City’s design week (May 11–23, 2018), Wallpaper* magazine has featured Bard Graduate Center Gallery’s Reading Room, designed by Studio Giancarlo Valle and curated by Wendy’s Subway and Some Other Books, as a space that is “ideal for escaping design week-fueled hysteria.” Writes Elly Parsons:
The Reading Room, designed by architecture studio Giancarlo Valle (which counts Linda Farrow, Phillip Lim and Jason Wu as clients), uses Japanese Shoji-like screens to create an oasis of calm – an ideal spot for turning over a new leaf. Books slot into the latticed framework, suspended, ready to be plucked and perused.
The book collection is a tale of two halves, split into two distinct sections curated by Some Other Books (a NY‐based publisher of artists’ books and multiples founded by Kristen Mueller in 2018) and Wendy’s Subway (a non‐profit library, writing space, and publisher located in Bushwick, Brooklyn). The Artists/Textiles section contains publications by artists working with textiles, whether in art or fashion. The Artists/Books section focusses on artists whose work takes the form of the book or zine.
It’s a project inspired by Bard’s two spring exhibitions, Fabricating Power with Balinese Textiles and The Codex and Crafts in Late Antiquity. The latter celebrates the very earliest forms of book-making, wooden tablets called ‘Codex’, and the high craftsmanship associated with them, reflected in the quality of the wooden structure that folds itself around the nook. Happy browsing.
Read the full article here.
The Reading Room is open during all Gallery hours and the next hosted event will be on May 31 on the topic of “Women in Art Publishing: Collaborative Networks.” The discussion will highlight innovative and inclusive approaches to collaborative practice among female-identifying leaders in contemporary art publishing. Featuring Corina Reynolds (Small Editions), Karen Kelly and Barbara Schroeder (Dancing Foxes Press), and Tammy Nguyen (Passenger Pigeon Press). A conversation moderated by Sonel Breslav (Blonde Art Books) and Rachel Valinsky (Wendy’s Subway), will follow. Free with RSVP (here).
