Taking cues from the cartoneramovement, a grass roots publishing endeavour originating in Argentina in the early 2000s, the Fine Art students Professor Tara Cooper’s class "Takin’ It To The Streets" have created their own artist books, which will be on display in the Dana Porter Library lobby from February 2 to 13.
Come on February 2 from 2 to 4 p.m. to celebrate the opening of the exhibit and try your hand at creating your own artist's book!
The cartonera movement
Using recycled cartonera (cardboard in English) to make books, cartonero figures (aka “cardboarders”) turned to waste streams in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as a source of income following the 2001 economic crisis, which saw high levels of unemployment. It was a collaborative effort engaging writers, waste-collectors, and artists. The practice has since spread to more than 250 cartonera publishers. The making of the cardboard covers is often produced through community-based workshops.
Image: Cartonera examples from the University of Wisconsin-Madison collection