Ideation Experience

Ideation Experience is an exhibition of contemporary artist books curated by Alicia Bailey. The exhibition features entirely new and original handmade books from students, educators and studio artists working in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. All of the works were created and produced over the past several months as a response to each artists’ drawing a series of cards from Chen and Tetenbaum’s Artists’ Book Ideation Card Decks. The works in the exhibit provides an exciting overview of the richness and variety that is possible when one works from an imposed set of parameters.

The Artists’ Book Ideation Card Decks are the creation of Barbara Tetenbaum and Julie Chen, published in 2013. Tetenbaum and Chen are both well-regarded educators and widely collected artists working in the book arts realm. The published set consists of two decks. Deck One consists of category cards that address various aspects of the book such as structure, layout, technique. Deck Two is a deck of adjectives. By drawing a total of 12 cards, an artist is given a comprehensive set of prompts to work from.

The artists' books in An Ideation Experience show what is possible when the paralysis of absolute freedom to choose is eliminated. The works illustrate that, even though the artists worked from one or more prompts in common with other artists in the show, each artists’ individual approach and vision shine through. There is nothing formulaic about the resulting work.

Abecedarian Gallery

910 Santa Fe, #101

Denver, Colorado

at the north end of the 910 Arts Complex

in Denver's Art District on Santa Fe