Pictures + Words: The Artist Series, at Bay Area Free Books Exchange

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Pictures + Words: The Artist Series.

Organized by Philip King @
BAY AREA FREE BOOK EXCHANGE
10520 SAN PABLO AVE.
EL CERRITO, CA 94530

March 26, 2012: On Sunday, April 8, the Bay Area Free Book Exchange launches Pictures + Words: The Artist Series. Curated by Philip King, this will be an exhibition in three parts by local artists taking an opportunity to liberate the words: “book,” “free,” and “exchange,” as a new way to display their work. The series launches with After Wyoming, a response to “Book,” by printmaker and book artist Michelle Wilson. The Bay Area Free Book Exchange is located at 10520 San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito, and is open every weekend from 9AM-6PM. A reception will be held on April 8, from 4-6 PM, where visitors will be able to enjoy food and drink, see the art, and help themselves to the free books. All activities are free and open to the public.

The quiet materiality of Wilson’s work includes a sense of the time taken making it, making her own paper and carving blocks to print her imagery. Like so much of the best contemporary artwork it brings with it its own lucid conscience, and a sense of story. As a book artist, Wilson has chosen to liberate her visual narratives from their bindings, and instead presents a series of “pages,” in a nonlinear sequence of events. Wilson was recently an Artist-In-Residence at Jentel Arts, an arts residency program in Sheridan, Wyoming. After Wyoming is her response to her time there and experiences since returning.

Pictures + Words: The Artist Series continues in May with paintings by Philip King, followed by the collected images of Timothy Buckwalter. All the artists live and work in the East San Francisco Bay.

The Bay Area Free Book Exchange was established May 17, 2009. It was created and is run cooperatively by local book sellers/book lovers who process thousands of books every month. They thus continually stock the shelves of the Free Book Exchange. All the books on all the shelves are available to the public free of charge. It is an ever-changing treasure hunt among thousands of books. Open Every Weekend Saturday & Sunday 9am-6pm. For information on the artist series please contact: Michelle Wilson at michelle(at)michellewilsonprojects(dot)com.