“Artist’s Books are the Trojan Horse of the art world… you don’t know exactly what is inside until it is revealed.”
— Cynthia Sears, BIMA Founder
Artist’s Book Collection
About BIMA's Artist's Book Collection
BIMA is proud of its commitment to feature and display the unique and burgeoning world of Artist’s Books. A fairly recent trend in the art world, Artist’s Books are a fast-growing art form that the public is beginning to notice. BIMA’s goal is to help make this unique medium more visible and accessible.
BIMA’s Artist’s Books exhibition changes three times throughout the year. Due to its participatory form, Artist’s Books are suited to starting conversations as opposed to being used to share opinions. Come see for yourself and join the conversation!
What is an Artist’s Book?
BIMA defines an Artist’s Book as a three-dimensional art object—usually one-of-a-kind or in limited edition—which reveals or tells its story over time using a combination of content and form and involves the agency or participation of the viewer.
Artist’s Books combine various art forms and media, including drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, gluing and binding, sculpture, photography, textiles, creative writing, and storytelling.
The Sherry Grover Gallery
Enter a gallery unlike any other. Marvel at the ingenuity and artistry of an art form that has a unique ability to tell stories—so personal and passionately told that they can be felt viscerally.
Surround yourself in the warmth of the cherry cabinets, glowing with work by artists from around the globe. Inspired by the passion for the art form of BIMA’s Founder, Cynthia Sears, BIMA’s Sherry Grover Gallery is home to more than 1,300 Artist’s Books and the collection keeps growing.
Celebrating Artist’s Books
Because Artist’s Books are meant to be handled, BIMA offers the following opportunities to engage with the art outside of the cases:
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OPEN BOOK
This drop-in program will allow you to get up-close and personal with the current Sherry Grover Gallery Artist’s Book exhibition. Gallery hosts will be available to show and discuss the books on display and answer your questions.
Free, no registration required. -
ARTIST’S BOOK TALKS
Take a deeper look into the current Sherry Grover Gallery exhibition with a special showing guided by an artist’s book expert. Selected works will be taken out of the cases, allowing viewers to see the movement and multiple dimensions of the pieces deeply critical to further understand artist’s books.
Free, registration required.
A peek into the collection
Who is in the collection?
BIMA’s Artist’s Book collection features the work of hundreds of artists including Catherine Alice Michaelis, Julie Chen, Fred Hagstrom, Charles Hobson, Lois Morrison, Claire Van Vliet, Joann Pohlmann, Mare Blocker, Jessica Spring, Elsi Vassdal-Ellis, Sande Wascher-James, Diane Jacobs, Alisa Golden, Susan King, Donald Glaister, Suzanne Moore, Maureen Cummins, Peter Rutledge Koch, Jeffrey Morin, and Ellen Knudson.