Carbon, Cotton, Bone: The Artists’ Books of Sarah Bryant

Sarah Bryant is known for her letterpress artists’ books, prints, and broadsides. Her work explores themes of transformation and translation, bringing together disparate worlds, shifting scales, and differing perspectives upon the page.

This exhibit assembles a selection of some of Bryant’s most engaging artists’ books, including six pieces from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Special Collections. Included in the exhibit is “Acts of Translation,” a semi-finalist for the 2024 MCBA Prize, presented by the Minnesota Center for the Book Arts.

Bryant founded her imprint, Big Jump Press, in 2005 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. After teaching at the Book Arts Center at Wells College and leading workshops across the United Kingdom, she returned to Tuscaloosa where she is an Associate Professor for the University of Alabama MFA Book Arts Program.

She frequently collaborates with artists and individuals working in other fields. Her work can be found in dozens of libraries and private collections in the United States and abroad, including The Library of Congress, The New York Public Library, and The Yale Arts Library.

The exhibition, Carbon, Cotton, Bone: Artists’ Books of Sarah Bryant, will be on view at the Kohler Art Library September 3, 2024—December 13, 2024.

Sarah Bryant will give the 7th annual Bernstein Book Arts Lecture on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 5:00pm in room L140 of the Elvehjem Building. The lecture is free and open to the public, with a reception to follow. Sarah’s talk is entitled “Acts of Translation: Bridging Disciplines through the Artists’ Book.”

Curated by Ruth Thomas, graduate student of Library and Information Studies, and Anna Simon.