Sorted Books: Akron Stacks
Primitive Art, from the series Akron Stacks, 2001, from the project “Sorted Books,” 1993 and ongoing. Digital chromogenic prints, 12.5 × 19 inches.
"Sorted Books" is my longest ongoing project. It began in 1993 and has taken place on many different sites over the years, including in the private homes of friends, in rare book libraries, and in the archives of important literary figures. The process is the same in every case: I sort through a collection of books, make note of particular titles, and eventually group the books into clusters so that the titles can be read in sequence. The final results are most often shown as photographs of the book clusters, but on occasion, I exhibit the grouped books themselves. Taken as a whole, the clusters are a cross-section of that library's holdings that function as a kind of portrait.
The Akron Art Museum in Ohio commissioned me to do a book sorting using the holdings of the museum's research library. It had extensive materials and catalogs from various contemporary art exhibitions, as well as many large-format, hardback monographs. These books did not circulate to the general public, and the enormous room with bookshelves, known as “the stacks” (hence the title, The Akron Stacks), was so separate from the main exhibition areas that visitors had no idea there was a library there at all. In the stacks, there was a special section on the business and fundraising side of museum administration, books that felt particularly important to use since these activities are often so behind the scenes of museum operations. When the sorting project was complete, the book clusters were brought to the gift shop and integrated into the displays.
Art In Public Places, from the series Akron Stacks, 2001, from the project “Sorted Books,” 1993 and ongoing. Digital chromogenic prints, 12.5 × 19 inches.
Europe Now, from the series Akron Stacks, 2001, from the project “Sorted Books,” 1993 and ongoing. Digital chromogenic prints, 12.5 × 19 inches.
Made of Iron, from the series Akron Stacks, 2001, from the project “Sorted Books,” 1993 and ongoing. Digital chromogenic prints, 12.5 × 19 inches.
Sixteen Americans, from the series Akron Stacks, 2001, from the project “Sorted Books,” 1993 and ongoing. Digital chromogenic prints, 12.5 × 19 inches.
The Poet Assassinated, from the series Akron Stacks, 2001, from the project “Sorted Books,” 1993 and ongoing. Digital chromogenic prints, 12.5 × 19 inches.
The Poet Exposed, from the series Akron Stacks, 2001, from the project “Sorted Books,” 1993 and ongoing. Digital chromogenic prints, 12.5 × 19 inches.
Van Gogh, from the series Akron Stacks, 2001, from the project “Sorted Books,” 1993 and ongoing. Digital chromogenic prints, 12.5 × 19 inches.
A Short Guide to Writing About Art, from the series Akron Stacks, 2001, from the project “Sorted Books,” 1993 and ongoing. Digital chromogenic prints, 12.5 × 19 inches.