Recently I took some of my artist books to the 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland Oregon. While I was there I saw the “Dead Feminists” exhibit by Jessica Spring and Chandler O’Leary. I’m talking exquisite hand drawn lettering, illustrations and printmaking employed as a way of celebrating women! And this exhibit also exists in a book titled Dead Feminists: Historical Heroines in Living Color published by Sasquatch Books.
Naturally I bought a copy.
My copy of Dead Feminists – you can get your own here: http://www.deadfeminists.com/
The book – which you can purchase via their website http://www.deadfeminists.com/ and probably by book-sellers where-ever – is a wonderful nesting, interlocking set of artistic ideas. There’s the historical stuff about women (those dead feminists) who have done exceptional work towards advancing women’s rights. There’s the stuff about how artist’s Spring and Chandler worked to create the lettering, illustrations and the print production. Then there’s the stuff about what non-profit organizations (often women’s orgs) benefited from the sales of Spring and Chandler’s artwork.
It’s a beautiful depiction of how an artist (and a woman in whatever profession) can do her best work and benefit her community both immediately and in the future.
The book is a powerful reminder that we are each an essential contributor to life as we know it – or hope to know it.
Thank you Jessica Spring and Chandler O’Leary for your wonderful work! And thank you 23 Sandy Gallery for sharing it!
Now that I’ve finished reading this book I’ll go fetch my socks from where-ever they went when they were blown off.
That looks to be a very interesting and beautifully presented book.
It is beautiful – it’s just a shame that the camera can’t capture the tactile feel of the raised letters on the cover – and of course the book looks even better on the inside 😉