On Thursday, Oct. 1, in SUU’s Auditorium Theatre, as a part of SUU’s Art Insights, Sue Cotter will give a presentation entitled “From Book Arts to Book Art: What a Difference the ‘S’ Can Make.” Cotter will discuss her unique medium.
A co-curator of SUU Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery’s exhibition, “ABC: Assemblage, Book Art, Collage,” Cotter is a letterpress printer, artist bookmaker, and assemblage artist who began her career as a painter, but she also loves to write. In 1988, she discovered the perfect marriage of both passions in book art. After earning a bachelor’s degree in painting, she went on to study the historic techniques of letterpress printing and bookmaking at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she began making limited edition and one-of-a-kind book art. In recent years extensive travels have led Cotter to create works—altered books, story-box assemblage, books created from unusual found objects—that do not require printing presses and other cumbersome equipment.
Cotter has received numerous grants and awards including a Utah Artist Fellowship and a New Forms Grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation. Her work is in special collections libraries around the country as well as museums and private collections. She teaches workshops, exhibits extensively, and continues to explore the limitless possibilities of the book form. She now lives in Parowan, Utah, where she and fellow artist Spike Ress have built their home and studios.
Art Insights is a weekly program hosted during the fall and spring semesters by SUU’s art and design faculty. Students and community members meet to experience presentations and discussions by visiting artists and art educators from around the nation who share their work and insights and attend gallery openings. Admission is free, and the general public is invited to attend.
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