A Book a Day? What's Up With That?


Hi, and welcome to this year-long project. So what's this all about and how did it happen, you might ask. In mid 2007, artist Noah Scalin decided to make a skull out of anything he could find, every day for a year. It stretched him in ways he never imagined, as an artist, a writer and a person. His experience turned into a blog that went viral, and then a book.

Others have picked up on the idea: 365 Hearts, 365 Masks, 365 Bears drawn on a cellphone, 365 paper napkin mustaches.
I wanted to play, too, and I chose books. I love books, I know a bit about making books (thanks to my talented book-maker sister, Marilyn Worrix), and they're broad enough in definition to give me a lot of creative leeway.

The whole point is not really the books. The idea is to stretch myself in many ways as an artist and a person, to set up a discipline, stick with it and see what that teaches me.

I hope you'll join with me and follow along on the journey chronicled here, and let me know what you think.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Books 261-264 - Presidential Wisdom for Today - Single-Page Fold Books

Hey! I'm still here! I have a series of books to post tonight that I've been working on for the last few days. These are four little single-page snake fold books with quotations from some of our earlier presidents.

I've been wanting to do something that touches on my feelings about the Occupy Wall Street protests and the political/economic situation of the country that has inspired them. If you think the protests are a mistake, you might want ot quit reading now. Because I think they are WONDERFUL. (Yes, I really am shouting it.)

I'm so excited to see the people finally rising up to fight back and I wanted to use whatever talent and ability I might have as an artist to express that.

Each of these four single-sheet fold books focuses on a single quote form a single president. Here are the quotes:


"I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country." ~Thomas Jefferson

"Every man is equally entitled to protection by law; but when the laws undertake to add... artificial distinctions, to grant titles, gratuities, and exclusive privileges, to make the rich richer and the potent more powerful, the humble members of society--the farmers, mechanics, and laborers--who have neither the time nor the means of securing like favors to themselves, have a right to complain of the injustice of their government." ~Andrew Jackson, as he vetoed a national bank bill, July 10, 1832).


"The money powers prey upon the nation in times of peace and conspire against it in times of adversity. It is more despotic than a monarchy, more insolent than autocracy, and more selfish than bureaucracy. It denounces as public enemies, all who question its methods or throw light upon its crimes. I have two great enemies, the Southern Army in front of me and the Bankers in the rear. Of the two, the one at my rear is my greatest foe.. corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money powers of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in the hands of a few, and the Republic is destroyed." ~Abraham Lincoln


"Big business is not dangerous because it is big, but because its bigness is an unwholesome inflation created by privileges and exemptions which it ought not to enjoy." ~Woodrow Wilson, July 7, 1912


Each quote is laid out on the computer with a couple of portraits of the president, printed on a single sheet of cream-colored card stock, then folded and cut into the snake fold, which results in an accordion fold book with more pages than you think you could do with a single sheet. The book is then glued into a cover of red or blue heavier card stock and a slip-on label wit the book title is slid on to hold the book closed.

I really like these. They look very clean and neat. I also have a few more quotes and plan to do more of these tomorrow. Stay tuned...


















6 comments:

  1. Really love these books, what they stand for and the thought you have put in to create them.
    I also support the Occupy movement in the quest for change. There are only a few left in my area but they are making a difference by their presence.

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  2. I love these! Can you hear me shouting?!! :):)

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  3. Rita - Yes, I hear you. And your posts always make me smile!

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  4. YES, YES, YES the books are great, the sentiments are great, and Occupy Everywhere. I have never figured out how to format something to print for that snake fold.

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  5. Thanks, Rachel. Here's how I figured out the formatting. I folded a piece of blank paper, made the cuts, folded it into a book, then went through it cover to cover and wrote a big number on each page. When I opened up the sheet, I had a template telling me which pages went where and which ones had to be upside down. After that, it's simple.

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