ARTH 583
Graphic Content: Typography and the Book between Art and Design Fall 2020
Division I

This seminar considers the entangled histories of fine art and graphic design by focusing on creative practices surrounding the letterform and the book form from 1900 to the present. We will study historical avant-garde movements active in publishing and making-public; the development of the graphic design discipline, in print and on screen; and logocentric artistic tendencies from concrete poetry and pop art to conceptualism and artists’ books. We will also consider diverse literary practices, graphic visualization, and political agitation. The seminar will make use of the Clark library’s outstanding collection of artists’ books and the holdings of the Chapin library at Williams. We will welcome several guests, including art historians, artist-designers, designer-artists, editors, publishers, and bookmakers.