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McKinney Avenue Contemporary

 

Background, Collections & Book Art

Susan kae Grant began making artists' books as an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1976. At this time she established her imprint, "The Black Rose Press," that would appear on all future books. Work created for Grant's 1979 graduate MFA exhibition included the staged narrative in photography and artists' books utilizing letterpress type and handmade papers. With a focus on balancing form and content, Grant has since produced twelve limited edition artists' books on a variety of subjects from feminist issues, identity, gender politics to science, animal welfare and autobiographic concerns.

Grant’s book-works are included in numerous public collections including, The George Eastman House, The J. Paul Getty Museum, The Minneapolis Art Institute, and The Victoria and Albert Museum National Library. See expanded list below.

 
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Black Rose Press | Susan kae Grant Imprint

 
 

When designing a book, Grant chooses materials for their ability to communicate content, elicit an emotional response and provoke the viewer's physical participation. Whether bound, sewn, or printed, all except one of her books are made by hand. The use of affective materials and meticulous handwork in combination with photographic images and texts makes her books unique. The editions are small which allows for incorporating materials that otherwise would be difficult to mass-produce.

Grant's exacting process is time-consuming.  The planning, design and physical execution of an edition often takes two to three years to complete.  She enjoys the flexibility of working on long term projects both in the book arts and photography and states: "It seems there are always one or two in-progress book projects in my studio or journal at any given time and I enjoy the process of coming back to them when not producing single images or working on the computer."

An active member of the Book Arts community, Grant has served as advisor, juror and curator for numerous exhibitions of artists' books. She has conducted bookmaking workshops, lectured on book art and exhibited her work throughout the United States and internationally. Grant's numerous curatorial projects include the traveling exhibitions, Photographic Book Art in the United States,which toured to 17 venues throughout the United States from August 1991 - April 1995; and The Book Reconfigured, a survey of women book artists residing in Texas which toured two Texas venues in 1995 to 1996.

In-progress, Radio-Active Substances

 

In-progress, Radio-Active Substances

 
 

The Black Rose Press Titles

  • Shadowed Memory (2005-06)

  • Radioactive Substances (1994-97)

  • Diamonds [Are] Forever (1994)

  • Vestiges (1992-94)

  • Giving Fear A Proper Name: Detroit (1980-85)

  • Evidence (1988)

  • The Wink, The Kiss, The Slap (1987-88)

  • Portrait of an Artist and Her Mother (1978)

  • An Alphabet Book (1979-81)

  • One Sunday i Became The Virgin Mary (1978-79)

  • Backwards and Forwards (1978)

  • Retailing Wrinkles & Wisdom (1976)

 
 

Selected Permanent Collections

  • Arts of the Book Collection, Yale University

  • Boston Athenaeum

  • Center For Creative Photography

  • Columbia University

  • Detroit Public Library Rare Book Room

  • Phoenix Public Library Rare Book Collection

  • Smith College Rare Book Collection

  • Smithsonian Institute

  • Texas Tech University, Rare Book Collection

  • The J. Paul Getty Museum Artists' Book Collection

  • The International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House

  • The Minneapolis Institute of Art

  • The New York Public Library Spencer Collection

  • The Ruth and Marvin Sackner Collection

  • The School of the Art Institute Artist's Book Collection

  • UCLA, Darling BioMedical Library Special Collections

  • Victoria & Albert Museum National Art Library

  • Wellesley College

  • Wesleyan University