The Big Deal biennial book fair CODEX is going to take place on February 8th through 11th, 2015 in the San Francisco Bay area. This is the fifth iteration. The first three took place on the Berkeley campus but the international fair outgrew the facilities on campus. Peter Koch, the founder of the event, which also holds a symposium, moved it two years ago to the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, CA. Overall, the fair tends to be a little too much "Fine Press" bookwork for me, but there are many fantastic dealers and artists showing there. As the fair has grown over the years, the artists and dealers showing there from all over the world have really broadened and the event is absolutely worth going to and spending at least a day at, maybe even two days. Julie Chen has a great table, as do the master artists' book makers from Germany, Inés von Ketelhodt and Peter Malutzki, as well as many others terrific artists and dealers. Clif Meador's new book, published by John Merritt and his wife, will have it's own table where Clif will be signing and dedicating copies. My work will be at the Vamp & Tramp table.
Whenever CODEX happens, there are usually many other book-related events and shows happening around the Bay area. I am involved in two. The first is the show Four Proposals For Reading at the Seager-Gray Gallery in Mill Valley. The show displays the work of four close friends –who have known each other for many years– and decided to collaborate on a conceptual book show together. We have installed a little "reading room library" in one area of the gallery, where parts of our personal libraries are displayed as actual-size reproductions of key parts of our bookshelves. Another part of the gallery has new work especially created for this show.
This shows part of the "library" with my books on the right and Clif Meador's books on the left.
This is part of the main display area with Julie Chen and Barb Tetenbaum's work.
This is one of Clif Meador's new books, called Cotton Cloth, in front of specially printed cotton fabric.
Talking with Charles Hobson and Clif Meador in front of my book Reaper.
Above, Donna Seager asks the four of us some questions in front of the reception crowd.
The opening reception took place the evening before CODEX opens, Saturday, February 7th from 6-8 pm. For more information, please go here, or here.
Tomorrow I will add some other events in San Francisco that I am involved in during CODEX.
