Wednesdays

September 10 - October 15

6 - 9 PM

Class Size Max: 12

This course explores the forms and functions of books across various disciplines in modern and contemporary art, emphasizing the connection between an artist’s book and the creative process. Books—whether as narrative constructions, theoretical explorations, or aesthetic objects—have expanded the boundaries of artistic expression across diverse media, often driving innovation within traditional artistic practices. Through lectures, discussions, and projects drawing from student archives, this course provides historical context, a working knowledge of InDesign, and an understanding of layout and typography principles. Students will begin to conceptualize, design, edit, and construct their own books while defining and differentiating various book concepts, including Artist Books, Bookworks, Photobooks, Zines, Book Dummies, and more.

The course offers a comprehensive overview of the book’s evolution as both a conceptual idea and a tangible object. Penumbra's global collection of over 300 Risograph publications serves as a primary source of study and inspiration, showcasing creative diversity and the medium’s relationship between labor and materials across cultural contexts. Students will also analyze how production resources, as well as socioeconomic and political factors, influence the artistic process, resulting in innovative art objects.

Tuition includes a $10 materials fee

If your desired tuition option is unavailable, please email info@penumbrafoundation.org and we will do our best to accommodate you. If the entire class is sold out, we can add you to the waitlist.

Victor Sira, a Venezuelan photographer based in New York City, works with video and artist books in addition to photography. He has received fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the Andrea Frank Foundation, the W. Eugene Smith Foundation, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Sira has held numerous teaching positions, including at the ICP–Bard MFA Program in Photographic Studies. He has also taught at the SUNY Purchase School of Art and Design and currently teaches Photobook History in the MFA Photography Program at Hartford Art School. Additionally, he has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Design. Sira is the co-founder of bookdummypress.

Images © Victor Sira