New art exhibit opens at the Third Floor Gallery

Metropolitan State University Third Floor Gallery is pleased to present Soft Cover/Hard Copy: Contemporary Minnesotan Chapbooks.

The exhibit opens with a reception on Thursday, Sept. 11, from 4–7 p.m. and continues through Oct. 3. A presentation by Eric Lorberer (Rain Taxi Review of Books editor) entitled Our Corner of the World: A History of Chapbooks, will take place during the reception from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Gallery hours in are Mondays–Thursdays, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; and Fridays–Saturdays, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. The gallery is located in the Library and Learning Center, 645 East Seventh Street, Saint Paul.

This exhibition investigates the breadth and depth of the state’s zine and literary community by featuring the work of a number of book artists and fine presses. From one-of-a-kind hand bound books to mechanically produced limited edition publications, this show features a variety of styles, techniques and materials.

Participants include: Michelle Filkins of Spout Press (Minneapolis), Scott King of Red Dragon Fly Press (Northfield), Eric Lorberer of Rain Taxi (Minneapolis), Minnesota Center for Book Arts (Minneapolis), Paulette Myers-Rich of Traffic Street Press (Saint Paul), Mikal and Elizabeth Oness of Sutton Hoo Press (Winona), Regula Ruselle of Cedar Fence Press (Saint Paul) and Chip Schilling of Indulgence Press (Minneapolis).

Regarding the impetus for the exhibition, gallery director Erica Rasmussen has said, “The chapbook evolved in the British Islesbetween the 16th and 18th centuries as a means of distributing inexpensive literature to the masses. Originally sold by young men (or ‘chaps’) on the streets, these inexpensive publications featured soft covers and hand-bound signatures. Texts of poetry, prose or short moral tales were used in combination with cartoons or other imagery. Today chapbooks are enjoying a resurgence in popularity. This may be in part due to the rise of do-it-yourself poetry journals and the contemporary outcry against corporatization and globalization.”

The exhibition also complements a new class offered at Metropolitan State called the “Chapbook Workshop,” which is designed for the new Master of Liberal Studies program. For more information about the exhibit or to reserve your seat for the workshop, contact Erica Rasmussen, gallery director, at 651-793-1631 or e-mail erica.rasmussen@metrostate.edu.