Book Arts and Fine Press at the Clark Library

The Third Stream, while still nascent as a definition for a category of fine press books, has been used to describe an “... as-yet-unnamed conceptual art, a so-called movement (actually a medium, or third stream) which made one of its most vital contributions by validating the book as a legitimate medium for visual art” (Lucy Lippard, “The Artists’ Book Goes Public.”  Art in America January/February 1977: 40-41). The use of the term “Third Stream” was purportedly first used in reference to books created by the printer, “the person who actually makes the book,” by Sandra Kirshenbaum in 1969 (Kirshenbaum, S., ed. Five Fine Printers: Jack Stauffacher, Adrian Wilson, Richard Bigus, Andrew Hoyem, William Everson : an exhibition, February 22-April 10, 1979, University of California, Davis. Davis, California: Library Associates, 1979: [7]).

Book artists particularly representative of the Third Stream include Russell Maret (New York City), Veronika Schäpers (Karlsruhe, Germany), Richard Wagener (Petaluma, California), and Peter Koch (Berkeley, California), among others. These works combine original ideas, meticulous craft skills, and the book form as an expression of their art. The Clark Library has the complete works of Veronika Schäpers, and extensive collections from Russell Maret, Richard Wagener, and Peter Koch, including correspondence and ephemera. Other book artists and presses represented in the library include Ninja Press (Sherman Oaks, California), Salvage Press (Dublin, Ireland), Didier Mutel (France), Barbarian Press (Vancouver, Canada), etc.