Full Circle,
2006
letterpress-printed
paper, silk-covered box
3x15.5x15.5 in.
(box size)
be it a current event like the run-up to the
Iraq War
(T h e Veil,
2002) or our perception
of personal tumult
(T rue to L ife,
2005).
Since 1996 she also has taught at Mills,
where her mission is to convey the rich
potential of the book as art: “You can use
the physical format, the interaction of text
and image, and the way the book is revealed
over time to develop a very complex experi-
ence for the reader.”
Because they’re so engaging, artists’
books have educational as well as expres-
sive power. A t the University of Washing-
ton, Kroupa uses Chen’s books for teaching,
not just “to explain to students that in order
to be an artist, you do not have to forsake
craft,” but also because they’re surefire
attention-getters: “No matter how cool
and uninvolved an undergraduate group of
students might be, when you put [artists’
books] on a table and manipulate them,
everyone gasps.”
Some of Chen’s works seduce with
charm.
Bon Bon M ots
(1998) is a sampler
Three drawers open
from a slot in the outer
tray, cradling pop-up
diagrams that serve as
checkpoints in the cycle.
This pop-up maps the
flow between wanting
and knowing, and the
union of heart and mind,
where faith resides.
038 american craft apr/may 11
www.downmagaz.com
