Artistry of unusual books exhibited at Tulane library

There can be more to a book than a cover, binding and pages. That’s what the “Art of the Book” exhibit on the sixth floor of Howard-Tilton Memorial Library is designed to show.

The exhibit, conceptualized by head of media services Lisa Hooper and rare books library associate Kathleen McCallister, features 16 pieces including an old-fashioned radio box enclosing a Hank Williams CD collection and a set of cards depicting the lexicon of New Orleans. There are also tunnel books, which are diorama-style artworks that create a 3-D image using cutout images placed one behind another.

“When people think of rare books, they think old, musty, heavy, impressive, but not necessarily creative,” said McCallister. “We wanted to encourage people to think beyond the text inside a rare book or the music on a CD.”

“These covers tell a story as much as the books themselves.”

Lisa Hooper, head of media services

Hooper said she is excited to show off the media covers that come through her office each week, because they often include fascinating designs or functional sound features.

“The covers are part of the story, informing how we approach the text, video or audio before we even open them,” said Hooper, who hopes the exhibit will increase awareness of the resources at the library and inspire viewers to question the impact of packaging on our lives.

Hooper and McCallister are always looking for ideas for new exhibits to inform Tulane’s campus about important issues or current events.

Visitors to Howard-Tilton Memorial Library can visit the exhibit now through May 31. More details about book art is available at the Center for Book Arts website.