Voluminous Art: Treasures from San Diego’s University Libraries

Voluminous Art: Treasures from San Diego’s University Libraries
Saturday, March 10 – Monday, September 3, 2018
Mingei International Museum

This spring, Mingei International Museum will shine a spotlight on the special collections from the libraries of UC San Diego, San Diego State University and University of San Diego.

Voluminous Art celebrates the art of the book by showcasing approximately 25 volumes from each library collection, a sampling that will hint at centuries-old practices of book design, typography, binding and printing.

The oldest work on view will be a manuscript volume on the art and science of spelling from the 1200s. Many of the books will have been printed during the first 50 years after Gutenberg’s breakthrough with movable type, including the Nuremberg Chronicle. There will also be a portfolio of colored pictures hand drawn by a Kiowa Indian named Koba while he was imprisoned at a military facility in St. Augustine, Florida in 1876.
To honor his San Diego legacy, the Mingei will include a Dr. Seuss book with an original drawing by Theodore Geisel. Finally, there will be multiple examples of so-called artists’ books – contemporary creations,usually in very small, one-off editions of eccentric art works.