Artist Talk with Johanna Drucker

Free with Museum admission.* Seating is limited.

Join the Long Beach Museum of Art for a special artist talk with Johanna Drucker, acclaimed author, book artist, and visual theorist, in conjunction with the exhibition The California Effect: New Books from the California Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers. Drucker will explore the evolving field of book arts, reflecting on how California’s distinct environment and creative spirit shape artistic practice and material innovation.

With a career spanning decades at the intersection of art, design, and scholarship, Drucker’s work examines the visual and conceptual dimensions of the book as an art form. Currently, the Martin and Bernard Breslauer Professor at UCLA, she is a leading voice in visual studies and digital aesthetics and was recently elected to the American Philosophical Society.

The California Effect brings together 29 artists presenting 54 unique works that reimagine the book through handmade materials and inventive forms. This conversation offers an inspiring look at how artists transform the tactile and textual into expressions of place, identity, and imagination.

*Ticket prices reflect LBMA gallery admission pricing. Day-of in-person tickets available (while supplies last).

Johanna Drucker (born May 30, 1952) is an American author, book artist, visual theorist, and cultural critic. Her scholarly writing documents and critiques visual language: letterforms, typography, visual poetry, art, and lately, digital art aesthetics. She is currently the Martin and Bernard Breslauer Professor in the Department of Information Studies at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. In 2023, she was elected to the American Philosophical Society.

The California Effect: New Books from the California Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers is rich in both artists and bookworks. 29 artists are exhibiting 54 books, boxes, and broadsides. Some are in limited editions, and others are one-of-a-kind. All are handmade individually with handmade and fine papers, cloth, thread, glue, inks, and paint. What exactly is the California effect? More precisely, what is the effect on the many of us who live, work, and visit here? The misty mornings and baking hot afternoons? The endless coastline, chill forests, or dry desert arroyos? Each of us has an answer, seen in the books we make, in our tastes and inspirations. We turn to making books: printing them, binding them, reinventing them, turning them into art—making books as art.

The California Chapter is one of ten chapters, revealing the national reach and scope of the Guild and its dedication to promoting interest and awareness in the tradition of book and paper arts. The members include hand bookbinders, design binders, conservators, calligraphers, makers of artist books, fine press printers, and papermakers. A fully illustrated catalogue with information about each artwork and biographical information about each artist is available to order.

The California Effect exhibition and related programming are graciously supported by The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation, the Pasadena Art Alliance, and the Bess J. Hodges Foundation

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