Lunch & Learn: Bound and Unbound 8: Altered Book Exhibition

Lunch & Learn: Bound and Unbound 8: Altered Book Exhibition

Wednesday, December 3, 2025
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Edith B Siegrist Vermillion Public Library
18 Church St Vermillion SD 57069

Join members of the Arts and Exhibits Committee from the University of South Dakota Libraries, as they walk us through a brief history of the committee, the origins and progress of the Bound and Unbound altered book exhibition series, and a deep dive into the works of Bound and Unbound 8. Bound and Unbound 8 was juried by Bratislava, Slovakia-based altered book artist and illustrator, Isobelle Ouzman. Ouzman is widely known for her work on the covers of Alice with a Why by Anna James and The Whisperwicks series, published by Simon & Schuster. The exhibition is now on view at the I.D. Weeks Library through Jan. 5, 2026.

Bound and Unbound 8

•    Call for entries  September 23, 2024 – March 7, 2025
•    The exhibition will be: August 25, 2025 – January 5, 2026
•    Entry is open to all. Entry is free. Artists may submit up to three works for consideration. Submit entries at https://libguides.usd.edu/BU8, with one image per piece.

Bound and Unbound 8 is a is an international and juried exhibition.

This year's Juror is Isobelle Ouzman
Isobelle Ouzman is a British artist raised in Washington State, USA, now living and working in Europe. Ouzman graduated from Tacoma School of the Arts in 2010 and has been creating book art ever since, combining paper carving and illustration to create 3-dimensional stories within the pages of discarded novels, journals, and sketchbooks. Her altered books are a testament to the value of slow, purposeful work - gluing, carving, and illustrating through hundreds of pages over many weeks and months at a time. Her dedication to working with books stems from both her love for reading (from fairytales to psychology and everything in between) and her genuine connection to others through storytelling. She aims to highlight the value of books as an object, in addition to the transformative nature of narrative. Her work has been exhibited in the USA and Slovakia, featured in magazines such as Hi-Fructose, Colossal, and My Modern Met, and can be found in private collections worldwide. https://isobelleouzman.com

UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES SEEKS ENTRIES FOR ALTERED BOOK EXHIBITION

UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES SEEKS ENTRIES FOR ALTERED BOOK EXHIBITION
https://www.usd.edu/the-south-dakotan/university-libraries-seeks-entries-for-altered-book-exhibition 

 

Bound and Unbound VI: Altered Book Exhibition

 The Art and Exhibits Committee, University Libraries, at the University of South Dakota, present the 2021 Bound and Unbound VI international juried altered book exhibition.The exhibition is open to the public during library operating hours.

More information can be found at libguides.usd.edu/BU6

Bound and Unbound VI: Altered Book Exhibition is photographed and cataloged, and placed in the Digital Library of South Dakota.

https://explore.digitalsd.org/digital/collection/exhibitions/search/searchterm/Bound%20and%20Unbound%206%3A%20Altered%20Book%20Exhibition/field/relatig/mode/exact/conn/and?fbclid=IwAR2rAGz1eUXoLEojEb1LB4SsMF72bWpJ6D8_dqPLY6vMC5db7Q55muO93MI

https://www.usd.edu/news/2021/university-libraries-at-usd-presents-bound-and-unbound-vi-altered-book-edition

ART 100 FYE Altered Book Exhibit

 On display now until the end of the semester in the second floor cases in the library.

Students in the ART 100 FYE class created an altered book for exhibit. The class goal was to transform a discarded book into a creative artwork that encompassed a theme and utilized a variety of media and techniques.  

University Libraries Call for Entries for Altered Book Exhibition

VERMILLION, S.D. – The University of South Dakota University Libraries is seeking entries for their sixth international biennial altered book exhibition, “Bound and Unbound VI: Altered Book Exhibition,” scheduled for display Aug. 23, 2021 – Jan. 3, 2022.

Sponsored by the University Libraries Arts and Exhibits committee, “Bound and Unbound VI” features an exhibit of altered books, which are a mixed media artwork that changes a book from its original form by altering its state or meaning. Books from any source utilizing any medium are eligible. All work must be original and executed within the last three years.

“We are very excited to have Melissa Stern as juror this year,” said committee member Sarah Hanson-Pareek, digitization and photographs curator at the University Libraries. “Her expertise in journalism (written word), sculpture, artmaking and cross-discipline endeavors will bring a fresh and unique perspective to the jury process.”

Melissa Stern, an artist, professor and journalist living in New York City, has worked in sculpture, photography and drawing for over 30 years, exhibiting throughout the United States as well as Europe and Asia. Starting in 2012, her multi-media installation exhibition, "The Talking Cure," has traveled to museums around the states and will open at the Fuller Museum of Art in 2021. Her work is featured in a number of prominent corporate and museum collections, including: News Corporation, JP Morgan/Chase, Arkansas Art Center, American Museum of Ceramic Art, Racine Art Museum, International Center for Collage, Bucknell University, Library of Congress: Rare Books and Special Collections, Museum of Art and Design, Arario Gallery and the Weisman Art Museum.

With a background in anthropology, Stern’s work reflects both non-Western and outsider-art influences. Her drawings, collages and figurative sculptures are richly drawn and deeply layered, with quirky, often dark humor.

Stern has taught and lectured throughout the New York area, including the School of Visual Arts, Parsons School of Design and New York University. She was the lead art critic for New York Press and City Arts from 2006-2014 and is currently a contributing writer for Hyperallergic, Romanov Grave, and Vasari 21. Learn more about Stern at her website.

Entries for “Bound and Unbound VI” are open to the public and artists can submit up to three entries by March 5, 2021. There is no fee to enter the exhibition and selected works will be on display at USD’s University Libraries second floor exhibition cases from Aug. 23, 2021 through Jan. 3, 2022 as well as entered into the altered book collection on the Digital Library of South Dakota and the Digital Public Library of America. A full prospectus and entry form for the exhibition can be found at https://libguides.usd.edu/BU6.

For more information, please contact Hanson-Pareek at Sarah.HansonPareek@usd.edu, Danielle De Jager-Loftus at Danielle.Loftus@usd.edu or Michael Boring at Michael.Boring@usd.edu. 

Originally posted https://www.usd.edu/news/2020/university-libraries-call-for-entries-for-altered-book-exhibition