“Where was the research regarding women’s participation?”

Jules Remedios Faye in The Ladies Printing Bee (Sedro-Woolley, WA: Street of Crocodiles Printery, 1995).

The quote above intrigued the students of the ART 200 Museum Studies class and became the inspiration for this exhibition. As art history students, we have noticed that women’s narratives are often left out of our studies, which could lead us to believe that women were not active in these fields. However, as Remedios Faye, the compiler of The Ladies Printing Bee, found through her research, “far from being auxiliary, women have played a central role in printing since its very inception.”

Uncovered: Women and the Art of the Book seeks to highlight the many contributions made by women in an industry where they have not been widely acknowledged. The exhibition aims to draw attention to the masterful, creative, and exceptional work of women who utilize the book as a means of both visual and written communication.  Uncovered exposes women’s involvement in the book making process, from the initial creation of literary works by female authors, to their roles in typography, illustration, and binding, to contemporary artists adapting the book format in new and innovative ways. Our goal is to explore books both as fundamental means of communication and as art forms.