Handbook

“Artist-Museum Collaboration” Class, Fall 2012 & Spring 2013 (Nici Ashner, Rebecca Blocksome, Andrew Boyd, Grace Chin, Raechel Cook, Katy Darr, Michele de Chadenedes, Rena Detrixhe, Kelly Ghahramani, Bridgett Harvey, Whitney Mahoney, Johanna Mehl, Josh Meier, Pearl O’Brien, Sarah Travis, Kristen Watson, Anna Youngyeun)

Handbook, 2012-2013
Hardcover

Do these hands look familiar? They are from a project to catalogue through photography all the hands from artwork in Spencer’s permanent collection on view during the fall 2012 and spring 2013 semesters. Assembled here as a book, the images offer new perspectives on selected pieces of art by focusing on gesture and the language of the hand.

The book’s title, Handbook, alludes to reference works small enough to be held in the hand that museums often publish of their collections.

Handbook is one of a variety of independent and collaborative research projects undertaken by KU students who helped artists Ann Hamilton and Cynthia Schira explore overarching themes they were considering as they prepared for An Errant Line. The students were enrolled in a special topics course in the Visual Art Department titled “Artist-Museum Collaboration,” taught by Mary Anne Jordan, professor of textiles.

Raechel Cook, Visual Art graduate student