Join us for the first in a series of three virtual artist talks with artists featured in our 2024 exhibition The Book As Art v.12: Rock, Paper Scissors. For this talk, which will be held on Zoom Webinar, we will be joined by Denise Stephenson and Donna Stepien. Register for this free event to receive the link to view.

The exhibit is installed in the Fourth Floor of Decatur Library. Visit The Book As Art during gallery hours: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, from 1 - 5, until October 28th, with special hours on October 5th for Decatur Book Festival and on October 28th. Learn more at BookAsArt.com.

About The Book As Art:

This annual exhibition showcasess beautifully made volumes, sculptural and conceptual interpretations, and one-of-a-kind approaches to the book format. The Book As Art exhibition is produced through collaboration by the Decatur Arts Alliance, the Decatur Branch of the Dekalb County Public Library, and the Georgia Center for the Book with support from the Dekalb Library Foundation. The Book As Art v.12: Rock, Paper, Scissors is the twelfth edition of an art show celebrating books: objects that, in an increasingly digital world, stubbornly survive.

About the Theme:

Rock, Paper, Scissors draws its inspiration from the childhood game of chance. This zero-sum game, played with symbols made with the players’ hands, has origins dating back to Han Dynasty China, and later, Japan.

The game can have many variations: number of players, different names, or a reordering of the words: “rock,” “paper,” and “scissors.” Whether these objects are animals or elements, the concept remains the same. By using a simple mathematical formula, hand symbols, and a bit of luck, a decision is produced for the combatants.

The objects in this exhibition should interpret the concept of the book and invite the viewer to look beyond the printed page to where ideas, words, and symbols are transformed and are transfigured. Artists are challenged to look inward and outward, to interpret and embrace the childlike fun of this seemingly simple, classic game that blends history, nature, and mathematics with a bit of luck.

Or, simply give yourself over, and play a game of chance! 1, 2, 3 . . .