The Booth Family Center for Special Collections was selected as one of five winners of the 2017 Katharine Kyes Leab and Daniel J. Leab “American Book Prices Current” Exhibition Awards for the exhibition catalog created for the Undiscovered Printmakers: Hidden Treasures at Georgetown University Library Exhibition. The winning catalogs will be on display at the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section Conference Booksellers’ Showcase and Georgetown University Library will be presented with their certificate at a presentation at the 2017 ALA Annual Conference.
The exhibition was the culmination of a 2011 Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The Library cataloged the personal, working collections of six significant, but little-known printmakers: Helen King Boyer, Louise Miller Boyer, John De Pol, Marguerite Kumm, Kathleen Spagnolo, and Lynd Ward. The exhibition and its accompanying catalog brought the work of these artists’ out of hiding, making it discoverable by researchers exploring graphic artists.
The catalog was created to provide context for the work showcased in the exhibition and was honored by ACRL not just for the visual quality of the publication but for the broad appeal of its content. RBMS Exhibition Awards Committee Chair, Alexander C. Johnston, noted that “its coverage of the different types of prints created by these six artists would appeal not only to those interested in these particular artists, but to those interested in book illustration and printmaking techniques in general.”
The award is very meaningful for the staff who dedicated the time and effort to bring the life-long work of these artists to light. LuLen Walker, Art Collection Curator, shared her thoughts on the award, "We are thrilled to receive this distinctive honor from RBMS for our Undiscovered Printmakers exhibition catalog. It helps bring further attention to the comprehensive holdings of these six prolific and visionary artists in Georgetown’s collection. We hope the LEAB award will help us reach a wider audience and encourage potential collaborative opportunities with other institutions."
To learn more about the exhibition please visit the online exhibition page. You can also view a special gallery talk with the Katharine Malcolm, the curator of the exhibition that was given on January 22, 2016.