Flatbed is pleased to announce the launch of its co-publication: Norma Trist, a Livre d’Artiste, with Houston-based artists Nick Vaughan and Jake Margolin.  The launch will be hosted on Zoom on December 10 from 6 PM until 7 PM. A recording of the ZOOM event will be made available from the website after the 10th.

The artists have used the source text from the 1895 novel by John Wesley Carhart, a groundbreaking work that contains stunningly progressive defenses of same-sex desire, that was the foundation of their 2016 installation: "50 States: Texas".

Known as a livre d'artiste (to distinguish it from an artist book) this type of artwork was pioneered in France and is defined by the uniqueness of collaboration between artists and writers in concert with print publishers and bookmakers. A limited-edition of 15, this years-long production includes 6 folded intaglio impressions printed in graphite-based ink and flocked with graphite powder (made in collaboration with Katherine Brimberry and Flatbed Press) and an accordion-bound serigraph text (made in collaboration with Pepe Coronado) in a custom dyed Tyvek covered box (by Jace Graf of Cloverleaf Studio).

The Zoom includes artists Nick Vaughan and Jake Margolin with master printer Katherine Brimberry and gallerist Devin Borden.  We will be speaking about the printing process and the collaboration and include Devin Borden talking about the history of the Livre d'Artiste as an art form. We will share a virtual cocktail with you all to celebrate . . . until we can share one in person in the not too distant future!

Scroll below to see images of the folios, the colophon, the hand-made portfolio box, and the accordion book. All images below courtesy of photographer Casie Woods.

Link to the Flatbed collections store to see more information and purchase one of the livre d’artiste from the limited edition of 15. NORMA TRIST

This project is funded in part by the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance.