Date

2019

Binding

Accordion, Perfect

Dimensions

9 × 6 × 1 in

Pages

365

Location

Swarthmore, PA

Publisher

Swarthmore College

$ 40.00

3 in stock


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Swarthmore College, “Friends, Peace, and Sanctuary”, 2019, Edited by Suzanne Seesman and designed by GDLoft. 365 pages, 9in x 6in, two perfect bound books connected with a central accordion page.

This book is an exhibition catalog of Swarthmore College’s Friends, Peace, and Sanctuary project, supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

Swarthmore College’s Friends, Peace, and Sanctuary is a two-year project, supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, that connects the arts to historical and contemporary stories of refuge. Local Syrians and Iraqis worked with commissioned artists, writers, and illustrators to create handmade books that explore connections between history and experience, displacement and refuge, empathy and belonging.

Over the past year, resettled Syrians and Iraqis now living in Philadelphia developed their printing, binding, and other artistic techniques through a series of workshops that took place across the city of Philadelphia. Through these workshops, they wrote, designed, edited, and published their own books. Additionally. these work-shops served as a space to share personal stories, build understanding, and increase empathy. Inspired by social practice, project collaborators-along with their family and friends-explored questions of self-representation, displacement, and hopes for the future.

Five artists-Islam Aly, Maureen Cummins, Erik Ruin, Courtney Bowles and Mark Strandquist- were selected because their work with paper and book arts focused on social justice. These artists were commissioned to create new works emerging from conversations with project collaborators and research in Swarthmore’s Friends Historical Library and Peace Collection and archives elsewhere. These new works, which combine historic and contemporary experiences, will be featured in exhibitions in Swarthmore, Philadelphia, and beyond. The exhibitions focus on how archival, academic, and community knowledge can come together to build understanding of contemporary issues. At the close of the exhibitions, all project materials wilt be archived at Swarthmore College.

We hope this catalog reflects the ways that this project has built a community of trust and reciprocity, and that it serves as an invitation for you to become a part of the conversation.