Good design is a beautiful thing. Something for free? Now that’s even better.
Former graphic designer Katie Garth and her mate Tracy Honn, former director of Silver Buckle Press, have put their heads together to create an isolation treat: free mini-books.
The Quarantine Public Library website launched yesterday, and it contains over 40 mini books for you to print, fold and read yourself. For free.
The Quarantine Public Library website puts it best: “Free one-page artist’s books to print and collect at home”. If you’re a collector, avid reader, or someone with a limited attention span; this is definitely for you! The pair, both readers themselves, reached out to artists they loved and received some exclusive reading content for their idea.
In an interview, Garth explained, “It felt important for me to ask some artists to whom I was already connected, since the pandemic had eliminated any possibility of collaborating with my community more directly”.
Do you love artists’ books? @TracyHonn and @katiegarth have assembled a repository of books that you can print and fold at home for free! Beautiful, clever, timely, diverse, all by outstanding artists. Enjoy them online; print them to carry around town. https://t.co/Iua4uP2ue4
— Andrew Hipp (@AndrewLHipp) July 16, 2020
These artists responded, producing some powerful work given the single page restraint. “Some of the books make me cry. Some make me laugh,” Honn admits. Amongst the collection of foldable books, is the Pocket Protest Guide book. The Quarantine Public Library creators wrote it in light of the murder of George Floyd.
It gives a sharp and inexpensive guide to staying safe and understanding the movement. As you probably guessed, they aren’t the only creatives contributing to BLM in outstanding fashion. A Bristol artist recently replaced a statue of a UK slave trader with a sculpture of a Black Lives Matter protestor.
If you’d like to get your own mini-book for the bedside table, be sure to check out the Quarantine Public Library site. There really is something for everyone. Happy reading!
