'The Illuminated Library' and its Miscellaneous Contents

KQED ARTS -- Gathering together artwork made of books, artwork made for books and artist-made books themselves, “The Illuminated Library,” an eclectic group show at San Francisco State University’s Fine Arts Gallery, presents a longstanding relationship between printed matter and visual artists. Beginning with 13th century illuminated manuscripts and ending with drawings made in 2013, the exhibition spans time and media to showcase the many ways artists approach books, whether they serve as inspiration or end product. Though uneven in terms of polish and representative balance, “The Illuminated Library” showcases the fruitful dynamic between visual artists and texts, proving this long relationship is not a stagnant or a dated one, but rather a pairing where experimentation thrives and objects of beauty and wonder can still materialize like images from words on a page.