01 Nov Review of The Bookplate Art Project
Written by Louise Martin Chew – 20 July 2024
Leanne McIntyre’s Bookplate Art Project brings together words and images, both of which are the heart of the way humans tell and remember our stories.
The genius of the Bookplate Art Project is predicated on its accidental discovery and reception, the potential of postcard sized artworks to transform the way we might know art and its connection to writing. Winging their way throughout Brisbane libraries, these Bookplates, all made by artists with a connection to Brisbane, become metaphors for the journeys we all have through time, place and community.
In this project, dreamed up by Brisbane-based Leanne McIntyre, 12 Brisbane artists were commissioned and there is a wide and ongoing community callout for other contributions. Commissioned artists are Marian Drew, Domenica Hoare, Matt James, Nick Olsen, Alan Innes, Judy Dransfield Kuepper, Wendy Winsley and a strong cohort of Indigenous artists – David Jones, Sam Harrison, Chelsea Carkeet, Gertrude Benjamin, and Jody Rallah.
The Bookplates are placed in books in a not-quite-random way, to be sent into the world to be found by readers, who may or may not know what they are, who might treasure them-or not. They may stimulate the imagination of the reader, create a connection with the written words in the book that houses them, or lead in a different direction altogether.
The Bookplate Art Project has narratives drawn from personal, historical, intellectual, existential, and amusing connections. It’s the impending narratives-the most important stories-that will emerge from what comes next. As the Bookplates begin to be found, this live community project really begins. In these accidental encounters, anything could happen.
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