Susan Joy Share is an American
book artist
Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects.
Overview
Artists' books have employed a ...
and
performance artist
Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
, born in
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
, who worked in New York City as an artist and
conservator for more than twenty years before moving her studio to
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...
.
She is known for her inventive moveable and morphing book art, architectonic paper structures, and wearable books used in her performances.
In the late 1970s, she was part of the CETA-funded
Cultural Council Foundation Artists Project in New York City.
Book art and performances
Susan Share has a playful, inventive way with books. Her performance at
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Florida, Dania Beach, Davie, Florida, Davie, Fort Lauderd ...
in
Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...
exemplifies her virtuosic creativity in the field of book art. In the early 1990s she performed, aided by a small troupe of assistant actors and dancers, before a large ballroom audience of book art enthusiasts at the 1st National Book Art Festival and Convention held at the
Hotel Pennsylvania
The Hotel Pennsylvania was a historic hotel at 401 Seventh Avenue (15 Penn Plaza) in Manhattan, across the street from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden in New York City. Opened in 1919, it was once the largest hotel in the world. ...
in Manhattan. In 2015 her art was featured once again at the
Center for Book Arts
Center for Book Arts (CBA) is a non-profit arts organization, founded in 1974. It is the first organization of its kind in the United States dedicated to contemporary interpretations of the book as an art object while preserving traditional pract ...
.
In 2016 in Anchorage, Alaska, she was part of an ursine-themed exhibition at the International conference and art show ''Parade of Bears''. Susan Share often works with non-profits such as New York's Central Booking, a sponsored project of
Fractured Atlas
Fractured Atlas is a non-profit technology company that provides business tools for artists.
History
Fractured Atlas was founded in 1998 by Executive Director Adam Huttler as a theater production company. Between 1998 and 2001, the company p ...
, selling her books in support of the organization. In 2018 her exhibition ''InFormal Nature'' was shown at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art in Anchorage, Alaska.
Education and training
She studied ceramics at the
New York State College of Ceramics
The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University (NYSCC) is a statutory college of the State University of New York located on the campus of Alfred University, Alfred, New York. There are a total of 616 students, including 536 undergradu ...
at
Alfred University
Alfred University is a private university in Alfred (village), New York, Alfred, New York. It has a total undergraduate population of approximately 1,600 students. The university hosts the New York State College of Ceramics, which includes The ...
, home of the
Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, earning a
Bachelor of Fine Arts
A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases.
Background
The Bachelor ...
degree in sculpture. She has maintained her interest in three-dimensional and sculptural forms such as the
paper engineering
Paper engineering is a branch of engineering that deals with the usage of physical science (e.g. chemistry and physics) and life sciences (e.g. biology and biochemistry) in conjunction with mathematics as applied to the converting of raw materia ...
of
Jacob's ladders, chambered boxes, accordion books,
origami
) is the Japanese paper art, art of paper folding. In modern usage, the word "origami" is often used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of pape ...
, and
pop-up books
The term pop-up book is often applied to any book with three-dimensional pages, although it is properly the umbrella term for movable book, pop-ups, tunnel books, transformations, volvelles, flaps, pull-tabs, pop-outs, pull-downs, and more, each ...
. Her 1999
coptic-bound book ''Dwarf Spruce'' with porcelain clay covers shows a continuing interest in using many varying mediums in creating her book art objects. She often works in collaboration with other artists, Paul R. Stang for example.
Book conservation and restoration
Living in New York City for more than 20 years, Susan Joy Share worked as an artist as well as a book conservator and restorer for the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
, the
New York Historical Society
The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library in New York City, along Central Park West between 76th and 77th Streets, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum. ...
, and the
Brooklyn Museum of Art
The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...
.
Awards, collections and public recognition
Her art is in the collections of the
National Museum of Women in the Arts
The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), located in Washington, D.C., is "the first museum in the world solely dedicated" to championing women through the arts. NMWA was incorporated in 1981 by Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay. Since openin ...
, the
Anchorage Museum
The Anchorage Museum is a large art, history, ethnography, ecology and science museum located in a modern building in the heart of Anchorage, Alaska. It is dedicated to studying and exploring the land, peoples, art and history of Alaska.
The mu ...
of Rasmuson Center, The Jaffe Center for Book Arts at
Florida Atlantic University Library, the
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
in London, and the
Brooklyn Museum of Art
The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...
.
Teaching
Currently teaching at the
University of Alaska Anchorage
The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) is a public university in Anchorage, Alaska. UAA also administers four community campuses spread across Southcentral Alaska: Kenai Peninsula College, Kodiak College, Matanuska–Susitna College, and Prin ...
, she has also taught at
Penland School of Crafts
The Penland School of Craft ("Penland" and formerly "Penland School of Crafts") is an Arts and Crafts educational center located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, about 50 miles from Asheville.
History
The school was ...
,
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, commonly called "Haystack," is a craft school located at 89 Haystack School Drive on the coast of Deer Isle, Maine.
History
Haystack was founded in 1950 by a group of craft artists in the Belfast, Maine area, ...
,
The Center for Book Arts
Center for Book Arts (CBA) is a non-profit arts organization, founded in 1974. It is the first organization of its kind in the United States dedicated to contemporary interpretations of the book as an art object while preserving traditional pract ...
,
The Jaffe Center for Book Arts at
Florida Atlantic University Library, Columbia College Center for Book and Paper (Illinois), and Anderson Ranch Arts Center.
In 2007 she returned to the Center for Book Arts as a Sally Bishop Faculty Fellow to teach a master class, lecture, and present an exhibition of her art.
Her 2007 slide talk and lecture at
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
was videotaped and may be viewed on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Share, Susan Joy
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American women artists
American performance artists
Artists from Syracuse, New York
Artists from Anchorage, Alaska
New York State College of Ceramics alumni
Conservator-restorers
21st-century American women