"Artist's Choice" with Tauba Auerbach at Watson Library

«In September, Watson Library was honored to host artist Tauba Auerbach as part of the Museum-wide event MetFridays: Artist's Choice. Watson staff first met Auerbach during a previous MetFridays event, when she surprised us by popping in to see a selection of books that we were showing from Watson's collections related to book arts and paper arts alongside her own production.»

Instagram post from the MetFridays: Paper Power event held on February 19, 2016, showing Tauba Auerbach in Watson Library with her geometric pop-up book. Photo by Jared Ash (@ashjared)

Auerbach works in a wide range of mediums, including painting, weaving, sculpture, photography, book design, and publishing. Dana Hart, Manager for Library Administration, and Marianna Siciliano, assistant educator for Public Programs and Engagement, reached out to Auerbach to invite her to participate in the Artist's Choice event, and we were thrilled that she accepted.

Auerbach welcomed the event as an opportunity to work harder on a long-term book project, A Partial Taxonomy of Linear Ornament — Including : Extrude the Extrusion \ Poor Man's 4D : and : Ornament as Entheogen, which she will be publishing through her imprint, Diagonal Press.

Instagram post by Tauba Auerbach (@tau_au) of her taxonomy of linear ornament in progress

Among the books in Watson and departmental libraries that were of particular interest to Auerbach were collections of patterns and ornamental design, as well as historical studies and overviews of the subject from various regions around the world. Additionally she was interested in finding models and examples of classification and information organization. Fortunately, we are well suited to accommodate.

Over the course of several weeks, Auerbach made multiple visits to Watson in person and extensively searched Watsonline, our online catalog. To complement the trove of items she discovered on her own, I assisted Auerbach by pulling additional material from the collection to share that I thought might be of interest, including a lace-classification manuscript, trade catalogs, and color theory manuals.

At the MetFridays event, Auerbach introduced the works she had selected, discussed her interest in linear ornament, and spoke about her ongoing project. Visitors were treated to a special preview of the first volume of her taxonomy through a working copy she had brought along. Watson Library staff members Dana Hart, Tamara Fultz, Jessica Ranne, Andrijana Sajic, and I were on hand to answer questions about the works on display and to turn pages for guests who wished to see more.

Reflecting on her time and the experience, Auerbach offered: "I had such a beautiful experience at Watson. I wish I could embed myself there full-time. Librarians are kind of like neuroscientists—they are the experts on the way the "brain" of the library is organized and interconnects. They are also psychics. They can point you to things that you really wanted to see, but had no idea existed."

If you missed the event, a list of many of the books featured that evening is available through Watsonline; all titles are available to registered readers, by request, for viewing within Watson.

Are you an artist who has used Watson Library's collections for inspiration or information? Let us know in the comments section below.