Bartalos

Spring has sprung at the San Francisco Center for the Book where events, publications and new developments are in full bloom. Here’s some of what’s happening:

In March I became Chair of the Imprint Committee which I’m quite excited about. The Imprint publishes the Center’s artist residency editions and Small Plates editions and oversees the Center’s artist-in-residency program. As a committee member since its inception, I’m looking forward to building on former Chair Penny Nii’s successes (thank you Penny!) and continuing to work with the best artistic talent the Bay Area has to offer. I’ve posted about the Imprint previously as co-chair, but expect more frequent updates now that I’m at the helm.

The Art of Stepping Through Time by Ala Ebtekar

When I last posted about the Imprint back in November, we’d just published 2008 resident artist Ala Ebtekar‘s book The Art of Stepping Through Time. This past week, we sold the last remaining copy which set a speed record for selling out of an SFCB edition — an impressive feat considering that residency publications are our highest-end product. On the other hand, it is an undeniably irresistible book if we say so ourselves. We’re all very proud of it. Congratulations Ala!

Gail Wight at work in her Stanford campus studio.
Photograph by L.A. Cicero / Stanford News Service.

This year we’re thrilled to announce Gail Wight as our resident artist. Gail’s specialty is experimental media art focusing on issues of cognitive science and the history of scientific theory and technology. She is the recipient of numerous awards, residencies and exhibitions, and is currently Associate Professor at Stanford University‘s Department of Art & Art History and Director of Graduate Studies in Studio Art and Experimental Media Arts. Here at Imprint we’ve long admired Gail’s work and feel truly fortunate to have her on board this year. Stay tuned for progress reports and prepare for the release of another extraordinary residency edition this fall.