Kerri Cushman
Artist Statement
Constructing interactive artist books, my work wraps ubiquitous objects with a fresh visual language by
melding iconic imagery and text. I am interested in the shifting importance the book, paper and print media
play in our lives today. My current work reflects parallels between the evolution of writing methods and
systems, drawing similarities between tradition, practicality, and the future of communication. Is it vital that
we maintain the ability to read documents from the past? In this information age, is the art of cursive
handwriting obsolete, or is handwriting becoming obsolete because of technology? Historically, alphabet
blocks were utilized as a tool for learning letters, words, and narratives: linking knowledge and play. By
looking at the physical act of how we learn to read through our senses by playful, spatial manipulation of
surface, construction and deconstruction, we preserve the richness of words and the ability to invent.
Metaphorically, as in all learning, we cannot understand until we take apart, examine and rebuild. I see
papermaking and sculptural artists' books as an interdisciplinary link—a nexus between tradition and the
future.