CONTEXT: Art, Books, & Freedom
Curated by Meg Hitchcock

Columbia University
Rare Book & Manuscript Library
6th Floor, Butler Library
535 West 114th St., New York, NY 10027
OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday, September 11, 5 -7:00 p.m.
Exhibition is up through May 2026

In CONTEXT: Art, Books, & Freedom, artist and curator Meg Hitchcock brings together 15 artists whose work incorporates books and text. The artists diverge in their approach and content, from social commentary to political statement to literary allusion, but their common ground is their love of the printed word. The artists use books and text as tools of investigation, exploring the psychological impact of visual language while pushing the boundaries of our freedom to express views that diverge from popular opinion. Paradoxically, the book is used as a means to question its own authority within the context of a revered liberal arts library.

Over the years, the artists in CONTEXT have shown together in text-based group exhibitions across the country and have formed a loose community around their common medium. Their work takes on new meaning at Columbia University, where they exercise the freedom of expression at a critical time and place in our nation’s history.

ARTISTS: Audra Wolowiec (NY), Brian Dettmer (IL), Brian Singer (CA), Buzz Spector (NY), Carolyn Thompson (UK), Donna Ruff (FL), Doug Beube (NY), Gary Gissler (NY), Jeff Wallace (NY), Julia Bloom (DC), Kerith Lisi (CA), Lisa Kokin (CA), Meg Hitchcock (NY), Oriane Stender (NY), Stefana McClure (NY)

PLEASE NOTE: Due to access restrictions on the Columbia campus, the opening reception will require an RSVP and a photo ID. To see the show during regular business hours, please contact Courtney Chartier to request campus access: cc4785@columbia.edu