Destination Special Collections : Artists' Books

The exterior structure of Julie Chen's Chrysalis folds together with magnets to hold a shape similar to that of a chrysalis, the structure in which caterpillars encase themselves to transform into butterflies. The pages of the book inside are designed to look like MRI scans of a brain, and the text describes the “involuntary metamorphosis” that a person must undergo when working their way through the process of grief. 

Find Chrysalis in the UNT Library Catalog.

Julie Chen, Chrysalis
Julie Chen, Chrysalis
Julie Chen, Chrysalis

This small paper house captures the inviting feeling of comfort and simple domestic pleasures. With its soft paper made from worn clothes and a small tea candle that flickers a warm yellow light within, Amy Lund’s Hygge truly reflects the meaning of this Scandinavian word.

Text around the base of the house reads:

“We are the product of our past and producer of our future. We maintain our sanity and human-ness – we cope. We give ourselves permission to reinterpret tradition. We start small we start at Home. Welcome.”

Text on floor of house reads:

“Home is the emotional and psychological infrastructure built out of our individual experience as well as the collective experience of our identities and histories.”

Find Hygge in the UNT Library Catalog.

Hygge, writing on top of box
Amy Lund, Hygge
Amy Lund, Hygge

Linear A to Linear Z offers Russell Maret's take on letterforms, revealing the interesting diversity of the letters of the alphabet. Because of the difficulty he faced with the rounded letterforms, Maret eventually settled on utilizing not only straight lines, but also dots and wedge shapes to show the varying beauty that can be found in simple design and common forms.

Find Linear A to Linear Z in the UNT Library Catalog.

Russell Maret, Linear A to Linear Z
Russell Maret, Linear A to Linear Z, letter X
Russell Maret, Linear A to Linear Z, letter F