Foreword

The Bienes Museum Catalogs of James A. Findlay

Each catalog produced under the auspices of the late Bienes Museum Librarian, James A. (Jim) Findlay, is a perfectly-crafted jewel, certain to catch your eye with its high polish and dazzling presentation. In collaboration with graphic designer Mary Ann Stavros-Lanning, and with contributions from his colleagues and staff, most notably Margaret Bing and Lillian Perricone, Jim Findlay placed elegantly written text in the most unique of settings. No two are alike, and all are flawless.

During Jim’s tenure with Broward County Libraries, from 1995 to 2010, the Bienes Museum not only came into being, but became renowned for aesthetic and academic excellence. The exhibition catalogs were a particular source of distinction for our institution.

This brief survey of catalogs provides an exciting look back at publications that Jim Findlay wrote, edited or contributed to in some capacity. Jim and his colleagues produced a varied array of exceptional print pieces, at times in collaboration with expert collectors. What remains impressive is the range and scope of the subject matter, presented with in-depth scholarship and encased in an intriguing wrapper.

Each catalog closely reflects the exhibition which it accompanied. Somber, whimsical, cutting edge or traditional, each catalog conjoins form and content into an irresistible whole that first visually attracts and then intellectually captivates its reader. All of these catalogs are an optical, tactile pleasure, a learning opportunity, and a bibliophile’s delight.

For some of you, these catalogs are a new discovery and for others this exhibit is a chance to revisit a splendid body of work, presented together for the first time. We invite you to view a collection of which Broward County Libraries is duly proud.

Enjoy!

Robert E. Cannon, Director
Broward County Libraries Division

Preface

A Word About James A. Findlay
(1943-2010)

James A. Findlay, “Jim” to his colleagues, left behind a formidable legacy of work as an art librarian.

A native of Michigan, Jim earned his B.A. in Art History and his M.L.S. in Library Science from Wayne State University in Detroit. He earned a second master’s degree in Latin American Studies at UCLA, Los Angeles. As a volunteer for the Peace Corps, Jim worked as a librarian in the Dominican Republic from 1966 to 1969.

Before joining the staff of Broward County Libraries, Jim was head librarian at the Wolfsonian Foundation in Miami Beach, and held similar positions at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, and Rhode Island School of Design, Providence.

He was art reference librarian at the UCLA Art Library, Los Angeles; for the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Jim was the Latin American bibliographer.

When Jim came to Broward County Libraries in 1995, he had been recruited to be the head librarian for a proposed addition to the Main Library: the future Bienes Center for the Literary Arts, The Dianne and Michael Bienes Special Collections and Rare Book Library. At the time of Jim’s arrival, construction had just begun on the 8,000 sq. ft. space which opened one year later. Jim was charged with laying the curatorial foundation to organize and display existing material and the thousands of items yet to come.

During Jim’s fifteen-year tenure at the Bienes Center, which became the Bienes Museum of the Modern Book in 2006, Jim developed nationally significant collections on New Deal and WPA material, and persuaded esteemed collectors to donate and display their treasures. One of the highlights of the library's collections today is the unique holdings in literature and cultural artifacts from the New Deal era.

Jim was noted for the scholarship, perfectionism and high aesthetic standards evident in his striking exhibition catalogs, which he began producing in 1996 with Ars Libri, an exhibit that showcased a core donation of books from the namesake benefactors.

Together with graphic designer Mary Ann Stavros-Lanning and his staff, Jim produced exhibition catalogs that were erudite, interesting, clever and beautiful. Several catalogs that Jim wrote or edited were selected to receive prestigious honors. Awards were given to The Art of War: Books, Toys, and Propaganda from the Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. Study Centre (2006); History of Broward County (2006); ZYX: An Exhibition from the Jean Trebbi Collection (1997); with Margaret Bing, An Exhibition of Works Progress Administration Literature and Art (1998); Drapetomania: A Disease Called Freedom (2000); The WPA: Florida, the Making of a State (2002); with Ellen G.K. Rubin, Pop-ups, Illustrated Books, and Graphic Designs of Czech Artist and Paper Engineer, Vojtěch Kubašta (2005).

Independently and in collaboration with others, Jim produced thirty-nine exhibitions, accompanied by the catalogs here. He also published five bibliographies and facilitated many programs related to the exhibitions. In 1995, with Florida Center for the Book Director Jean Trebbi, Jim instituted the highly-coveted Florida Artist’s Book Prize competition, which continues as an annual event.

Jim Findlay brought his unique vision and expertise to the task of assembling and curating important exhibitions, and ensured the Bienes Museum's collections and reputation would flourish. For this, Broward County Libraries is profoundly grateful. He will be missed by many, most certainly by all bibliophiles and the museum-going public of Broward County.

The Catalogs

1996

ARS LIBRI: Selections from The Dianne and Michael Bienes Book Donation was the companion to an exhibition of forty-two books taken from the core collection donated by the couple who lent their name and resources to found the Bienes Center (now Bienes Museum) at Broward County Main Library. Their international collection contains books on artists and art from the 1800s on.

1997

Pictorial Covers: An Exhibition of American Book Jackets, 1920 to 1950 was an introduction to a feature that many readers take for granted: the dust jacket, or paper book cover, which made its debut in the 1820s. The evolution of the book jacket is traced to parallel social and economic change. Book and jacket design are shown to be a reflection of historical changes in readership.

Modern Rare Books: An Exhibition of Selections from the Mata and Arthur Jaffe Collection examined books as aesthetic objects. The Jaffees participated in the preparation of the exhibition, which had four components: Books Without Words, Accordion Books, Illustrated Editions of Moby Dick, and Other Artists Books. The unusual catalog functions like a free-standing paper sculpture.

ZYX: An Exhibition of Selected ABC Books from the Jean Trebbi Collection was a collaborative undertaking on the parts of James A. Findlay and the former director of Florida Center for the Book, Jean Trebbi, to showcase sixty-six of her best finds in three catagories: Alphabet Books for Children, Alphabet Books for Adults, and Pop-Up and Moveable Alphabet Books. Cut-away cover.

BOUND TO PLEASE: An Exhibition of Fine Leather Bindings from the University of Miami Library showcased seventy examples of the bookbinder's art. The Bienes Center hosted the travelling exhibition, and augmented it with selections from its own collection. Displayed were European, American and Cuban examples from the fifteenth century on. Cover simulates a bound volume.

THE RIVERS OF AMERICA: A Selected Exhibition of Books from the Collection of Carol Fitzgerald comemmorated the fiftieth anniversary of one of its signal volumes, The Everglades: River of Grass by Marjorie Stoneman Douglas. Produced from 1937-1974, the series consisted of sixty-five books. Curated with the collector, the exhibition offered books, drawings, artifacts, and manuscripts.

1998

SHELL BOOKS (1684-1912) AND SHELLS: An Exhibition from the Collection of Wayne Harland paired antiquarian books acquired by a scuba diver who scoured the world in pursuit of rare shells and volumes about their system of classification and their lore. One book, published in 1840, was authored by Edgar Allen Poe. Cover has a cutout that frames an actual shell.

FORWARD! MARCH! An Exhibition of Toy Soldiers, Books and Art Works from the Collection of Frank Steffens displayed an enthusiast's miniature replicas of the colorful French and British imperial armies and allies of the nineteenth century, accurately positioned in parade formations and elaborate tableau. The catalog's format approximates the dimensions of a box of toy soldiers.

THE WPA: An Exhibition of Works Progress Administration (WPA) Literature and Art from the Collections of the Bienes Center for the Literary Arts by James A. Findlay and Margaret Bing displayed the American Guide Series, consisting of government-sponsored travel guides amassed by Jean Fitzgerald as young naval officer. The Appendices contain Florida Writer's Project articles.

1999

Miami City Ballet: An Exhibition offered a glimpse behind the curtain of the acclaimed ballet company. As curators, James A. Findlay and the Miami City Ballet's costume designers, sisters Maria and Haydee Morales, assembled photographs, awards, playbills, scenic designs, and costumes that document the evolution of the company. Cover is adorned with a ribbon tied to a photograph of ballet shoes.

THE ARCHITECTURE OF DONALD SINGER, 1964-1999 explores the thirty-five year career of the Fort Lauderdale architect responsible for the design of the Bienes Museum at Broward County Main Library. The exhibition and catalog explore Singer's architectural achievements, modernist style, and the philosophy and influences behind his vision.

2000

DRAPETOMANIA: A Disease Called Freedom, An Exhibition of 18th-, 19th-, and Early 20th- Century Material Culture of the African Experience in the Americas from the Collection of Derrick Joshua Beard offers insight into the condition of slavery, race, and social policy from historic items and first-hand accounts, amassed by a noted African-American collector.

ABC BOOKS AND RELATED MATERIALS: Selections from the Nyr Indictor Collection of the Alphabet displayed examples from a donation of two thousand books and all manner of objects relating to the worldwide development of nineteenth- and twentieth-century alphabets in every language. The catalog contains an essay by the collector, himself an author of over one hundred and fifty books.

2001

Dorothy Porter Wesley (1905-1995) Afro-American Librarian and Bibliophile: An Exhibition displays books, pamphlets, photographs, art, and memorabilia from the personal collection of a noted librarian, curator, and scholar of African American history and culture. The catalog contains an early speech by Porter Wesley and documents her part in preserving black history and culture.

Pop-Up, Peek, Push, Pull... : An Exhibition of Movable Books and Ephemera from the Collection of Geraldine Roberts Lebowitz has a novel pop-up catalog cover with a moving dial to accompany the exhibition of ninety-six multi-dimensional books. The earliest example from this international collection of seven hundred volumes is French, published in 1901; each one a marvel of motion.

2002

Florida, The Making of a State: A Cartographic Adventure contains a series of maps with essays about the evolution of the state of Florida, geographically and politically. Co-curators Robert and Lorette Davis travelled to the Library of Congress to select maps that chronicle Florida's evolution from 1507 to 1931, including a map of the Gulf Stream that led to American's victory in the Revolutionary War.

Big Little Books: The Whitman Publishing Company's Golden Age, 1932-1938 presented one hundred thirty-six examples of pulp fiction for young readers from the donated collection of Duane H. Siers. The iconic subject matter is a who's who of classic characters from American and British books, radio programs, and cinema for children. The color catalog is illustrated by the bold graphic cover art.

2003

MODERNISM FOR THE MASSES: Artist-Designed Postcards from the Collection of Anthony Guneratne presents four hundred fifty postcards from the late nineteenth- to the mid-twentieth-century, arranged by historical and stylistic period. Guneratne, a professor of film and media studies, presents the postcard as a medium whose imagery prefigures the pin-up girl and political revolutions.

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT: An Exhibition of Books, Artifacts, and Art from the Collection of Donald Singer was prepared with the assistance of Singer, himself the subject of a Bienes Museum exhibition. Singer's collection began taking shape when he was a student in the late 1950's, and grew to encompass textiles, advertisements, stamps, photographs, magazines, and books.

2004

PAPER ENGINEERING: The Pop-up Book Structures of Vojtěch Kubašta, Robert Sabuda, and Andrew Binder displayed the ingeniously engineered and illustrated books by this trio of genre specialists. Kubašta and Sabuda design for children; Binder's work is intellectual fare for the mind and senses of adults. The catalog with cover cutout offers a colorful facsimile of the exhibition.

The Inspired Moustache: An Exhibition of Diverse Expressions of Salvador Dali through Books and Memorabilia from the Collection of Rik Pavlescak was mounted for the 100th anniversary of Dali's birth. Examples of Dali's output as artist/illustrator/author abound in a variety of media. A curling fiber moustache threads a close-up photo of Dali's features on the unique catalog cover.

2005

Pop-ups, Illustrated Books, and Graphic Designs of Czech Artist and Paper Engineer, Vojtěch Kubašta (1914-1992), edited with Ellen G.K. Rubin, traced examples of the artist’s output from his earliest extant sketchbook (age seven), to advertisements of the 1940-1950s, to the pop-up and movable children’s books that were his métier. A trained engineer, his complex work was enjoyed world-wide.

2006

THE GAME OF WAR: Books, Toys, and Propaganda from the Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. Study Centre presented thirty-six diverse objects as evidence of how society inclines its subjects toward war. Curated by eleven students, with a foreword from Wolfson, the focus is on the manipulative power of games, goods, and images from the Boer War (1899-1902) to World War II (1939-1945).

HISTORY OF BROWARD COUNTY is a Bienes Museum publication featuring a 1936 WPA-commissioned work on Broward, which at that time consisted of seven fledgling cities. The 5,000-word account by local writer Frances H. Miner was printed for the first time in 1998; also included is a section on other WPA Florida titles, including “Automobile Tour Guide of Broward County.”

2007

SERIES AMERICANA: An Exhibition of Post Depression-Era Regional Literature from the Collection of Carol Fitzgerald, curated jointly by Findlay and Fitzgerald, displays seventy-eight titles from a series portraying U.S. regional culture, history, and geography through book topics such as: Customs, Folkways, Forts, Lakes, Mountains, Trails, Seaports, Murder, and Society, with embossed cover. *

2008

WPA CHILDREN'S BOOKS examines ninety-one books from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects of Pennsylvania, New York City, and Milwaukee designed to teach and foster reading through instructive materials dramatically illustrated. The project made owning books possible for low-income children and provided Depression-era employment to writers, artists, printers and scientists. **

2008 STORIES OF FLORIDA, with its fold-out and cut-away cover, is a Bienes Museum publication edited by Gerry Bohning and James A. Findlay. These previously unpublished articles, created by Florida's Works Progress Administration (1935-1943) writers, were intended for use in public schools. The stories are categorized under History of Florida and Birds of the Florida Everglades. ***

2009

Japan and the Art of War, 1863-1945: An Exhibition of Japanese Military Art and Artifacts from the Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. Study Centre, curated jointly by Lea Nickless, Philip Gebauer, and James A. Findlay, offers insight into the makers and consumers of Japanese products with the theme of war. Japanese cultural traditions are expressed as this society emerges and goes to war in a modern era. ***

WPA MUSEUM EXTENSION PROJECT 1935-1943: GOVERNMENT CREATED VISUAL AIDS FOR CHILDREN FROM THE COLLECTIONS OF THE BIENES MUSEUM OF THE MODERN BOOK catalog, co-authored with Lillian Perricone, focuses on the only known collection of its kind: WPA hand-crafted materials in an era before television, computers, or other electronic media, created to enhance lessons and learning. ***

2010

WPA Handicraft Projects, 1935-43 exhibited hand-bound books, block-printed textiles, wall hangings, prints, toys and other crafts from the Bienes Museum collection drawing upon seven regional projects from the Works Projects Administration (WPA). Created in 1935 to provide income and job training to blue collar workers, WPA produced quality items of American artistry, design and manufacture.

Colophon

The catalogs produced for Bienes Museum of the Modern Book exhibitions were funded through the generosity of the Broward Public Library Foundation, which generates private funding and endowments to enhance the collections, programs and services of Broward County Library System beyond the means of public funding. These catalogs may be viewed on permanent virtual exhibition at the Bienes Museum website, Bienes Exhibitions.

Unless otherwise noted, publication design by Mary Ann Stavros-Lanning, MASWEL Group, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

* John Abel, Atlantic Litho, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
** Sherdean Rhule-Rheaume, Sherdean Creative, Boca Raton, Florida
*** Publication design by Tennille Davis Shuster, Shuster Creative, Oakland Park, Florida

The publications of James A. Findlay were produced and printed with the generous support of the Broward Public Library Foundation.

This publication was made possible through the specialized knowledge and skill of Broward County Library staff members.

Publication Author:

Della J. Attisani

Digital Media Designer:

Dwayne Webbe

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