Member Show was made for the Guild of Book Workers Rocky Mountain Chapter Member Show 2000. Many exhibits are organized with a theme in mind. The idea of providing a theme is to give the artists an idea to work toward. I don’t believe in this form of subtle control over the artist (you can take that with as much tongue-in-cheek as you like). I believe artists should have the option of working to their own theme. I’ve seen many times where a particular theme automatically excludes some wonderful artists and, while I can see the benefit of this occurring sometimes, every time is too much.

And that is why when Pam Barrios and I worked together to produce this exhibit, we did so without providing a theme. So what did I do? I turned the non-theme into a theme. I think my artist’s statement said something like “Wasn’t the exhibit theme ‘Member Show?’ I thought this was a show about body parts.” In a subtle way, I guess, the title of the book is a commentary on my belief about themes.