During their artists' residency at the Lloyd Library earlier this year, Katie Parker and Guy Michael Davis — the duo behind local studio Future Retrieval — stumbled upon a phrase while looking through the library’s catalog: “leaves of plates.”
To break that down, a “leaf” refers to a book page, while a “plate” is an illustration printed separately from the text.
In learning that term, Parker and Davis pored through Lloyd’s collection of illustrations in books about botany, exploration and alchemy. Though much of their leads were seemingly disparate, they eventually weaved their ideas together to create cohesive pieces inspired by their time at the library.
Come Sept. 6, that will work will culminate as an exhibition aptly titled Leaves of Plates. The show will feature mixed media works that include ceramics, cut paper and textiles alongside apothecary jars — all of which draw inspiration from the library's collection.
“After two months of surveying and documenting rare books, they built a new environment by changing the context of the materials,” reads a press release. “They made the images their own and achieved the goal of visually representing the eclecticism found in their work as well as the Lloyd Library’s collections through objects, imagery and design.”
Parker and Davis were Lloyd’s first artists-in-residence; both work as professors at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. Through their studio collaboration, they have been exhibited both nationally and internationally and served as artists-in-residence at a host of other institutions.
Events related to the exhibition will include a lecture helmed by Parker and Davis on Sept. 26 from 7-8 p.m. that will discuss their Lloyd residency, its influence on their work and Leaves of Plates as a whole.
Also in connection to the exhibit is:
- A tour of Future Retrieval's studio at 4530 W. Mitchell Ave. from 4-5 p.m. Oct. 5
- A botanical art workshop from 1-3 p.m. Oct. 19
- A writing workshop with Annette Januzzi Wick from 10-12:30 p.m. on Nov. 2 that will explore themes presented in the exhibition
- And a presentation by permaculturist Chris Smyth from 7-8 p.m. on Nov. 13 called "Native Ecosystems as the Container for Medicine: Exploring the Apple Forests of Kazakhstan," in which he will discuss the origins of plant and animal communities in Kazakhstan and how we — in the Ohio Valley — can apply these practices in our own gardens
Leaves of Plates will run through Nov. 22. For more info/to RSVP to events visit lloydlibray.org or call 513-721-3707.
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