RiTUAL. A ceremonial act ~ Rites used in the course of worship ~ The performance of ceremonial acts ~ The prescribed form of conducting the ceremony ~ A method of procedure that is followed without variation ~ performance with gestures, words, and objects, often in a sequestered place.

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Laura Holland

I am freelance writer in western Massachusetts, and I teach at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. For over eight years, I wrote weekly art reviews for the Valley Advocate Newspapers, and since 2006, I write a monthly column on visual art for Preview Massachusetts Magazine. I began making artist books ten years ago because I wanted to bring projects combining text and images into classes for studio art majors. Once I began making books, I was totally hooked. My day jobs depend heavily on words, so my artist books tend to go lightly on text and instead emphasize telling a story through images. I have had several one-person exhibitions, and my work has been included in group shows in the U.S. and, internationally, in Berlin and in Lviv, Ukraine.

Ritual Manipulation (one black rectangle)

The process of making this book became a personal ritual. I started by cutting and folding a sheet of red mulberry paper into a singe-sheet book. Then, working at the same time every day (in the same late afternoon light), I cut and folded a rectangle of cardstock, matte black on one side and metallic on the other, playing with patterns of light and shadow. One cloudy day almost foiled my plan, but I decided to stay with the pattern of working at the same time on successive days rather than wait for another sunny day.

Artwork in Ritual Single-sheet book show (2013)

Posing Rituals

Re: Ritual

Ritual Manipulation (one black rectangle)

heavy bubble portfolio websites for artists

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Ritual Manipulation (one black rectangle)

Artwork in Ritual Single-sheet book show (2013)