Maternal Mitochondria Presents LENDING LIBRARY OF THE INVISIBLE

Maternal Mitochondria, the intergenerational art duo of Miriam Sagan and Isabel Winson-Sagan, will present a new book arts show, Lending Library of the Invisible, at the Southside Library in Santa Fe. The show opens May 6 and is up through May 31, 2022.

Lending Library of the Invisible features collaborative books the mother-daughter team created during the pandemic. Inspiration for the show comes from more than a dozen years of the duo working with text and image, often sculpturally. Though they'd been working in text and image for years, this is their first turn toward books.

"We must have been half-consciously avoiding the book as a form, perhaps as too easy or obvious a solution," says Sagan, the author of more than thirty published books. "It turns out that books are, indeed, a great vehicle for us."

About six months into the pandemic, the duo took a book arts class together on Zoom from their shared studio on Route 14. As the visual artist on the team, Isabel Winson-Sagan learned folds, cuts, and forms. As the writer, Miriam Sagan riffed off of the typical book arts approach of emphasizing craft and beauty, but wanted to delve deeper into the form with more emotionally vulnerable text. The two artists thus created a shared practice writing on the topic, "What am I hiding?"

Their results were edited for the "Red Book" piece in the show, which includes cut-outs. An interactive artwork,"What Am I Hiding and What Do I Hope For?," asks audience members to hang their own answers on sculptural trees or put them in slot boxes.

"Participation breaks down the barrier between writer and reader," says Sagan, the show (and life) allowing viewers to be both writer and reader.

In addition to literary elements, Isabel's sculptural elements are still there. "Souvenir" is a book in a box with text that can be moved around by the reader. Isabel, who was reading scads of board books to her toddler during the pandemic, was inspired by the multi-dimensional innovations in kids' books. The book in the show, "Twin Camps," is adorned with the cheerful plastic tops of baby food; however, the text looks at dark family and personal histories.

The duo clearly finds books and libraries inspirational. "Our shared love of libraries makes the setting inspirational for us," Sagan explains. Daughter Isabel grew up at the Main Branch of the Santa Fe Public Library where her dad worked. "We want to add to library-goers' experiences, and expand the concept of what a book can be," Sagan says. Miriam Sagan and Isabel Winson-Sagan will be in residence from 11 am-1 pm on May 17 and May 24, 2022, to engage with patrons and help people of all ages add their answers to the group art piece.

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