Insight Out: Reversing Vandalism by Center for Contemporary Arts

At the beginning of 2001, San Francisco Public Library staff began finding books, that had been carved with a sharp instrument, hidden under shelving units. Many of these volumes, eventually numbering over 600, were related to issues of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals, as well as topics including AIDS, mixed parentage and women's health issues. Eventually the vandal was caught and convicted of one count of felony vandalism with a hate-crime enhancement. When the damaged books were assessed, it was determined most were beyond repair, and they were withdrawn from the Library's collection.

Local Santa Fe, NM artists were asked to participate in the job of making art from 44 of the vandalized volumes. Some of the artists were very well known in the community; some of them had exhibited only a time or two; some of them were well known by reputation, but after this project all of them have a life long connection.

The scope of the resulting work is truly amazing. Very few of the pieces of art came back in book format. The range of finished pieces are as varied as the personalities of the 44 participants. The work is beautiful, haunting, provocative and very intellectual. Every participant has a story to tell about how this project has affected his or her way of looking at things.

Art pieces covered include:

Bookmarks: Queer Liberation and Color Theory
Black & White & Read All Over
Anamnesis and the Mythology of Matter
Far Away/Closer to Home
The Rhinoceros & Other Thoughts - A Reincarnated Book
All Things to All People
Terrible Beauty Tribal Ritual Garments
Freedom, Glorious Freedom
Intolerance
This Work Has No Meaning