The MOBILIVRE-BOOKMOBILE project is a community arts initiative founded by the Bookmobile collective, a diverse group of emerging North American artists and community activists. Their mandate is to fuse artistic production with political activism and community organizing. The collective consists of a fluctuating group of dedicated volunteers, coordinators, jury organizers, and tour guides. Although the project is based primarily in Montreal, QC, and Philadelphia, PA, collective members reside in various cities throughout North America.
Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest.
Montreal is the most populous municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec and the second-most populous municipality in Canada. Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill in the heart of the city. The city is centred on the Island of Montreal, which took its name from the same source as the city, and a few much smaller peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard. It has a distinct four-season continental climate with warm to hot summers and cold, snowy winters.
Philadelphia, known colloquially as Philly, is the largest city in the U.S. state and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the sixth-most populous U.S. city, with a 2018 census-estimated population of 1,584,138. Since 1854, the city has been coterminous with Philadelphia County, the most populous county in Pennsylvania and the urban core of the eighth-largest U.S. metropolitan statistical area, with over 6 million residents as of 2017. Philadelphia is also the economic and cultural anchor of the greater Delaware Valley, located along the lower Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, within the Northeast megalopolis. The Delaware Valley's population of 7.2 million ranks it as the eighth-largest combined statistical area in the United States.
The MOBILIVRE-BOOKMOBILE project explores the long-held tradition of bookmobiles as traveling libraries in order to promote the distribution of information. Since 2000, the project has been selectively collecting and organizing artist's books (that range from handmade and one-of-a-kind pieces, to zines, photocopied works, and other independent publications) on an annual basis. Members of the collective present these works to the public in a series of traveling exhibitions that are held throughout the United States and Canada with the help of a vintage Airstream trailer. The artist collective also organizes workshops and participates in educational activities on a community level during these tours.
A bookmobile or mobile library is a vehicle designed for use as a library. Bookmobiles expand the reach of traditional libraries by transporting books to potential readers, providing library services to people in otherwise-underserved locations and/or circumstances. Bookmobile services and materials, may be customized for the locations and populations served.
A zine is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via photocopier. Zines are either the product of a single person, or of a very small group and are popularly photocopied into physical prints for circulation. A fanzine is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest. The term was coined in an October 1940 science fiction fanzine by Russ Chauvenet and popularized within science fiction fandom, entering the Oxford English Dictionary in 1949.
The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.
Each touring collection consists of about 300 items. In 2005, the collective donated its 2000-2005 collections to Artexte Information Centre. This not-for-profit arts organization maintains the collections and provides on-site access to them. Artexte also provides further access to these collections with an electronic guide to individual works, organized by touring year: Projet MOBILIVRE-BOOKMOBILE Project Guide
Artexte is an independent, federally chartered not-for-profit arts organization in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Its principal mandate is to focus on research, interpretation and dissemination initiatives in order to broaden the influence and appreciation of contemporary visual arts. These activities are informed by a significant collection of art documentation and authoritative resources, as well as a network of multidisciplinary partners. Artexte's partnerships and alliances are built with others who also seek to bring attention to the value of documentation produced by the study and practice of contemporary art. Artexte affirms the presence of experimental, innovative and critical components of this field. Its activities touch on all aspects of contemporary visual art from 1965 to today, with special emphasis placed on Quebec and Canada.
The Honolulu Museum of Art is an art museum in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. The museum is largest of its kind in the state, and was founded in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke. The museum has one of the largest single collections of Asian and Pan-Pacific art in the United States, and since its official opening on April 8, 1927, its collections have grown to more than 50,000 works of art.
Ralph Lee is an American puppeteer and theatre artist. His work is centered on the design and use of masks in theatre and performance. The majority of his productions take place outside of traditional performance venues, include parades, pageants, celebrations, and outdoor theatrical performances. Masks and large puppets are central to his productions, which aim to make artistic experiences accessible to all members of the community. He stages his productions in familiar, public locations, charging no admission fee whenever possible and creating vivid images that can immediately resonate with the audience.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission was established in Sacramento, California, United States in 1977. The Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission is a public agency devoted to supporting, promoting and advancing the arts in the region. The mission of the Arts Commission is 'ADVANCING COMMUNITY THROUGH ARTS AND CULTURE'.
The California Digital Library (CDL) was founded by the University of California in 1997. In collaboration with the ten University of California Libraries and other partners, CDL has assembled one of the world's largest digital research libraries. CDL facilitates the licensing of online materials and develops shared services used throughout the UC system. Building on the foundations of the Melvyl Catalog, CDL has developed one of the largest online library catalogs in the country and works in partnership with the UC campuses to bring the treasures of California's libraries, museums, and cultural heritage organizations to the world. CDL continues to explore how services such as digital curation, scholarly publishing, archiving and preservation support research throughout the information lifecycle.
The Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of artists and allies in Northeast Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota. NEMAA works to build a more vibrant, diverse and economically healthy community through the arts. NEMAA's vision is to support a community where artists can live, work, and showcase their art. And the mission is to promote connections between individuals, businesses and artists for the collective benefit of our community.
Visual Communications –– is a community-based non-profit media arts organization based in Los Angeles and founded in 1970 by independent filmmakers Robert Nakamura, Alan Ohashi, Eddie Wong, and Duane Kubo. Fueled by the Civil Rights and Anti-War movements, they set out creating learning kits, photographing community events, recording oral histories, and collecting historical images of Asian American life. Additionally, they created films, video productions, community media productions, screening activities, and photographic exhibits and publications.
The Idaho Commission for Libraries (ICFL), formerly the Idaho State Library, assists libraries in Idaho to build the capacity to better serve their clientele.
The Brandon University Students' Union (BUSU) represents undergraduate, graduate, and distance students at Brandon University (BU) in Manitoba, Canada. BUSU is a not-for-profit organization that represents approximately ~3662 (2018) students. BUSU was incorporated in 1969, and joined the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) as Local 37 in 1984.
Walid Raad (Ra'ad) is a contemporary media artist. The Atlas Group is a fictional collective, the work of which is produced by Walid Raad. He lives and works in New York, where he is currently an Associate Professor at the School of Art at the Cooper Union School of Art.
A travelling exhibition, also referred to as a "travelling exhibit" or a "touring exhibition", is a type of exhibition that is presented at more than one venue.
The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery is located in the Barnsdall Art Park in Los Angeles, California. It focuses on the arts and artists of Southern California.
Wild Oak Music Group is an independent record label operated from the Music Industry program at California State University, Chico in Chico, California. The label was founded in the fall of 1997. The name combines the city's boisterous music scene paired with the oak trees of Bidwell Park. Wild Oak Music Group includes 15 separate departments, all run by the music industry students, such as Songwriter's Guild and the Hip Hop Collective, Concert Productions, Artist Management, and Oak Leaf CD Duplication Services.
The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia is a contemporary art museum located in Atlanta. The museum collects and archives hundreds of contemporary works by Georgia artists. MOCA GA fulfills its mission through an exhibition schedule, increasing its permanent collection, and the Education/Resource Center, which houses the museum's historical archive collection.
The American Bus Association (ABA) is a trade association for motorcoach operators and tour companies in the United States and Canada. Its membership consists of about 1,000 companies that operate buses or bus-based tours, about 2,800 organizations representing the travel and tourism industry, and several hundred suppliers of buses and related products and services. Its headquarters is in Washington, D.C.
International Arts & Artists (IA&A) is an international, nonprofit organization based in Washington D.C., United States. IA&A helps museums, foundations, and private collectors share and exchange collections through traveling exhibition services. IA&A is also a sponsor for J-1 visas to individuals across the arts industries through their cultural exchange training programs, professional development and exhibition services.
Paul J. Smith is an arts administrator, curator, and artist living in New York. Director Emeritus of the Museum of Arts and Design, Smith has been professionally involved with the art, craft, and design fields since the early 1950s and is closely associated with the twentieth-century "studio craft movement" in the United States. He joined the staff of the American Craftsmen's Council in 1957, and was appointed Director of the Museum of Contemporary Crafts in 1963. In September 1987, after 30 years with ACC, he assumed the position of Director Emeritus to provide independent consulting for museums, arts organizations, and collectors.
Ginger Brooks Takahashi is an American artist based in Brooklyn, New York, and North Braddock, Pennsylvania. She co-founded the feminist genderqueer collective and journal LTTR and the Mobilivre project, a touring exhibition and library. She was also a member of MEN (band). Her work consists of a collaborative project-based practice.
The Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) is a municipal gallery in Ottawa, Ontario that opened in 1988 at Arts Court. The gallery has a permanent collection of over one-thousand works, houses the City of Ottawa-owned Firestone Collection of Canadian Art, and provides community, educational and public programming. The OAG focuses on acquiring, interpreting, and sharing art as well as acting as a cultural meeting place.
