Playing to a standing room only crowd in the North Hall of the Main Library on Tuesday, April 20th , Walter Hamady1 discussed his work2, the creative process3 and working with students4. Drawing a cadre of graphic design students, Center for the Book students and faculty, local printmakers, bibliophiles from near and far5 and even Hamady’s aunt and uncle, the lecture was an open forum of questions from the audience, followed by a gallery walk and talk.
When asked about is “Gabberjabbs” and extensive use of footnotes, Hamady responded that he wanted to take a non-scholarly approach to the scholarly medium of footnoting. He discussed one of his collaborations, where the footnotes take over the page and eventually the poem disappears. He also noted that much to his delight writer Mary Lydon had taken on the task of defining “Gabberjabb6,” so that he could later refute her definitions.
A second “Conversation with Walter Hamady” sponsored by the Graduate Art Congress was held on Wednesday morning in the Main Library’s Second Floor Conference Room.
Having Walter Hamady come to the Libraries to talk about his work and walk us through the exhibition was time well spent. The exhibition “Four Decades of Walter Hamady and the Perishable Press Limited” will run In the North Exhbition Hall of the Main Library during regular hours7 through July 2004.