Pattern and Flow

Showcasing marbled paper, paste paper, fold-and-dye papers, and more, this book reveals a little-known arts phenomenon from its grass roots in the 1960s to artistic heights in the following decades

Pattern and Flow chronicles the flourishing of American decorated paper arts beginning in the 1960s and extending to the 2000s, with an ongoing legacy today. As knowledge and skills were shared across a grass‐roots community in the 1960s, decorated paper became increasingly popular, with centers for the study of the book and paper arts emerging across the United States, and artists developing new, innovative styles of paper. The book begins with an introductory essay outlining the history of decorated paper arts in America up to the 1960s, followed by a chronological narrative, which surveys the development of the field and introduces the artists working from the 1960s to the 2000s, and an illustrated reference section with essential biographical and professional information for each artist. Designed to be an immersive experience, Pattern and Flow conveys the vivid visual world of American decorated paper, celebrating the variety and variations that are key features of the art. Stunning illustrations show designs with intricate, tessellated patterns and others that flow with forms and waves that seem liquid; some explore subtle, muted tones, while others are explosive in their use of brilliant colors.

Distributed for the Thomas J. Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Exhibition Schedule:

Grolier Club, New York
(January 17–April 8, 2023)

Mindell Dubansky is museum librarian for preservation, Sherman Fairchild Center for Book Conservation, Thomas J. Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Sidney E. Berger is director emeritus of the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA.