Rooted in the Page: Book Artists Respond to Uprooted Lives

Kathleen Parker, Saint John's University & College of Saint Benedict

Abstract

Kathy Parker, Director of Libraries

Refugees, immigrants, victims of civic unrest or environmental degradation: the UN estimates that there are over 65 million displaced people worldwide, forcibly uprooted from their homes. Since they often have no legal standing of their own, we must ensure their well-being. This presentation of books from the CSB Artists Book collection will show ways artists have responded to uprooted lives. The arts have a special role in increasing empathy toward people whose lives are unfamiliar. These books, an intimate art form that calls for interaction, will immerse participants in the experience of displacement and offer an invitation to solidarity with the uprooted.