Well, it's certainly been an extremely interesting year for us in the ARLIS/NA Southeast Chapter! In just over twelve months, some of us have met as a chapter from the warm climate of St. Petersburg, Florida, to the snow-capped mountains of Banff, Canada, and back to the coolish fall of Atlanta. We've been highly involved in planning and hosting the ARLIS/NA annual conference to be held in Atlanta in April 2007. And then we had to deal with that "affiliation thing," too—but more on that later. I think our most recent chapter meeting in Atlanta this past November was not only one of the most interesting and successful meetings we've ever had, but I also think it spoke volumes as to what our chapter has to offer professionals and students from across our region and beyond. I think our attendance was one of our highest in recent memory, and I hope that's a good indication as to the excitement that is building over having the ARLIS/NA conference in Atlanta next spring. The hotel was extremely convenient to get to and very centrally located to shopping and eating and mass transit options. Thanks to Kathleen List's impeccable planning, we were able to traverse the city without incident and always kept to schedule.

Southeasters check out the amazing array of artists' books from Vamp & Tramp. Photo by Jim Findlay.

On Friday, we started out the day with a generous continental breakfast provided by Savannah College of Art and Design (thanks, Melissa and SCAD!). We then got on a MARTA bus and went to Emory University for some great programs at the beautiful Woodruff Library. Fellow Southeaster Jim Findlay gave us a presentation on developments at his library in South Florida, now known as the Bienes Museum of the Modern Book, and then we had a lively Q&A session with Bill and Vicky Stuart (from Vamp & Tramp) about recent trends in artists' books. Some of us then broke for lunch at the Michael C. Carlos Museum café next door or took in a quick look at the museum's collections of ancient art.

In the afternoon, we had presentations on Emory's digital initiatives by our own Sandra Still and her colleagues Alice Hickcox and Erika Farr. After the talks, many of us headed back to midtown and toured the High Museum's exhibit of royal collections on loan from the Louvre. The new wing of the High, designed by Renzo Piano, is really impressive and seems to complement the original Richard Meier building quite nicely.

Saturday morning was our usual chapter business meeting, but this year we preceded it with an ARLIS/NA 2007 conference planning meeting to which anyone was invited to attend. And by the looks of things, I think everyone who was in attendance at the business meeting had made a point of getting up an hour early to attend the planning meeting. Again, lots of enthusiasm concerning the conference in Atlanta next year, and we seem to have a good number of volunteers willing to help out in all the different areas&and I'm sure we'll need more as time draws nearer.

ARLIS Southeasters in the Center for Puppetry Arts. Photo by Liz Gentry.

We had our election of officers&congratulations to Yvonne Boyer, our newly elected vice president; Liz Gentry, our new secretary; and Jennifer Friedman, our new LoPresti chair! We also discussed and voted on the signing of the affiliation agreement&but again, more on that later. . . . The LoPresti awards and raffle was fun as usual and had many good entries. Thanks to Pat Thompson and her committee for deciding the winners in what looked like a tough competition this year. After lunch, we regrouped for a fascinating behind-the-scenes tour of the Center for Puppetry Arts just down the street from the hotel&an extremely interesting collection of puppets from around the world. Sunday morning we said our good-byes over a continental breakfast provided by Ringling School of Art and Design (thanks, Kathleen and RSAD!). It is always so nice to have such generosity in our region. I had SUCH a great time at this meeting and thoroughly enjoyed seeing friends and colleagues, old and new. I think we're going to have a great ARLIS/NA conference next year! Now about that affiliation thing . . .

I titled this president's column "Chapters Are ARLIS/NA" for a reason: This past year, the discussion of the affiliation agreement on both the national and chapter levels got highly emotional at times. There were good points and bad points from both sides of the issue, but ultimately it was obvious that we as a chapter would have to sign the agreement or cease to be able to call ourselves and meet as the ARLIS/NA Southeast Chapter&a chapter that is only a few years younger than ARLIS/NA itself. And it also became apparent to me as an officer that ARLIS/NA wasn't out to destroy chapters, they merely wanted to shore up some liability issues. The officers of ARLIS/NA assured me and other chapter officers that they understand ARLIS/NA would be nowhere without the strength of its chapters&that chapters ARE what make up ARLIS/NA. Only then did fears start to subside, and we started to see light beyond the signing of the agreement. Chapters would still be able to meet and network as colleagues and friends, brought together by a commonality of professions and a strong sense of regionalism. We voted on signing the agreement, and it passed by general consensus. Sure, some wording had to be tweaked in our bylaws&but we are still the same chapter. We are still ARLIS/NA Southeast Chapter. And chapters ARE ARLIS/NA. Nothing, not even the signing of a piece of paper, will ever change that&or us. Thank you, EVERYONE, in the Southeast Chapter. It's been an extreme privilege to serve you, and I look forward to our future as a strong, vibrant, and always fascinating chapter.

From James A. Findlay, Broward County Main Library, Bienes Museum of the Modern Book, The Dianne & Michael Bienes Special Collections and Rare Book Library, Fort Lauderdale, Florida:

In celebration of its tenth anniversary, Broward County Library's Bienes Center for the Literary Arts was renamed during a ceremony on December 5 at the Main Library.

The new name, Bienes Museum of the Modern Book: The Dianne and Michael Bienes Special Collections and Rare Book Library, reflects the significance of the printed book as an historic museum object. In making this change, Broward County Library believes it is in the vanguard of a movement that is redefining the manner in which libraries acquire, preserve, and share their treasured, unique, and rare books and special collections.

During the event, Dianne and Michael Bienes were honored as the Fort Lauderdale philanthropists whose personal involvement and generosity made the Bienes Center a reality on December 5, 1996. Members of the Rare Book Committee of the Broward Public Library Foundation were also recognized at the celebration.

Within the facility are a conference room, ceremonial room, display areas, a reading room, and a humidity- and temperature-controlled storage area. More than twelve thousand items are contained in the center, including special collections, rare books, and reference materials.

A large collection of Works Projects Administration (WPA) materials; more than 425 "Big Little Books"; first editions of classics by American authors; three thousand ABC books and related materials; Floridiana and Broward County materials; a collection of pop-up books and other graphic designs by Vojtěch Kubašta, Czech paper engineer; the archival papers of Charles Willeford and Michael Shaara; and the Dianne and Michael Bienes Collection of more than six hundred art and architecture books are housed there. To complement the collection, exhibits, programs, and workshops are held regularly.

The Bienes Museum has recently republished the WPA's Federal Writers' Project 1936 version of the History of Broward County, by Frances H. Miner, with an introduction by Stuart McIver, compiled and edited by James A. Findlay. Also recently published was the exhibition catalog The Game of War: Books, Toys, and Propaganda from the Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. Study Centre, compiled and edited by James A. Findlay.

From Sarah E. McCleskey, Axinn Library, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York:

I continue to enjoy my position at Hofstra University. Currently we are finishing up the punch list on our main-floor renovation. The renovation period was painful, but it was worth it. The students love the updated look, the new furniture, and of course the café.

I am working on a couple of projects. There is a small music collection on campus used mainly by the music department and students, and I am working to help them implement use of the Innovative Millennium software. Also, I find myself at the moment acting director of our Film and Media Library as well as chair of the search committee for the permanent position; we will begin interviews for the position in late January. Finally, I am working to implement an electronic delivery service of articles in print/microform journals owned by the library to Hofstra faculty; I think this service will be as popular as our book delivery.

On the personal front, the second half of 2006 was quite eventful. In August I married Dr. Peter King at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, in the chapel where my parents were married. Fellow Southeaster Ann Lindell joined us for all the festivities, and we had a great time. Ann made us a beautiful pottery bowl that now adorns our dining table. Pete teaches Latin, religion, and reading at St. David's School in Manhattan. In November I had surgery to repair a herniated disc in my lower back; the surgery was a great success, and I am back to normal and off pain medication for the first time in well over a year.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the conference in Atlanta. I am putting together a session on landscape design, as well as participating in a session on career options for art librarians. I know that the conference will be a great success.

From Linda McKee, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida:

The library at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida, is moving into expansive new quarters in January 2007. The new education building will also contain an expanded conservation laboratory, art storage area, and beautiful new working areas and offices for many of the Ringling Museum staff. This new building and the opening of new art galleries in February 2007 mark the end of an ambitious building program that began five years ago. The new Visitors Pavilion and Circus Museum's Tibbals Learning Center opened last year. Please make sure to visit the NEW Ringling when you visit Florida.

The Ringling Museum Library is happy to announce that Kira Appel is spending a year at the Ringling as the first Library Fellow. Kira has completed her MLS and has come to us from the Frick Museum. She is working on digitization and preservation plans and projects at the Ringling.

Artis Wick has been promoted to Assistant Librarian. Sherry Rundell is the Ringling cataloger.

The Ringling Museum is pleased to announce the Summer Graduate Internships for 2007. The museum provides a high quality, practical work experience for current graduate students interested in a career in the museum field. The Ringling Museum is comprised of three museums on a sixty-six-acre estate located on Sarasota Bay and includes an internationally recognized art collection, the Ringling mansion, Cà d'ZanCà d, and Circus Museum. Beginning in January 2006, a series of new buildings began opening, which includes the Circus Museum's Tibbals Learning Center celebrating the circus, and the Visitors Pavilion featuring the reinstalled Historic Asolo Theater, new art galleries, and an education center. The art library, housing sixty-five thousand volumes, is one of the largest art museum libraries in the Southeast.

The 2007 internships will begin on June 15, 2007, and end on August 9, 2007, with a mandatory orientation on June 14, 2007. During this eight-week period a total stipend of $3,600 will be paid. The museum will assist the interns in obtaining housing, if requested. The cost of housing and meals will be the responsibility of the intern.

Each intern will be assigned to a specific area of museum operations based on their choice of an internship indicated on their application. Approximately half of the experience will focus on a predetermined project that will add not only value to the museum, but also will be an invaluable tool for a future career. Additionally, intern group experiences will be scheduled to provide hands-on museum experience that will give an overview of museum operations.

Selected candidates will be notified by mail on February 27, 2007. Interested students should complete the application form, which can be downloaded from www.ringling.com. Go to "Search," and enter keyword "Summer Internships."

All applications and required documents must be received by February 2, 2007, and mailed to Katrina Cromwell, Intern Coordinator-Student Services, Ringling Museum of Art, 5555 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243. For questions, please contact Katrina Cromwell at kromwel@ringling.org.

Artifacts profiles new members of ARLIS/SE. If we missed you this issue and you would like to be featured, please contact the editor at wcary@themorris.org.

Yvonne Boyer, has been a librarian at Vanderbilt University since 1988, where she has collection development responsibilities in the areas of art, art history, French, and Italian. She is also the librarian at the W.T. Bandy Center for Baudelaire and Modern French Studies, a comprehensive special collection of the works by and about the French poet and art critic Charles Baudelaire. Yvonne was a history major at UCLA and earned her MLS at George Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. She is a member of ALA, ACRL, ARLIS/NA, and Western European Studies Section (WESS), and has organized sessions for WESS conferences. At the second WESS International Conference held in Paris, France, in 2004 on the theme of "Migrations in Society, Culture, and the Library," Yvonne organized and chaired the session on art. Her publications include articles for WESS and the Acorn Chronicle of the Vanderbilt Library. Hobbies include travel, especially garden tours, performing as a supernumerary for the Nashville Ballet, and volunteering in literacy programs for children. Yvonne has been elected as vice president/president elect for ARLIS/SE and will organize the next regional conference in Nashville in November 2007.

Yvonne Boyer

Thirty-four members and guests registered for the 32nd Annual ARLIS/Southeast Meeting and Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta had its best foot forward with beautiful late autumn color and temperatures.

Participants came from Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Maine, and New York. We welcomed graduate students Michelle Rubino and Suzanne Walsh from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Sheri Randolph from New York University, and Claudia Dold and James Ascher from University of South Florida.

At our Friday venue in Woodruff Library, Jim Findlay impressed us with the range of exhibitions and publications emanating from the Bienes Center for the Literary Arts, now Bienes Museum of the Modern Book, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he is librarian.

Bill Stewart, of Vamp & Tramp, Booksellers. Photo by Liz Gentry.

Bill and Vicky Stewart of Vamp & Tramp, Booksellers, LLC, responded to our interest in trends in artists' books by speaking from their personal experience as artists' book dealers. Bill shared with us that sales of artists' books dwarf sales of fine press books in numbers and dollars; prices for artists' books are steadily rising, and there is no secondary market typically; the means of production is more available and more evident in the books being made; most of their sales are to libraries, with sales to museums and collectors remaining relatively small; academic libraries use their artists' book collections to attract students to the library; there are by far more female book artists than male; and there is no apprenticeship system per se for aspiring book artists to work with a master. ARLIS/SE member Dr. Sandra Still and her colleagues Dr. Erika Farr and Dr. Alice Hickcox of Emory University have developed several digital library initiatives at the university. They spoke about the challenges and successes of projects to provide digital access to content in women s genre fiction, the Great War, the Emory Women Writers Resource Project, and The Illustrated London News coverage of the Civil War in America. A return to Atlanta central took the group to the Louvre Museum exhibit at the High Museum of Art and the first of three annual exhibits from the Louvre to be hosted by the High Museum.

Planning for the ARLIS/NA annual conference in Atlanta in April was first on the agenda for Saturday at the conference hotel, the Sheraton Midtown Atlanta Hotel at Colony Square. The Southeast Chapter is the host chapter, and the chapter conference took place in Atlanta this year for that reason. Chapter members began their work on the ARLIS/NA conference as early as the summer of 2005.

Following the morning planning and business meetings, the Mary Ellen LoPresti Awards were announced by awards chair Pat Thompson, with congratulations to the winners. The popular LoPresti raffle followed. In the afternoon, the behind-the-scenes tour of the Center for Puppetry Arts reacquainted us with the magical characters of childhood memory, television, and movies. The conference weekend provided the opportunity to explore restaurants and local attractions such as the Georgia Aquarium, Michael C. Carlos Museum, the Margaret Mitchell House, and IKEA, taking advantage of MARTA System transportation. Thanks to our speakers and to all those who helped make the conference interesting and successful. Our sponsors were Ringling School of Art and Design, Savannah College of Art and Design, and Emory University. Kim Collins and Sandra Still helped with local arrangements and program. Natalia Lonchyna designed and maintained the conference website. Jack Miller compiled the insiders' guide to restaurants, local attractions, entertainment, and nightlife. Allen Novak handled registration. Our other officers Tom Caswell, Ann Lindell, and Cary Wilkins provided suggestions and support. We had the assistance of staff at the High Museum of Art, the Center for Puppetry Arts, the MARTA System, and the Sheraton Midtown Colony Square Hotel.

ARLIS Southeasters in front of the new wing of the High Museum of Art and Louvre exhibition. Photo by Liz Gentry.

The annual fund-raiser for the 2007 ARLIS/NA Conference will be a raffle held in the Exhibits Hall during our coffee and cookies event on Sunday, April 29, 2:00–3:00 p.m. I'm appealing to all ARLIS Southeasters to join in with their donations to this wonderful event.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for books, artwork, framed photography, pottery, jewelry, crafts, themed baskets/bags of goodies, gift cards, overnight or weekend getaways from your area (lodging, food, tickets, etc.), golf packages, or even airline fares. The list could be endless as long as the items are in good taste and not offensive in any way. Look for more information on the conference website.

This is a great way to get involved and to raise a lot of funds. If you know you cannot attend the conference, you can still donate. My goal this year is to raise over $5,000.00. Put your thinking caps on, turn on those creative juices, and let's see if we can double my goal.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me at lizg@boothmuseum.org or 770-387-1300, ext. 235.

See you in Atlanta.

Conference attendees browse LoPresti entries in preparation for the raffle. Photo by Liz Gentry.

The Southeast Chapter of ARLIS/NA is pleased to announce the winners of its 22nd Annual Mary Ellen LoPresti Awards for Excellence in Art Publishing Competition for publications produced in 2005. There were 37 entries: 19 monographs, 14 exhibition catalogs, 1 artist's book, 2 serials, and 1 electronic publication. Entries were submitted from 25 publishers: 7 university presses, 12 museums, 4 commercial publishers, and 2 in other categories. Among the eight states submitting entries were Alabama (2), Florida (3), Georgia (4), Louisiana (3), Mississippi (4), North Carolina (18), South Carolina (2), and Tennessee (1). This was the first year that an electronic publication was submitted. The winners were announced by Pat Thompson, 2006 LoPresti Awards Chair, at the ARLIS/SE annual meeting in Atlanta on November 11.

Collier, Phillip; J. Richard Gruber; Jim Rapier; and Mary Beth Romig. Phillip Collier's Missing New Orleans. New Orleans: Ogden Museum of Southern Art, 2005, 2nd printing with addendum. ISBN 0-9772544-0-2. $39.95

Phil Collier's Missing New Orleans is a book modest in form but special in its content. Documenting the city's rich culture, from high to low, it is a particularly timely resource for study of the city.

LoPresti Award for Outstanding Exhibition Catalog (tie) Hewitt, Mark, and Nancy Sweezy. The Potter's Eye: Art and Tradition in North Carolina Pottery. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press for the North Carolina Museum of Art, 2005. ISBN 0-8078-2992-7. $39.95 It is fortunate that The Potter's Eye exhibition catalog has been so substantially produced, as it will serve as a major reference work for North Carolina pottery traditions of the past and the present. Its design and documentation are exemplary. LoPresti Award for Outstanding Exhibition Catalog (tie) Arnett, William, et al. Thornton Dial in the 21st Century. Atlanta: Tinwood Books, 2005. ISBN 0-9719104-3-X. $65.00 This beautifully designed exhibition catalog is both a visual and intellectual pleasure. The richness of images and essays gives the reader an understanding and appreciation of the complexity of Thornton Dial's work.

And the raffle begins! Photo by Liz Gentry.

Honorable Mention: Exhibition Catalogs

Findlay, James A., and Ellen G. K. Rubin. Pop-ups, Illustrated Books, and Graphic Designs of Czech Artist and Paper Engineer, Vojtěch Kubašta (1914–1992). Fort Lauderdale, Fla.: Bienes Center for the Literary Arts, 2005. ISBN 0-9762267-0-7. $35.00

The Bienes Center for the Literary Arts is no stranger to special exhibitions of pop-up books. This richly illustrated publication (with its own pop-up!) continues the tradition of the center to showcase unique and creative manifestations in the publishing world.

Jim Findlay, of the Bienes Museum of the Modern Book, holding his LoPresti award, and Pat Thompson, chair of the 2006 LoPresti Awards Committee, displaying the Bienes Museum's exhibition catalog. Photo by Liz Gentry.

LoPresti Award for Outstanding Serial Berger, Molly W., guest editor, et al. "The American Hotel." Special issue, The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts, no. 25. Miami Beach, Fla.: Wolfsonian-Florida International University, 2005. ISBN 1-930776-17-9. $25.00 This special issue of The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts, "The American Hotel," continues the journal's high standards in publishing, with serious scholarship and exemplary illustrations throughout. The essays will provide grist for students of the American hotel as an icon of American culture, and, as a journal, the issue may attract new readers.

Browsing the LoPresti award entries at the raffle. Photo by Jim Findlay.

ARLIS/SE chapter business meeting, Saturday, November 11, 2006, Atlanta. Photo by Liz Gentry.

Dr. Sandra Still and participants at the session on digital projects at Emory University. Photo by Jim Findlay.

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