#john coy

[garadinervi]

Richard Serra, Gemini G.E.L., Los Angeles, CA, 1972 [Studio Bruno Tonini, Gussago (BS). J.N. Herlin Inc. (Online Antiquarian Bookshop). Art: © Richard Serra / ARS, New York]

Brochure Design: John Coy Photography: Malcolm Lubliner Cover Photo: Dan Freeman

[uwmspeccoll]

Our Mighty Journey for My Mighty Journey

We recently had the absolute pleasure of unboxing My Mighty Journey: A Waterfall’s Story written by John Coy and beautifully illustrated with original color wood engravings and prints made directly from found materials by Gaylord Schanilec, in collaboration with Paul Nylander and Barbara Eijadi. We had to pry open box after box after box to reveal the 18″ x 24″ book. Fully opened, the children’s book is nearly 4 1/2 feet wide! Much bigger than a child! Luckily, the text and images have also been turned into a trade edition for children.

The book tells a story about the evolution along the Mississippi River, as imaginatively told by the longest resident in these parts, the St. Anthony waterfall in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. The waterfall as narrator playfully explains all of the changes the river has been through over its 12,000-year journey of 15 miles. The act of turning the enormous pages adds to the illusion of years passing for the reader. 

“I am a powerful waterfall. I listen. I pay attention. I have a long memory. You might find it hard to believe but I have moved through time.”

We had a sneak peak of the publication when Gaylord Schnilec was the guest artist in our annual Ettinger Book Artist Series in February and a couple of days later when our department head Max Yela was a featured participant in the opening events for the exhibition “Gaylord Schanilec: A Natural History” in the James Watrous Gallery of the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Wis.

Schanilec’s Midnight Paper Sales is the imprint, and the images were hand-printed on Mohawk Superfine paper, with the text handset in Bernhard Gothic foundry type printed on handmade Cave Paper produced by Amanda Degener in Minneapolis in an edition of 40 copies. The volumes were hand-bound and the covers and boxes constructed by the project participants.

Want to see more of what’s inside? Come into UWM Special Collections on the fourth floor of the Golda-Meir Library, or stay tuned for more social media posts on this magnificent text.

Pictured in the GIF is Max and our department manager Alice! 

-Morgan. Special Collections Graduate Intern

[hclib]

NOW ON VIEW IN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS My Mighty Journey, A Waterfall’s Journey

In May, renowned printer and wood engraver Gaylord Schanilec stopped by the Special Collections department to deliver our copy of his latest project, My Mighty Journey, an impressive fine press book done in collaboration with author John Coy, designer Paul Nylander, and book binder Barb Eijadi, of which only 40 copies were produced. Gaylord gave us a tour of the book describing the concept, process, and work that went into creating this impressive work of art over the last four years. My Mighty Journey and other artists’ books by Gaylord Schanilec, are now on view in Special Collections. My Mighty Journey is open for reading and browsing.

Owamniyomni, the Falls of St. Anthony, is the only major waterfall on the Mississippi River. Over the past twelve thousand years, it has eroded fifteen miles to its present location in downtown Minneapolis. My Mighty Journey is the story of this migration, written from the perspective of the waterfall. The narrative considers the people who lived nearby, the ways they lived, and how the area around the waterfall changed drastically in the past two centuries.

Coy’s poetic narrative complements Schanilec’s stunning visual images, which feature material collected along the riverbank—wood, stones, fish, and plants—to show the progression of the waterfall as it moved fifteen miles upriver from present-day St. Paul to its current location in Minneapolis.

My Mighty Journey was purchased for the Hennepin County Library with funds generously donated by Chris Du Bois. A trade version of this book will be available in October. Join us for an author talk and book signing on Saturday, November 2, 2-3 p.m.

Learn more about the four-year development and creation of My Mighty Journey @mymightyjourney

[robertogreco]

AIGA California Design 2, April Greiman and John Coy with Michael Cronan, Linda Hinrichs, Michael Manwaring, Michael Vanderbyl, and Eric Martin, 1985 (via LACMA’s West of Modernism: California Graphic Design, 1975–1995)

[uwmspeccoll]

SPOTLIGHT: My Mighty Journey Redux

Almost two weeks ago we produced a post about our acquisition of the deluxe, letterpress artists book My Mighty Journey, published in 2019 in a limited edition of 40 copies by Midnight Paper Sales, with a text by John Coy and design and original wood-engraved color illustrations by Gaylord Schanilec. In that post we noted that the text and illustrations were intended for children, but that the limited edition was larger and probably heavier than most children it was intended for. Our limited edition is being added to our Book Arts Collection.

Luckily, a trade edition for children was produced, based on the deluxe edition and published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press. We just received a copy today, and we’ll be preserving that in our Historical Curriculum Collection. The trade edition was designed by Paul Nylander, one of the collaborators on the deluxe project. You may compare the two projects and learn more about the making of the limited edition by reading our previous post.

View our other posts on the works of Gaylord Schanilec.

[hclib]

LOCAL HISTORY PROGRAM Author Talk: My Mighty Journey, A Waterfall’s Story

Saturday, November 2, 2-3 p.m., Minneapolis Central Library, Special Collections, 4th floor

I am

a powerful waterfall.

I listen.

I pay attention.

I have a long memory.

you might find it hard to believe

but I have moved through time.

Owamniyomni, the Falls of St. Anthony, is the only major waterfall on the Mississippi River. Over the past twelve thousand years, it has eroded fifteen miles to its present location in downtown Minneapolis. Author John Coy, printer and wood engraver Gaylord Schanilec, and Diane Wilson, Paul Nylander, and Barbara Eijadi will discuss the background and collaboration they shared on My Mighty Journey. They will show examples from both the fine press edition and the trade hardcover. Join us for a new look at this amazing waterfall that has seen so much. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Learn more about the incredible journey of producing the fine press edition @mymightyjourney​. And see more fine press books by Gaylord Schanilec on view in Special Collections.

[roesolo]

It's all in the perspective... So Big and So Small

It's all in the perspective... So Big and So Small @BeamingBooksMN

So Big and So Small, by John Coy/Illustrated by Steph Lew, (Oct. 2020, Beaming Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781506460581 Ages 3-7 A young boy considers perspective: he’s so big next to a baby, a puppy, a kitten, or a bumblebee; he’s giant compared to a seashell or a speck of sand. But when he goes to the zoo, he’s so small compared to the animals, or next to a tree or waterfall. Compared to a mountain…

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[kingsbridgelibraryteens]

Teen Review Tuesday: Crackback by John Coy

Here’s a review from Hyuncheol:

The main character is Miles, and he is on the football team.  He gets a lot of stress while his coach and his father talk about how important the upcoming game is.

I’m recommending this book because it teaches a healthy way to deal with stress and shows real problems teenagers may face.