“ Archive as if the future depends on it. ” Lisbet Tellefsen
Artists use various forms of books as a repository for public or personal history and as archives of emotion. Books are often unique to the maker, marrying form and content to present new perspectives. Ruth Hallinan explores the concept of archiving and how it is reflected through the artist book collection held at the National Irish Visual Arts Library (NIVAL). NIVAL collects, stores and makes accessible for research an unparalleled collection of material about Irish art in all media. An initiative of NCAD in partnership with the Arts Council of Ireland, since 1997 NIVAL has become the foremost centre for the documentation of contemporary art and design in Ireland and holds arguably the largest public-access artist book collection in Ireland.
NIVAL Assistant Manager, Ruth Hallinan has spent fifteen years working in Irish publishing. She was named as one of the 150 most influential people in publishing by The Bookseller in 2021 and 2022.
Image accreditation: Orders book with fabric samples, Cleo Collection. National Irish Visual Arts Library (NIVAL), NCAD, Dublin.