Suzanne Glémot
Marigolds

Media: Typographic, relief, and pressure printing on handmade papers from overbeaten abaca and cotton fibers; ink, marigold dye, and linen thread

Artist Statement:
"Quiet as it's kept, there were no marigolds in the fall of 1941." This is the opening sentence of Toni Morrison’s first novel, The Bluest Eye, published in 1970. Where they grow, flowers and plants are written into the story as recurring symbols of safe prosperity. The marigolds’ explicit absence from the world of The Bluest Eye at the outset of the novel is utterly striking, and I frequently returned to this sentence, almost like a ritual, as I read the book. Unable to get the passage out of my mind, I set out to design a small artist book that could capture and convey these words I sought to memorialize.

Biography

Suzanne Glémot is a book artist who first encountered papermaking while studying at the University of Iowa Center for the Book. Between a lot of bookbinding and letterpress printing, she also experimented with applications of natural dyes onto handmade papers and has been using these materials in her book projects ever since. Originally from France, Suzanne holds an MA in Library and Information Science and an MFA in the Book Arts. She currently lives and works in Iowa City, Iowa.