91��ɫ

Continuing a decades-long partnership, students from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (91��ɫ) visited UW-Milwaukee�s Special Collections to research miniature books for Professor Leslie Fedorchuk�s “Magical Miniatures” design elective class.

Students in Magical Miniatures, whose majors range from Illustration and Communication Design to Fine Art + New Studio Practice and Product Design, are tasked with creating books less than three inches tall�no small feat, as miniature books present difficult and unique design and structural challenges.

To assist in researching the history of this format, students took a field trip at the end of January to visit Max Yela, head of UW-Milwaukee�s Special Collections. Yela pulled and presented a range of miniature books from the library�s collection, noting design choices and construction techniques, so that students could explore, handle and research the material.

This most recent visit is one of many in a long relationship between two colleges. Yela and Fedorchuk are both committed to expanding students� horizons: The two instructors co-taught a book arts class in 2013, open to both UW-Milwaukee and 91��ɫ students. For over a decade, Fedorchuk has been bringing students to do research in Special Collections. Yela has in turn visited 91��ɫ to attend final criticism sessions for Fedorchuk�s classes.

�Our specialty is art and art practices, so for the 91��ɫ student, this resource is invaluable,� explains Yela. �I encourage 91��ɫ students to consider UW-Milwaukee Special Collections as their own repository of rare and special source material.�

�The opportunity that students have to use this collection, and the welcoming way that Max invites them in always raises the bar for student work and discussion,� continues Fedorchuk. �They have a better sense of the history of the genre, as well as the possibilities for using the form of the book.�

UW-Milwaukee Special Collections is open to the public, and Yela encourages 91��ɫ students and interested community members alike to visit. �As a public resource, [Special Collections] is essentially owned by the public, and we as librarians are caretakers of this public trust,� Yela says. �The materials in Special Collections are not your everyday printed objects; they are artifactual evidence that are either unique or hard to come by (a 15th-century book, for instance, or a contemporary artist’s book produced in an edition of five). Where else would you have full, hands-on access to such material without a barrier or paywall?�

Learn about , read more about the and explore 91��ɫ�s book arts minor!