Book Art
The Surface and The Space
Laura Nugent
2026
Kansas City, MO
The Surface and The Space functions as an artist book and a participatory installation. Curators are invited to select, sequence, layer and present the unbound pages in configurations that suit the exhibition context. The work adapts to diverse spaces.
When not on view, the 40+ double-sided pages are enclosed in a custom jacket constructed from painted house wrap, echoing the materiality of its content.
All materials are reclaimed or repurposed, including unfinished studio works, imagery from sketchbooks, fine art paper and commercial sample sheets. Drawing and painting media were sourced from reuse centers and other artists’ cast-offs.
Many surfaces retain traces of their previous lives. Rough edges, occasional smudges, and existing pinholes are preserved as evidence of process and display.
The work developed over the course of a year, often during evening hours after full workdays. Paper was painted, drawn and immersed in tinted liquids, allowing color and surface to accumulate through repetition and improvisation.
The conditions surrounding my studio were also an influence. “Seed Crusher,” my workspace in an aging former manufacturing building in a post-industrial American city, is where I work with materials already at hand. Amid rapid development in the neighborhood, I deliberately avoid accumulation in a space that is, for me, temporary.
Within this environment, surface and space are constant collaborators in the making of the work.
Acknowledgment
I am deeply grateful to curator and author Dr. Leesa Fanning, who selected me to participate in the nomination process for Women to Watch 2027: A Book Arts Revolution at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Through lengthy studio visits and thoughtful conversations, Dr. Fanning developed the accompanying narrative submitted to the museum for consideration. Her enthusiasm, attentiveness and confidence in my practice fostered a relationship of trust that made this project possible.
Contributors
Greater Kansas City Chapter of the National Museum of Women in the Arts
National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC
Mark Hennick, my Seed Crusher partner, for documentation, material and loving support.