Melbourne Rare Book Week (MRBW) 2023, returns following a break of three years due to Covid-19. This year, MRBW will run from 21st July to 29th July. It will consist of 21 events, culminating in the ANZAAB Melbourne Rare Book Fair which will run from 27th to 29th July.
Our guest speaker for the launch this year was Jane Sullivan, well known in Melbourne as an author and journalist who has written with great skill and passion about books for many years.
I am the official sketcher at all MRBW events again this year and will be attending all events.
Bookings are open
I have two events – a display “You Can’t Draw in Books?” and a talk about the display,
You Can’t Draw in Books?
Curated by: Alissa Duke
What happens to the books no one wants? This exhibition demonstrates Alissa’s ability to turn unwanted books into objects of art. Using watercolour pencils, she illustrates these books with a wide variety of subjects, including fiction, travel, food, history and nature.
East Melbourne Library for the month of JULY
Mon-Fri 10:00am-6:00pm, Sat 10:00am-1:00pm. Sun Closed.
No bookings required
This Saturday I set up the display. I have had displays in my wonderful local East Melbourne Library previously for my sketchbooks. I am aware of how my sketchbooks fit in the glass display cabinet sections and could organise a fair bit in advance. But this time, I had no idea of how my oddly shaped “drawn in ” books would fit in, so I brought them all in two large suitcases to experiment with on the day. It took two and a half hours to set up.
ORGANISING AT HOME
SETTING UP AT THE LIBRARY
DISPLAY CASE ONE
DISPLAY CASE TWO
DISPLAY CASE THREE
All books are available for purchase on my ETSY website. They will be posted after the exhibition has finished on 31 July. My ETSY website is set for Australian Postal delivery. If you are overseas please message me here or on ETSY. Prices vary depending on the country and the size of the book.
If you are in Melbourne, you are welcome to visit or come to my talk. Book here for the talk.
You Can’t Draw in Books? Speaker: Alissa Duke
“Inspired by words on the page, and using watercolour pencils, Alissa draws in books that were about to be discarded, giving them a new life and value. She questions some preconceptions about writing and drawing in books, talking about her creative process along the way. The talk will include a tour of the books on display.”
