UC Berkeley Library

The presentation was delivered at the 70th annual conference of the Seminar on the acquisition of Latin American Library Materials on 29th of May 2025 at the NYU in New York. 

This exhibition highlights efforts of UC Berkeley Library’s Latin American Studies librarian to create distinguished collections of the Caribbean and Latin American book collections that relay spirit of ingenuity and creativity of Caribbean and Latin American publishers and artists that base their cultural production also on the notion of sustainability and repurposing of materials that could have otherwise been relegated to landfills. Each book in this exhibition represents distinct viewpoints of its creators and publishers. Each book symbolically represents an artwork that would allow visitors to this exhibition re-discover not only the lesser known traditions of upcycling movement in the region but also the folkloric esthetics of the book art.

This exhibition is divided into four distinct sections and each section highlights a distinct way of conveying literary and visual esthetics. These sections are Cuban Artists Books, Fine Letterpress Books from Mexico: Taller Gráfica de Comala, Cartonera Books and Literatura de Cordel Chapbooks. Each section can be enjoyed in conjunction with the next section or it could be enjoyed separately. The curator leave it up to the visitors to this exhibition an act of exploration and self-reflection. The author Dr. Liladhar R. Pendse thanks LAUC Statewide for providing him with a presentation grant that allowed him to travel to NYC and present his research.