photographer unknown Courtesy and collection Atlanta Contemporary Art Center
Founding director Michael Goodman working with the Hamada Star Press at Nexus.
Nexus Press was a non-profit fine arts press in Atlanta in production from 1978-2003. The press began as a photo collective named Nexus Gallery and grew to become an iconic center for book arts in the South. SCAD Atlanta has significant holdings from the press including books and ephemera. The presence of Nexus Press in Atlanta was key in the formation of the current day SCAD Libraries - Atlanta Artist's Book Collection.
Emory University's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library (MARBL) has acquired the records and artists' books of Atlanta Contemporary Art Center (The Contemporary) and Nexus Press. A rotating exhibit of artists' books and other items from the collection is planned on campus in August.
The collection consists of the records of Nexus, Inc., Nexus Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta Contemporary Art Center and Nexus Press. It includes administrative records, exhibition files, exhibit catalogs, newsletters, promotional materials and press releases, photographs of exhibitions and events, and rare artists' books produced by Nexus Press.
"Books live their lives. They are pored over, discussed, exchanged, and marked up—each page striving to create a bond between the artist and the reader. Unlike the standard temporal exhibition, the artist book and its ideas are continuously reimagined, producing direct experiences with new publics. For 26 years Nexus Press brought the world to the South and the South out to the world. The exhibition Endless Road: A Look at Nexus Press will be the first presentation at Atlanta Contemporary Art Center exploring Nexus Press’ innovative work producing artists’ books. An early adopter of experimental offset printing, the Press traversed the unknown creating books, posters, flyers, and statements that lived and live beyond their covers. This is not the definitive Nexus Press exhibition, rather what we hope to be an opportunity to open a dialog about pioneering and celebrating this institution’s legacy." Curator's statement from Daniel Fuller of the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center