Aurora museum to host Naperville native, 'book surgeon' sculptor
Naperville native Brian Dettmer, the "book surgeon," will lecture and exhibit his sculptures carved from books from Feb. 7 to April 28 at Aurora University.
Dettmer, of New York City, uses knives, tweezers, surgical instruments and glue to carve sculptures from old books, newspapers, maps, record albums and cassette tapes.
"Art of Facts: Brian Dettmer," a free, public display, will open with a reception from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, in the Hill Welcome Center at the university's Schingoethe Center, 1315 Prairie St. in Aurora. Admission and parking are free.
At 6:45 p.m., a partnership of the Schingoethe Center and Smithsonian Institute of Washington, D.C. will be announced in the Crimi Auditorium, 1347 Prairie St. in Aurora. Harold Closter, Smithsonian director of affiliations, will present a certificate of affiliation.
At 7 p.m., Dettmer, a graduate of Columbia College in Chicago, will lecture on "Art of Facts." Reservations for the reception and lecture are requested. Call (630) 844-4924 or visit auartsandideas@aurora.edu.
In a companion exhibit, Schingoethe Center's rare books and American Indian artifacts will be displayed. Dettmer and Meg Bero, Schingoethe executive director, co-curated the display. A film interview of Dettmer will be screened.
Schingoethe Center hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays. Admission and parking are free. Call (630) 844-7843 or visit aurora.edu/museum.
Dettmer said, "I begin with an existing book and seal its edges, creating an enclosed vessel full of unearthed potential.
"I cut into the surface of the book and dissect it from the front. I work with knives, tweezers and surgical tools to carve out one page at a time, exposing each layer while cutting around ideas and images of interest. Nothing inside the book is relocated or implanted, only removed.
"By altering physical forms of information and shifting preconceived functions, new and unexpected roles emerge."