Reception

About The Ministry of Books

Background Information
Students and staff in the Illustration department at the University of Portsmouth, UK, have been producing artists' books for many years. The course has a strong ethos of research, promotion and dissemination of a social awareness. Book art is a visually creative way, through traditional and contemporary creative methods, that students can promote their concepts through self publishing.

The course supports book art through a unit in level 2 that enables the students to use literature, text, philosophy, classic texts and historical poetry as inspiration for a book or bookwork. It introduces the book as an experimental vehicle for the illustrators creativity and within the unit a short project asks them to consider altered books and then create one. This introduction leads to a large number of final year students using the medium of artists' book as part of their degree submissions.

The Ministry of Books is a research initiative which aims to support, promote, encourage and strengthen the production of Artists' Books at the University of Portsmouth. It holds a visual archive of our collection and will grow through purchases, donations and staff and student production. This blog will hold a virtual library where students and staff can access our collection on line and then view and handle these for research and inspiration.

This collection and the website was established by Dr Maureen O'Neill and aligned with the Illustration department of the School of Art, Design and Media which is located within the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries. Dr Jackie Batey, who co-ordinates 'Zineopolis' also works with The Ministry of Books.

Contact The Ministry of Books
If you would like to donate books to our collection, provide useful links or find out more information about The Ministry of Books please contact us.

By Email: lee.shearman@port.ac.uk
By Post:

Lee Shearman
University of Portsmouth
School of Art, Design & Media
Illustration Department
Eldon Building (third floor)
Winston Churchill Avenue
Portsmouth
Hampshire PO1 2DJ
United Kingdom