About the Canadian Fine Press Exhibit and A Tetrad
Exploring Mid-century Print Collections at Five U of T Libraries
THE CANADIAN FINE PRESS EXHIBIT was launched at the University of St. Michael’s College with the release of the Kelly Library chapbook A Tetrad on January 22, 2019. The exhibit marked the beginning of the John M. Kelly Library’s 50th Anniversary. With exhibitions at five locations on the University of Toronto campus, the Canadian Fine Press Exhibit celebrated a wide range of letterpress publications, hand-printed ephemera, chapbooks, and other fine-press works to be found within the university’s special collections and libraries. The exhibition ran concurrently from January to May 2019 and included spotlights on poetry chapbooks, Toronto-area fine presses, individual printers and designers, and the career of the printer and designer Glenn Goluska.
Exhibition
- January 22 to May 30, 2019
Contributing Libraries
Exhibit Opening
University of St. Michael’s College on January 22, 2019
Selections from the Exhibit
The Canadian Fine Press Exhibit took place across five institutions and ran concurrently from January to May 2019.
John M. Kelly Library, St. Michael’s College
“Print and Printers at the Kelly Library”
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the John M. Kelly Library presented a major exhibition on Canadian fine presses, with a special focus on printers, design, and press work. The Kelly Library exhibition featured a display of hand-press processes and materials from the artisanal presses of the library’s Print Studio with a special showcase on the fine print and design work of St. Michael’s 1969 grad Glenn Goluska.
Exhibit
- January 22 to April 19, 2019
Location
- 113 St. Joseph Street, Toronto
Curated by
- Deborah Barnett
- Chester Gryski
- Simon Rogers
Exhibit Design
- Sheila Eaton
E.J. Pratt Library, Victoria College
“Canadian Poets and Fine Press”
The exhibition at the E.J. Pratt Library featured ephemera and books of poetry composed by individuals associated with Victoria University. These titles were published by various private presses in Canada between the 1950s and the early 2000s, including Aliquando, Blackfish, Dreadnaught, Frog Hollow, Gauntlet, Grand Union, Hawkshead, Salamander, Seizin, and Tortoise.
Exhibit
- January 7 – April 30, 2019
Location
- 71 Queen’s Park Crescent East, Toronto
Curated by
- Agatha Barc
- Carmen Socknat
- Gabrielle Fournier
John W. Graham Library, Trinity College
“Early Impressions and the Golden Dog Press”
The John W. Graham Library highlighted holdings from its rare and special collections related to Golden Dog Press and founder J. Kemp Waldie. Golden Dog Press is considered to have been one of the first private presses in Canada to print fine editions.
Exhibit
- January – May 2019
Location
- 6 Hoskin Avenue, Toronto
Curated by
- Kate MacDonald
- Christopher Hogendoorn
Robertson Davies Library, Massey College
“Glenn Goluska’s Early Print Works”
The exhibition at the Robertson Davies Library, Massey College, concentrated on the early publishing career of typographer, book designer, and letterpress printer Glenn Goluska.
Digital Ephemera by robert reid
A Curatorial research initiative presented by CAUSA (Collective for Advanced and Unified Studies in the Visual Arts) as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the John M. Kelly Library.
“Every quotation contributes something to the stability or enlargement of the language.” — Samuel Johnson
Exhibit
January – April 2019
Location
4 Devonshire Place, Toronto
Curated by
- Chester Gryski
- PJ MacDougal
Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
“The Typographical World of Glenn Goluska and his Contemporaries”
Glenn Goluska has been called Canada’s finest letterpress designer and printer. Though he died too young in 2011, he left a lasting legacy for this country’s fine-press book makers and designers. The Fisher Library’s exhibition features Goluska’s work along with his typographic contemporaries. Much of the material on display showcases books using wood type, a specialty and favourite of Goluska’s. It includes books from Dreadnaught, Aliqaundo Press, Barbarian Press and Andrew Steeves, along with Goluska’s imprint imprimerie dromadaire.
Exhibit
January 7 – 31, 2019
Location
120 St. George Street, Toronto
Curated by
- John Shoesmith
Purchase a copy
Signed by Michael McLuhan • Limited editions • Letterpress printed on 100% cotton paper • Die-cut and hand-sewn
Buy a copy of this chapbook
One Chapbook. Two Numbered and Signed Editions.
Both sets of limited editions are signed by Michael McLuhan. Chapbooks are letterpress printed from plates on 100% cotton paper and are die-cut and hand-sewn.
Pamphlet-stitched: 125 copies
$75
plus $20 shipping and handling
Coptic-bound : 25 copies
$225
plus $20 shipping and handling
Acknowledgements
Thank You
Nelson Adams, Friends of the Kelly Library, Chester Gryski, Sheril Hook, Linda Joy, Natasa Krsmanovic, PJ MacDougall, Michael McLuhan, Sana Mohtadi, Maya Pasternak, John Papadopoulos, Sarah Sharma, Lisa Sherlock, Don Taylor, Joel Vaughan, and Teresa Wong.
Exhibit design and Kelly Library exhibit photos by Sheila Eaton.