Offering
By: Angie Butler, Natalie McGrorty and invited contributors
Contributors: Mutanabbī, Abū al-Ṭayyib Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn, 915 or 916-965; McGrorty, Natalie, artist; Al-Mutanabbi Street Coalition; Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here Artists' Books Collection (Columbia University. Rare Book and Manuscript Library)
Publisher: [publisher not identified]
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Brighton, England?]
Language: eng
Subjects: Violence; Pictorial works; Booksellers and bookselling; Bombings; Iraq War, 2003-2011; Protest movements; Books and reading in art; Intellectual life; Social conditions; Censorship; Terrorism in art; In art; War and civilization; Vehicle bombs; Visual literature; Specimens; Artists' books; Al-Mutanabbi Street Coalition
Description: This collection supports and promotes awareness to the important mission and framework of the Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here Coalition's focus on the lasting power of the written word and the arts in support of the free expression of ideas, the preservation of shared cultural spaces, and the importance of responding to attacks, both overt and subtle, on artists, writers, and academics working under oppressive regimes or in zones of conflict, despite the destruction of that literary/cultural content.

Angie Butler is an artist who works predominantly within book arts and letterpress. Awarded two prizes for her recent artists' books: the Sheffield Book Arts Prize (Student Prize) 2009, and the Agassi Book Arts Prize, UWE, 2011. Angie holds two master's degrees: Visual Culture: Fine Art and Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking, specialising in artists books. She has enjoyed working at various Institutions across the UK, Europe, US, and S.E. Asia, as both Visiting Artist and Lecturer for the past ten years. Her work is held in UK, and International Private and Public Collections - she works under the name Pet Galerie Press. This is her first collaborative book produced with Natalie McGrorty - she thinks things went rather well, and would like to do another. Natalie McGrorty is a British artist whose practice spans a variety of disciplines and includes making artists' books. Her work typically involves intricate mark making and processes such as paper cutting, printmaking and stitch. 'Offering' was conceived whilst Natalie was living in New York and Angie in England, so they decided on a digital format for their collaboration. Natalie's work is held in collections both in the UK and the USA.
Notes: "Twenty six people from the USA and the UK were asked to make personal contributions to this artist's book, organised by Angie Butler and Natalie McGrorty. Each artist involved in the collaboration was supplied with the name of an individual who was killed in the 2007 car bombing of Al-Mutanabbi Street, Baghdad, to whom their work would be dedicated. These names were provided by an Iraqi refugee, Mousa Al-Naseri, who was working at the time of the bombing as a sales representative for a large stationery company in Baghdad. Mousa walked Al-Mutanabbi Street several times a week taking orders from bookstores and stationery shops. He came to know many of those on this list personally. His brother, who still has a stationery shop on Al-Mutanabbi Street, also helped to compile the list. The majority of those killed were married, with children. Others who were killed and wounded but not on the list, were most likely to have been there, picking up a book. Our thanks to all who took part: Andrew Zarou, Angela Callanan, Annabelle Barton, Barrie Tullett, Beth Newell, Charlotte Hall, Coo Geller, David Moscovich, Elizabeth Willow, Hazel Grainger, Ingrid Hill, Jennifer Ehman, Jordan Schachter, Kathy Bennett, Kit Krash, Lucy Fox, Maggie Rosenfeld, Nicoh Troup, Peggy Lubman, Petra Hanson, Philippa Wood, Ryan Ewers, Sarah Barnes, Shandoah Goldman, Stephen Fowler, Sue Leopard"--The Book Arts at the Centre for Fine Print Research, UK website.

On March 5th, 2007, a car bomb exploded on al-Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad. Al-Mutanabbi Street is located in a mixed Shia-Sunni area. More than 30 people were killed and more than 100 wounded. Al-Mutanabbi Street, the historic center of Baghdad bookselling, holds bookstores and outdoor bookstalls, cafes, stationery shops, and even tea and tobacco shops. It has been the longstanding heart and soul of the Baghdad literary and intellectual community for centuries. In response to the attack, a San Francisco poet and bookseller, Beau Beausoleil, rallied a community of international artists and writers to produce a collection of letterpress-printed broadsides (poster-like works on paper), artists' books (unique works of art in book form), and an anthology of writing, all focused on expressing solidarity with Iraqi booksellers, writers and readers. The coalition of contributing artists calls itself Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here Coalition.

Gift; Beau Beausoleil; 2019-2020.