Illustration for The New York Times by Jason Polan

I will never tire of singing the praises of Jason Polan. In addition to being terrifically talented, prolific, and sweet, Jason has been generous enough to visit the school I teach at and draw with my 4-year-olds. Given all of the above, it is really no surprise that his talent is winning him acclaim outside of the city. Jason's work is part of a group show, Art-Read, on view at East Hampton's Glenn Horowitz Bookseller. The exhibition was recently reviewed in The East Hampton Star.

Praise was directed at Jason, whose work is used on the cover of the exhibit’s forthcoming catalog and on the invitation card for the show. Jason's text from the card reads like a manifesto:

Artists’ books are like any other medium, a means of conveying art ideas from the artist to the viewer/reader. Unlike most other mediums they are available to all at a low cost. They do not need a special place to be seen. They are not valuable except for the ideas they contain. They contain the material in a sequence which is determined by the artist. (The reader/viewer can read the material in any order but the artist presents it as s/he thinks it should be). Art shows come and go but books stay around for years. They are works themselves, not reproductions of works. Books are the best medium for many artists working today.

Sounds similar to our humble mission: to keep art accessible for all.

Art-Read will continue through September 20th.
Glenn Horowitz Bookseller
87 Newtown Lane
East Hampton, NY

Jason's illustration, above, appeared in The New York Times Op-Art, Thirsting for Fountains.