''Umbrella'' was an art

newsletter A newsletter is a printed or electronic report containing news concerning the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to its members, customers, employees or other subscribers. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of ...

or informal

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

that ran for three decades, from 1978 to 2008. Its focus was on

artist's books Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that engage with and transform the form of a book. Some are mass-produced with multiple editions, some are published in small editions, while others are produced as one-of-a-kind o ...

and related media, and it has been credited as an important factor in the emergence and visibility of artist's books from Southern California.

History

''Umbrella'' was founded by curator Judith Hoffberg in 1978, and she remained its

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

for the duration of its existence. Appearing irregularly, between 2 and 6 times a year, ''Umbrella'' focused on

and related printed matter such as

mail art Mail art, also known as postal art and correspondence art, is an artistic movement centered on sending small-scale works through the mail, postal service. It developed out of what eventually became Ray Johnson's New York Correspondence School and ...

Xerox art Xerox art (sometimes, more generically, called copy art, electrostatic art, scanography or xerography) is an art form that began in the 1960s. Prints are created by putting objects on the glass, or platen, of a photocopier and by pressing "start" t ...

, and photobooks. Hoffberg had a particular interest in

Fluxus Fluxus was an international, interdisciplinary community of artists, composers, designers, and poets during the 1960s and 1970s who engaged in experimental performance art, art performances which emphasized the artistic process over the finishe ...

art and artist's books that took a semi-sculptural form. The newsletter regularly featured profiles of artists, exhibition reviews, book reviews, and general news about the art world. During the spring of 1996 there was a retrospective of all Umbrella newsletters (1978-1996) in

Guy Bleus Guy Bleus (born October 23, 1950) is a Belgian artist, archivist and writer. He is associated with olfactory art, visual poetry, performance art and the mail art movement. His work covers different areas, including administration (which he ca ...

' ''E-Mail Art Archives'' in the provincial Centre for Arts (now

Art Museum Z33 Z33 is an art institution in Hasselt that connects art, design and architecture with social themes. Z33 presents itself as an art centre and not as a museum. In fact, the house initiates, produces and displays temporary exhibitions, without a perm ...

) in

Hasselt Hasselt (, , ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. As of 1 August 2023, Hasselt had a total population of 80,846. The old ...

, Belgium.Marc Van den Bossche, ''Pêle-Mêle: Guy Bleus® - 42.292'', cultuurcentrum Hasselt, 2010, p.132. ''Umbrella'' was published in black-and-white until 2002, after which its covers were in color. It ceased print publication in 2005, after which it had an online edition until 2008. The journal ended publication altogether when Hoffberg fell ill in 2008; she died the following year. The entire print run of the magazine has been digitized by the

Herron School of Art and Design Herron School of Art and Design, officially IU Herron School of Art and Design, is a public university, public art school at Indiana University Indianapolis, Indiana University–Indianapolis (IUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is a professional ar ...

and is available free online.

References

External links

Complete online archive of ''Umbrella'' (1978-2008)
Visual arts magazines published in the United States Online magazines published in the United States Defunct magazines published in the United States Irregularly published magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1978 Magazines disestablished in 2005 Online magazines with defunct print editions Magazines published in California Newsletters {{art-mag-stub