PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Swarthmore College, “Friends, Peace, and Sanctuary”, 2019, Edited by Suzanne Seesman and designed by GDLoft. 365 pages, 9in x 6in, two perfect bound books connected with a central accordion page.

This book serves as a catalog of the project and exhibition of Swarthmore College’s Friends, Peace, and Sanctuary is a two-year project, supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, that connects the arts to historical and contemporary stories of refuge. Local Syrians and Iraqis worked with commissioned artists, writers, and illustrators to create handmade books that explore connections between history and experience, displacement and refuge, empathy and belonging. Working in partnership with the immigrant and refugee service organization Nationalities Service Center, Swarthmore invited groups of refugees to work with three book artists and participate in multi-day workshops designed to provide access to new creative tools, and to explore various aspects of visual storytelling, artistic expression, and craft.

GDLOFT created a catalog that documents the process and progress of the project and the artistic work. The book structure attempts to reflect issues of displacement and immigration by melding two books (stories) into one. The book(s) shares a common cover while housing two book blocks. Translated in both English and Arabic languages, the design attempts to express the experience of finding commonalities and differences akin to the refugee experience through design and layout—there are instances of commonality (images from both books crosses boarders to create one image) and displacement.

BOOK INFORMATION

Trim Size: 6" x 9"

Number of Pages: 365

Binding Method: perfect binding

Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Double (cover) Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth (interior)

Typefaces:

CREDIT INFORMATION

Creative Director: Allan Espiritu

Art Director: Allan Espiritu, Matt Higgins

Book Designer: Allan Espiritu, Matt Higgins

Jacket/Cover Designer: Allan Espiritu, Matt Higgins

Illustrator:

Photographer: Various

Picture Editor: Allan Espiritu

Production Director: Kevin Kernan

Production Coordinator: Kevin Kernan

Production Artist: Nardine Hany

Other Credits:

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