"Upon a Time" is a collaborative work between American poet, Reagan Upshaw and Haitian-born American artist, Paul Gardère.
The book is a sequence of ten sonnets penned by Upshaw and visually interpreted by Gardère in the context of contemporary art, using original and collaged imagery and Gardère's calligraphy.
Each poem focuses on a character extracted from classic fairy tales - the ogre, the woodsman, the queen, and so on. Both poet and artist shared an abiding love of the same folk tales that were read to them as children, though they were raised in vastly different backgrounds. This successful collaboration speaks to the lasting impressions of classic, archetypal figures across time and culture.
The book is a sequence of ten sonnets penned by Upshaw and visually interpreted by Gardère in the context of contemporary art, using original and collaged imagery and Gardère's calligraphy.
Each poem focuses on a character extracted from classic fairy tales - the ogre, the woodsman, the queen, and so on. Both poet and artist shared an abiding love of the same folk tales that were read to them as children, though they were raised in vastly different backgrounds. This successful collaboration speaks to the lasting impressions of classic, archetypal figures across time and culture.
"Upon a Time" was created as a handmade art book, in a limited edition of 100, hand-sewn by New York City-based book maker Raphael Fodde.
Each copy is signed and numbered by both Gardère and Upshaw.
Each copy is signed and numbered by both Gardère and Upshaw.
“Small but saturated with color and incident, these collages are caught up in further embellishment, including meandering handwritten version of Upshaw’s poetry, the lines of text shaped, in several cases, into the contours of the featured characters: Mouths agape and eyes bright, they look ready to consume, proverbially, the verse that feeds them.”
— Nancy Princenthal, contributing editor to "Art on Paper"
Editions of "Upon A Time" are held in the following esteemed institutional Permanent Collections.
Boston Athenaeum, Boston, MA
Brooklyn Museum, Library Special Editions. Brooklyn, NY
Herbert F Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University. Ithaca, NY
Brooks Museum of Art. Memphis, TN
Milwaukee Art Museum. Milwaukee, WI
Museum of Modern Art, Library. New York, NY
Newark Museum of Art, Library Archives. Newark, NJ
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Special Collections Library. Washington, DC
St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO
Yale University Beinecke Library. New Haven, CT
Zimmerli Art Museum: The Jersey City Museum of Art Collection, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Select editions also remain available for purchase. Please contact Paul Gardere Studio to inquire.
Boston Athenaeum, Boston, MA
Brooklyn Museum, Library Special Editions. Brooklyn, NY
Herbert F Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University. Ithaca, NY
Brooks Museum of Art. Memphis, TN
Milwaukee Art Museum. Milwaukee, WI
Museum of Modern Art, Library. New York, NY
Newark Museum of Art, Library Archives. Newark, NJ
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Special Collections Library. Washington, DC
St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO
Yale University Beinecke Library. New Haven, CT
Zimmerli Art Museum: The Jersey City Museum of Art Collection, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Select editions also remain available for purchase. Please contact Paul Gardere Studio to inquire.