Book Bonding with The Pack
A library grows in our Chelsea studio
While the cooler weather of fall settles in and we stretch into our physical space in Chelsea, The Pack is putting down some literary roots.
With each season, course, and show, artists in The Pack contribute to a ‘World Wide Web’ of literary recommendations. As our community continues to grow, we’re assembling a lending library and digital recommendation list to reflect the ideas generated through our exhibitions. Behind every creative decision lies an intricate network of ideas and sources, many of which directly feed into our work.
Just before our most recent Artist Rebirth Cycle show, The Heart Has a Womb, we asked each participating artist for book recommendations to help build this evolving resource.
Read below for a few highlights from the library along with notes from our artists on why they chose each selection.
Which books are supporting your studio practice this season? Comment any favorites below!
Cat New selected The Creative ACT: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin (2023). Follow Cat’s newsletter, Homeward Bound, for more creative updates.
“Surely, I won't be the only one to recommend this...but more than anything, the lovely book speaks to finding ways to express our true selves and shedding the ego/inner critic, which is the path I hope I have set myself on as an artist and as writer.” -Cat New
Leslie Doucette selected World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (2020).
“This book of essays was written by a woman who reflects upon the sensorial imprint locked inside her DNA captured through her experiences from childhood to motherhood while immersed in nature. She transports me into the story where I can smell, see, hear, and feel her physical and emotional response to life. It also speaks to gender, race, our impact on the environment, and many other important issues hanging in the balance of society. Most importantly she emphasizes humanity and nature at its core.” - Leslie Doucette
Tim Cha selected Letters To A Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke (1929). Tim is a design researcher based in Los Angeles; follow his work and creative projects here.
“The language that Rilke uses to share his perspective on the ebbs and flows of life is so beautiful and encouraging - I like to imagine that I am the young poet he is writing to. It also feels reassuring that the things I experience have been reflected throughout the ages in letters that are almost a century old now.” -Tim Cha
Amanda Grossman selected Florida, Lauren Groff, 2018, Severance, Ling Ma, 2018 and If I Survive You, Jonathan Escoffery, 2022
“‘Florida’ is a collection of short stories, and while they are all good reads, ‘Eyewall’ felt like a trance. I clung to this story all throughout the pandemic - it was very visually inspiring, and there was something about it that I couldn't quite understand, couldn't let go of.
‘Severance’ is a beautiful novel that jumps through time over a pre and post-apocalypse. It is a poetic and captivating story that considers what we value, what's lost in translation, and what we're left with. I was very inspired by the way it plays out time and its many moons.
‘If I Survive You’ is another collection of short stories crafted into a narrative about a Jamaican family who settles in South Florida (most of which is in South Miami - my birthplace). It's so evocative of life in Miami in a way I haven't seen written, and some of the lines just hit you in the gut. I can't say it's necessarily full of promise, but it definitely deals with forgiveness.” -Amanda Grossman
Arantxa Ximena Rodríguez (AXR) selected Womb Wisdom: Awakening the Creative and Forgotten Powers of the Feminine by Padma and Anaiya Aon Prakasha (2011), Womb Awakening: Initiatory Wisdom from the Creatix of All Life by Azra Bertrand M.D and Seren Bertrand (2017), and The New Guide to Dakini Land: The Highest Yoga Tantra Practice of Buddha Vajrayogini by Gheshe Kelsang Gyatso (2013)
“These three books have helped me process a lot of insights while working on this piece. ‘New Guide to Dakini land’ is the book that guided the practice I did on my two month retreat in England.” -Arantxa Ximena Rodríguez (AXR)
Learn more about Artantxa’s work here.
Monika Norwid selected Agnes Martin "Writings"
This book is out of print but the full text is available as a PDF on the Internet Archive (archive.org) here.
“I chose the book because it's a practical guide into the mysteries of the artistic process -- practical in that it very concretely and accurately identifies the doubts that haunt us, and has equally concrete and precise answers for them that never fail to ring true and bring peace of mind.” -Monika Norwid