The New York Spanner (Complete Set)
The complete set of The New York Spanner includes the following: the Red issue, Green issue, Blue issue, Teri Slotkin and Richard Miller’s hand-stamped paper suit (Issue 4), and their Greetings from NYC postcard set (Issue 5). Together, the five distinct pieces combine the mediums of artist publication and non-print ephemera in a series that sharply captures the energy of the New York underground art scene in the 1980s. With a rich roster of participating artists that includes figures from Keith Haring to Cindy Sherman, this complete set would be an invaluable addition to any art collection.
Red Issue: Kathy Acker interprets Mallarme’s “Un Coup de Des” on her own terms, Judy Rifka exhibits her gestural drawings in a four-page spread and Peter Fend explores the notion of art as an evolutionary mediator. Other contributors include Colleen Fitzgibbons, Robin Winters, Judy Rifka, Mitch Corber, and more.
Green Issue: Tom Otterness exhibits two small sculptures named “Work” and “Music”, Kiki Smith shares photography situated before Jackson Pollock works and Cara Pearlman presents two seasonal drawings. Other contributors include Beth B and Scott B, Terise Slotkin, Dick Miller, and more.
Blue Issue: Cindy Sherman shares a number of Untitled Film Stills in a four-page spread, Jenny Holzer and Peter Nadin propose direct action in a brief text and Anne Messner documents her performance art in a series of photographs. Other contributors include Colab regulars Walter Robinson, Jane Sherry, Christof Kohlhoefer, and more.
Paper Suit
As Issue 4 of The New York Spanner, Teri Slotkin and Richard Miller expanded the definition of printed material to include rubber-stamped clothing. The result is a wearable paper suit, with artist contributions made through individual and original rubber stamps on the item’s surface. Participating artists include Ida Appelbroog, Jane Dickson, Jean Dupuy, Les Levine, Susan Rothenberg, and many other denizens of the downtown NY art scenes of the 1980s, making for a piece of artist ephemera that stands as a tangible, utilitarian and humorous form of creative collaboration. Originally conceived as an edition of 40, ultimately only 25 were produced. Due to the labor intensiveness of the stamping, the edition was realized over time as the suits sold, always using the original stamps and inks.
Greetings from NYC Postcards
In addition to the 3-issue set of The New York Spanner, Teri Slotkin and Richard Miller produced a spiral-bound edition of perforated postcards. Printed in 1985 as Issue 5 of The New York Spanner, the forty-eight black-and-white postcards feature photography by a broad community of New York artists, in many cases not necessarily associated with photography. Participating artists include Dan Asher, Jane Dickson, Walter Robinson, Christy Rupp and Kiki Smith.
