Janus Press: The New Zealand Connection focuses on the connections that Janus Press and its founder, artist, illustrator and typographer Claire Van Vliet have with New Zealand.

Established in 1955, the internationally renowned, Janus Press is the oldest private press currently operating in the United States and has published and co-published over 90 handmade and hand printed books, each of which can be considered a work of art. 

Typically, Janus Press books are appreciated for not only the originality of their contents, but also the attention given to design, binding, typography, use of handmade papers, and printing. This exhibition provides a unique opportunity to view a collection of over twenty of these special books, which are held by Auckland book makers Elizabeth Steiner and Beth Serjeant, whose friendship with Claire Van Vliet spans more than twenty years.

According to Elizabeth Steiner, the influence of the Janus Press has been felt in New Zealand, since Claire Van Vliet's first visit to the first book symposium in 1992. Claire enjoys working collaboratively and a number of creative projects have grown out of the New Zealand association with Janus Press involving New Zealanders such as Alan Loney, Judith Haswell and Keri Hulme. 

Exhibition visitors will have the opportunity to handle a few of these books, in order to study the design and structure more closely.

--

A publication for this exhibition is available to view or download here.