Press Release:
MEDIA
CONTACT
:
Carol Lewis
561-297-0245,
clewis36@fau.edu
Arthur Jaffe, Book Arts Center Founder at FAU Libraries, to Receive Honorary Doctorate from FAU, Retire as Curator
BOCA RATON, FL (May 2, 2011) – Florida
Atlantic University President Mary Jane Saunders will present an
Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters on Friday, May 6, to Arthur
Jaffe, who transformed a private collection of artists’ books
into one of the nation’s most prominent centers for books
handmade by artists.
Saunders will award the honorary degree to Jaffe during the
university’s spring commencement ceremonies. This honor will
come to the founder and curator of the Arthur and Mata Jaffe Center
for Book Arts, housed at FAU’s Wimberly Library, on the eve
of his 90
th birthday and as he prepares to retire. He and his
late wife, Mata, made an initial donation of 2,800 artists’
books to the library in 1998. Over the years, it has developed into
to a bustling cultural center that houses 12,000 rare books, many
of them one-of-a-kind. The center is also a venue for concerts,
film screenings, exhibitions, workshops and classes – all of
which are open to the public.
“Arthur Jaffe is a living treasure at Florida Atlantic
University,” said Saunders. “His lifelong interest in
books as works of art has made him one of the world’s leading
experts in this fascinating field. FAU is so fortunate to not only
have the honor of housing his priceless collection of books, but
also to have had the great pleasure of his personal participation
in the life of the university for many years. He will always be a
valued member of the FAU family.”
Jaffe came to the Wimberly Library on FAU’s Boca Raton campus
as a volunteer in 1994 and worked there for four years prior to
donating the books. Behind him were distinguished careers as a
World War II Army captain in charge of a unique combat military
intelligence unit from 1942 to 1946, a partner in a department
store chain for 30 years, and a leader in many local and national
community organizations. With the expansion of the library in 2007,
the Jaffe collection became the core of the new 4,800 square-foot
center, largely funded by a substantial gift that Mata Jaffe
earmarked for that purpose before her death in 2001. Jaffe also
served as the Ario S. Hyams Professor, an endowed position at FAU
Libraries, until December 2010.
“If I was able to do some good things, it was because others
were helping me and because I was willing to accept their
help,” said Jaffe. “Success is only made possible
through cooperation. It is never something that is achieved by one
person alone.”
The center’s patrons range from elementary school children to
retirees. Jaffe is at the center nearly every weekday and on some
weekends. His daily schedule might include buying and showing
books, popping in on bookmaking classes or film screenings, talking
with visiting artists, or sitting for hours with artists or
prospective donors. While Jaffe’s enthusiasm remains high for
book arts education, he said he no longer has the energy to
continue what has been an arduous work schedule.
William Miller, dean of Libraries at FAU, said he never envisioned
the Jaffe collection becoming as large, prominent and important as
it is now. “This is a tribute to Arthur’s
continued dedication in coming here every day, continuing to build
the collection, proselytizing and teaching, and to the staff that
he has assembled, who are equally as dedicated to the teaching and
outreach activities they conduct, in addition to building the
collection,” said Miller.
The Jaffe Center will continue to educate book arts enthusiasts.
Plans are on track to open a papermaking studio this summer, to
bolster the center’s metal and wood types, allowing for more
classes and to welcome the first book artist in the “Helen R.
Salzberg Artist in Residence Program.” The center’s
staff views Jaffe’s status not as “retirement,”
but as a “transition.”
“It’s hard to keep a man like Arthur from his
passion,” said John Cutrone, who was named the center’s
director in December. “Arthur’s office will remain here
for him, and I envision his role here as an active one. He plans to
see through to completion ‘Stories on the Skin: Tattoo
Culture at FAU’ and other projects that he initiated.
I’ll call on him when we need help with tours and when book
dealers come to town.”
The library plans to celebrate Jaffe’s birthday/retirement
all summer and will kick it off with an extensive exhibition titled
“Time Flies When You’re Having Fun,” which will
open on Sunday, May 8, and run through Wednesday, August 10. The
exhibition, free and open to the public, will feature a timeline of
Jaffe’s life and accolades, including a reference to the
“Chevalier” Legion of Honor award, a high honor that
the French government will bestow on Jaffe on Tuesday, May 17,
for his contributions to the liberation
of France during World War II.
The “Time Flies” Open House at the Jaffe Center
will be held on Saturday, May 21, from 1 to 4 p.m. Festivities will
include letterpress demonstrations, a Poem Depot with the Miami
Poetry Collective, chats with Jaffe and an unveiling of
“Student Body Art,” a photo exhibition.
The Jaffe Center will host workshops all summer as part of the
celebration. The first one, titled “Explore, Invent, Inspire:
Playful Ways of Approaching Artists’ Books,” will be on
display Saturday, May 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Workshops are open
to the public. Registration is required.
Jaffe has requested that no personal gifts be given for his
retirement or birthday, but said he would be honored by donations
to the Jaffe Center for Book Arts Education Fund. For more
information on the Jaffe retirement/birthday celebration events or
on the Jaffe Center for Book Arts, contact John Cutrone at
561-297-0455 or visit
www.jaffecollection.org
.
-FAU-
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University , established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. In commemoration of its origin, FAU is celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout 2011. Today, the University serves more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses and sites. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges : the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering & Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science . FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.fau.edu .
