March 12, 2026

CLARK ART INSTITUTE PRESENTS FREE SUNDAY: ARTISTS’ BOOKS DAY, OFFERING FREE ACTIVITIES FOR ALL AGES

Williamstown, Massachusetts—The Clark Art Institute’s Free Sunday series continues on Sunday, April 12. The April Free Sunday coincides with the Institute’s annual Artists’ Books Day celebration, honoring the library’s diverse collection of over 5000 artists’ books. Artists’ books are works of art inspired by the form or concept of a book. They can take the form of a traditional book or challenge the boundaries of what a book can be. Free Sunday: Artists’ Books Day features a full lineup of free activities as well as free admission to the galleries all day, including two special exhibitions that feature artists’ books, Raffaella della Olga: Typescripts and Sónia Almeida: Stages.

The day’s activities include:

Clark Book Expo
11 am–4 pm
Michael Conforti Pavilion
The Clark presents its second annual Book Expo, featuring regional artists and artists’ book publishers.

Featured exhibitors: Antler Editions, Ghost Proposal, Horse Gurl Press Chris Moody, Kylie Gellatly, La Horchata Zine, Looky Here, Melanie Mowinski, Messenger Press, Molly Rideout/Alyssum Press, mundus press, Nine Syllables Press, Passenger Pigeon Press, PRESS | 29 Press, Red Trillium Press, Seaton Street Press, siglio Press, BIRD PRESS/Thorsten Dennerline, and The Brother In Elysium.

Curator-Led Tour of Raffaella della Olga: Typescripts
12 pm
Eugene V. Thaw Gallery for Works on Paper
Join Robert Wiesenberger, Barbara and John Vogelstein Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the Brooklyn Museum, former curator of contemporary projects at the Clark, for a tour of the exhibition, Raffaella della Olga: Typescripts. Della Olga (b. 1967, Italy; lives and works in France) makes unique artist’s books using modified typewriters and multicolor ink ribbons on a range of materials—from tracing paper to photo paper to sandpaper.

Pop-Up Exhibition: Book Marks—Unconventional Mark-Making in Artists’ Books
1–4 pm
Manton Study Center for Works on Paper
Drop-in to see a selection of artists’ books from the Clark library’s collection featuring unusual mark-making techniques. Andrea Puccio, director of the library, and other staff will help you explore these page-turning works of art.

Art-Making Activities
1–4 pm
Clark Center lower lobby and Manton Research Center reading room
Embrace your creativity with a range of art-making activities for all ages. Cut, fold, and create your own artists’ books!

Talk with Author Lucy Ives
2 pm
Manton Research Center auditorium
Novelist and critic Lucy Ives discusses the ways in which artists' books reconfigure reading, literacy, and how we value, handle, and spend time with books. Closely examining both material and narrative aspects of publications from the Clark's collection, she offers a series of aesthetic lessons we can derive from artists' interventions into the book form. Ives's reflections will be of use to creative writers, visual artists, and anyone who is curious about what artists' books may mean in the digital age.

Museum admission and activities are free. For accessibility questions, call 413 458 0570. For more details, visit events.clarkart.edu.

Family programs are generously supported by Allen & Company.

ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of nearly 300,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.

The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday from September through June, and daily in July and August. Admission is free to all from January through March. From April through December, admission is $22 for adults, $20 for seniors (65+), $10 for young adults (18–25) and college students, and free for all visitors under 18. Admission is free year-round for Clark members. Free admission is also available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

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