Ideas and knowledge we deem to be worthy of being passed on are kept. 

Predating the invention of writing, some of the earliest forms of storytelling came in the configuration of cave paintings and the oral tradition. Myth and folklore were passed on by spoken word, accounting for the variations between retellings, with the purpose of providing both entertainment and the mental tools needed to survive the very early societal landscapes. Then came the written word, sprouting up independently throughout various ancient civilizations, followed by the invention of the printing press during the Renaissance, opening up the opportunity for literacy to become commonplace. A few hundred years later, the Dewey Decimal System became widely used in thousands of libraries across the world, categorizing the breadth of human knowledge and the literary imagination.

As libraries advance to the digital age, the original systems built to organize the diverse types of literature held in these libraries have become redundant. Artist Julia Porcari breathes life back into the remnants of the antiquated, physical library catalog by repurposing them into artwork. In Turning Back a Page, Porcari creates small watercolor paintings on retired catalog cards to echo the stories the cards point to. Growing up with a librarian for a mother, along with earning a bachelor’s degree in literature, Porcari has long been exposed to literary works where she draws much of her creative inspiration. With this work, Porcari invites the viewer's attention to the system created to organize literature and make literature more easily accessible to the public. 

Before the era of smartphones and easy internet access, people were more intentional about the images they created and kept, what messages they wrote down, and what sort of media they chose to surround themselves with and consume. Like a double-edged sword, wide internet access gave way to the possibility of obtaining knowledge and information more easily and readily, while also creating space for a large amount of low-quality, deceptive, and addictive junk information. Our heads have turned away from literary narratives filled with generations of human wisdom towards the easy-to-consume yet insubstantial media partially responsible for declining literacy rates in the U.S.. Redirecting her frustration with the destruction and vilification of literature in our country, Porcari converts her feelings into a mode of creativity. Through the creation of these works dedicated to her love of literature, Porcari encourages wonder and champions curiosity. Porcari goes against the cold, mass-produced, LED-lit grain through her hand-painted narrative works to bring back the comfort she found within the stories held in libraries.

With the active destruction of education under the current administration, along with online algorithms specially molded for you, it is ever more important to pay close attention to what media you consume. You are shaped by what you read.

What ideas would you deem worthy of shaping the future?