Selected Special Collections

The Ediciones Vigía Collection

Contemporary Cuban book art, (over 156 titles).

The lantern is the logo of Ediciones Vigía, a collective of book artists in Matanzas, Cuba, which produces books of both high literary and artistic value. The press began in 1985 and takes its name from its location in the Plaza de la Vigía, or Watchtower Square.  Artists and authors, translators and poets make up this collective. Prominent members include Jorge Luis Borges, Dulce María Loynaz, and Gabriel García Márquez. The books are made with an inexpensive paper called bagasse, which is made from sugar cane. It is brown and looks something like the paper used for grocery store bags. The ephemeral nature of the books and banners is part of their appeal and part of the challenge to those interested in collecting them. The smaller books have cords of yarn or twine, in the tradition of literatura del cordel, the practice of hanging small handmade books from clotheslines in public squares.