Unrecognized Creative Labor

Abstract

As an interwoven case study, this article examines the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) George Wittenborn Memorial Book Award, a hybrid award that celebrates the scholarly achievement, design, and production excellence of art publications. In the award’s history, however, it has not credited the contributions of graphic designers, typesetters, printers, and other creative laborers. The author examines these omissions by analyzing citation structures and systems of description shared by publishers, booksellers, and libraries, as well as by exposing the invisibilities so often allied to graphic design. A revision of the Wittenborn Award bibliography is proposed as a retrospective corrective to these oversights.