News Release

Sept. 25, 2006

Boise State University Students Use More Than 100 Years of History to Produce 'Silver Lining: Pass Mine Artists' Books'

A bookmaking project by groups of Boise State University students, “Silver Lining: Pass Mine Artists’ Books” will be on display from Nov. 15-Jan. 12 at the Missoula Art Museum in Missoula, Mont. The exhibit will coincide with the exhibition “James Castle: From Icehouse Unto Early Attic.” Both exhibitions are on loan from the Idaho Center for the Book, housed at Boise State University.

“Silver Lining” contains ten unique, handmade books inspired by materials from the Pass Group lode mining claims, including the Pass Mine, located about 12 miles west of Hailey, Idaho. Also included in the exhibition are oil portraits of the mine owners, mine artifacts and documents, and cyanotype photographs of the mine and surrounding region. The area in Idaho was heavily mined for silver, lead and zinc in the late 19th century, but the Pass Mine closed in 1899 after the owner’s husband, Horace Thurber, died. The owner, Nancy Thurber, distanced herself from the mine because she felt that it contributed to the death of her husband. The Pass Mining Company, which was formed in 1892, took over the mine.

The Pass Mining Company gave the mine and its holdings to Boise State in 1994, including all scientific, legal and business records, as well as personal family materials. Boise State sold the mine in 2001, but these materials have been kept alive by their use in the “Silver Lining” works.

The “Silver Lining” books include a tiny work folded into a pocket watch; a book using territorial maps and giving outlines of the history of the West; a book that uses the company’s letterhead to trace the printing history of the West, an accordion fold book recounting history of Native American “trouble” in the region, and more.

The Idaho Center for the Book was designated by the Library of Congress and encourages and promotes reading, writing, making, disseminating and collecting books, as well as publicizing the bibliographic heritage of Idaho. For more information on the center or about “Silver Lining,” visit www.lili.org/icb.

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Contact: Tom Trusky, Idaho Center for the Book, (208) 426-1999, ttrusky@boisestate.edu
Media contact: Julie Hahn, University Communications, (208) 426-5540, juliehahn@boisestate.edu
 

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Last reviewed on Wednesday, January 03, 2007