Lecture: Ray Johnson's Books as Social Objects

Art historian Johanna Gosse examines one of Ray Johnson’s handmade books — *Th Thee for and Lai*, a collaged object from around 1955 — and argues that Johnson treated books as a form of social interaction, a practice that connects directly to his better-known mail art. The lecture unpacks how a small, playful “motico” functions as a kind of moving picture and, more broadly, what Johnson’s approach reveals about social media networks today. Gosse speaks at the Art Institute’s Fullerton Hall on Thursday, September 10, from 6 to 7 PM. Free with museum admission, registration required.