By Don Celender and Ricardo Bloch
self-published, 1995
Pages: 142
Dimensions: 8.25" x 10.75"
Cover: soft
Binding: perfect-bound
Process: offset
Color: black ink
Edition size: unknown
ISBN: none

When Don Celender died in 2005, he left behind an unusually focused and accessible body of work that is ripe for rediscovery. Younger generations and those who did not see his solo exhibitions (almost all presented in New York), or have yet to encounter his books (mostly self-published and hard to find) are unfamiliar with this underrated Conceptual artist.

Celender lived most of his life in St. Paul, Minnesota where he taught Art History and chaired the Art department at Macalester College for over forty years. Celender's books and exhibits most frequently took the form of collected results from surveys. These surveys, often printed on official Macalester College stationary, were primarily conducted through the mail. Despite a great deal of writing about social practices and participatory artworks in recent years, mentions of Don Celender’s many survey projects, all dependent on the voices and participation of others, are absent from this critical discourse. Rather than taking his Ph.D. and retreating into the most obscure recesses of research and academia, Celender often used his deep knowledge of art history and his concern with art’s place in society to create a playful and humorous engagement with art and culture that could be accessible to a broad range of readers.

Don Celender is the subject of the first exhibition at Public Collectors Study Center, a space created by Marc from Temporary Services and Half Letter Press. More information on that here: http://www.publiccollectors.org/

We were able to get a hold of some uncirculated new copies of two of Celender's self-published artist books to sell for a very reasonable price. These are unlikely to be reprinted and when we run out they are gone! One copy of each title per customer please.

Note that some copies have slightly bumped corners. Otherwise these books are in new condition.

For "Mortal Remains", Celender, in collaboration with Ricardo Bloch, surveyed four hundred contemporary artists and asked: “Where would you like your body or its remains to spend the rest of eternity? If a monument or marker were to be placed to indicate the site of your remains what would it be, and what would it say? Is there anything in particular you’d like to wear or take with you?”

These questions generally yielded longer and more thoughtful responses than the earlier reincarnation study. Mel Chin wanted his marker to say: “I knew this would happen.” Bruce Conner wanted to take a toothbrush and a fluffy towel. Jenny Holzer wanted to bring along a good book. Frank Gehry writes succinctly: “Ashes at sea. No marker.” Duane Michals wanted his tombstone engraved with: “Having a wonderful time, wish you were here.” Mike Kelley gave two ideas:

“1) My body burnt and the ashes dumped into Bryce Canyon, Utah. No marker. I’d like there to be a party for those who wish to remember me - I would like them to play “Starship” by the MC5 from their album “Kick Out The Jams.” As loud as possible. (The romantic version)
2) Remove all identifying marks from my body and dump it somewhere so the state is stuck with the cost of dealing with it. (The political version).”