Handmade Artists’ Books from Cuba: The Ediciones Vigía Collection 

Artists’ books are more than books: they are also works of art in their own right. Sometimes they are produced by individuals in true DIY fashion, while other times they are created by small collectives of artists and writers. Sometimes they represent the creative output of those for whom the mainstream publishing industry is not accessible,  while other times they allow artists to explore unique formats and materials that large-scale publishers are ill-suited to produce.

Among the nearly 1,000 artists’ books housed at the Penn Libraries is a growing collection of handmade specimens from publishing house Ediciones Vigía that demonstrate the creativity and beauty of the form. Founded in Matanzas, Cuba in 1985 by designer Rolando Estévez Jordán and poet Alfredo Zaldívar, Ediciones Vigía began as a gathering space and workshop for artists and writers and grew into a volunteer-driven effort to create and distribute unique DIY publications. Now headed by Augustína Ponce Valdéz, Vigía continues to offer small-run and even one-of-a-kind books made from recycled materials that showcase both literary and graphic arts.

As noted in this online exhibit about Ediciones Vigía at the University of Missouri Museum of Art and Archaeology, “vigía” can be translated as “watchtower,” as the press is located on the Plaza de la Vigía or Watchtower Plaza in Matanzas, Cuba. Much of their publishing focuses on poetry from lesser-known Cuban poets, who had few other options for making their work available and visible. Poetry is still heavily presented in their contemporary output, utilizing the creativity of the form—combining words with drawing, collage, and even moveable parts—to enhance the readers’ experience of the writers’ expression. They are meant to not only be read, but to be interacted with as tactile objects of art. The recycled materials are not mere aesthetics; they represent artistic responses to scarcity in Cold War Cuba. Additionally, official publishing houses have long been controlled by the Cuban government, limiting the avenues for writers and artists. Ediciones Vigía grew out of a sense of urgency to create an alternative means of expression.

While the offerings from Ediciones Vigía are truly unique, they also fit within broader trends in collective small-scale publishing in Latin America. While not originally from Brazil, Brazilian artists in the 1950s-1980s contributed significantly to the global movement of concrete poetry, also known as visual poetry, an effort to combine words with graphic or typographical elements to further the poems’ meaning and impact. More recently, artist-writers from Argentina have produced and distributed cartoneras (cardboard boxes), self-published works bound in recycled cardboard covers that are covered in paint or collages, often containing poetry or short works of prose. The Penn Libraries has examples of cartoneras from Argentina, Mexico, and a handful of other Latin American countries, and will soon add to its collection of Brazilian concrete poetry.  

The Penn Libraries’ earliest publication from Vigía is from 2006, but the majority of the 66 titles currently in the collection have come in the last 10 years. Previously, the Libraries acquired Vigías publications as they periodically became available from vendors who travel to Cuba as part of their work, but in 2023 the Libraries arranged a standing agreement with Gavilanes Books to send approximately 15 items each year, such as Yoleydis Hernández Jiménez’s “Décimas al tiempo” (“Tenths at a Time”). Ediciones Vigía produces a handful of copies of some of their titles, but because they are individually created, each one is still unique. However, sometimes we are also able to acquire some of the truly singular Vigías through relationship building.

In 2022, I traveled to the Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara (the International Bookfair in Guadalajara), the largest bookfair in the world for Spanish-language material. There, thanks to an introduction from a librarian from another institution, I had the fortune to meet with publisher Augustína Ponce in person to buy some one-of-a-kind items that are difficult to acquire outside of an in-person opportunity, aided by a WhatsApp connection to one of the artists, Héctor Rivera, who created “Dientes de ajo” (“Garlic Cloves”) and “Frida Kahlo: la persona más extraña del mundo” (“Frida Kahlo: The Strangest Person in the World”). The circumstances that allowed the Libraries to obtain these unique materials highlights the importance of relationship-building and travel in being able to source distinctive collections.

As one might expect, artists’ books have to be seen in person to really appreciate their artistry. Due to the unique and fragile nature of them, most of the collection, included the offerings from Ediciones Vigía, is housed in the Kislak Center. Anyone is welcome to request and view them in Kislak Center Reading Room.

For anyone interested in learning more about the history of Ediciones Vigía, check out “Andar sobre la luz: Bibliografía de las Ediciones Vigía de 1985 a 2006,” a catalog of all the Vigías produced from inception until 2006. Additionally, the edited volume “Handmade in Cuba: Rolando Estévez and the beautiful books of Ediciones Vigía” offers a thorough discussion of the history and import of the publisher’s role in Cuba’s literary landscape.