Rosemary Mayer, Art-Rite Surroundings

New York: Art-Rite Publishing Co., 1977. First Edition. Side-stapled softcover. [20]pp., 8.25 x 10.75 inches

The delicate fifteenth issue of Art-Rite magazine, composed by Rosemary Mayer and entitled Surroundings. Featuring collages of text, black-and-white photographs and drawings, and artworks by Jacopo da Pontormo and Jacques Bellange.

Published between 1973 and 1978, Art-Rite was a New York–based publication edited by Walter Robinson, Edit DeAk, and Joshua Cohn, which gained recognition for its subversive yet insightful coverage of the art world and its focus on both the more established and underground art scenes. Art-Rite also provided a platform for numerous artists to produce their own issues; when Rosemary Mayer was invited to contribute in 1977, she conceived “Surroundings.” This particular issue, here reproduced in full, showcases a collection of urban commuter photographs, tarot cards, abstract floral drawings, replicas of Jacopo da Pontormo’s artworks—one of the primary subjects she was intensely focused on—and a poetic essay exploring the correlation between art and society. Mayer’s contribution to Art-Rite thus connects to several interests and creations of hers, especially artists’ books that were produced during the same period.