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News: 2026

Artist Matthew Magruder

Artist Matthew Magruder to Speak at Rethinking the Codex on March 28

UNT Special Collections is excited to announce that Austin-based artist Matthew Magruder will be the keynote speaker at Rethinking the Codex on Saturday, March 28, in Willis Library. UNT Special Collections is excited to announce that Austin-based artist Matthew Magruder will be the keynote speaker at Rethinking the Codex on Saturday, March 28, in Willis Library. Matthew Magruder is an artist from Austin, TX with a focus on photography, printmaking, design, and integrating these into his book and box structures. He is also the Art Director with HerbalGram magazine, a licensed psychotherapist, and proprietor of Copelo Press. He studied architecture at Texas A&M University and has a master’s in counseling from St. Edward’s University. He currently serves on the board of the Austin Book Arts Center. He has extensive experience teaching photography, printmaking, and book arts workshops across the country. His work is in private and public collections. Learn more about Matthew from his artist statement below, and join us on March 28 to hear firsthand about his work by registering for Rethinking the Codex. Artist Statement “I am a self-taught artist who is motivated to engage in all parts of the process of creating my work. I have always been drawn to the physical act of engaging with materials and tools. My life long artistic and creative pursuits have maintained this tangible physicality through painting, historic handmade photographic processes, printmaking, letterpress printing, and typography, My photography and other 2-D work is a means to share how I distinctly see and experience the world through intimate and expansive points of view. Over decades of photography, I have learned to trust my process of visually wandering and allow what I capture to distill into the work I want to share. I then compile this into coherent narratives or series surrounding how I perceive and experience natural and man-made spaces. My training as an architect informs the precise construction and combination of these series into a finished book. I am drawn to the dichotomy of trusting my intuitive self while photographing and then engaging with my meticulous self through my book and box structure. The work I do as a psychotherapist is also deeply entwined with my artistic endeavors. I believe that creativity is inherently part of each of us and can manifest in boundless ways. The end goal of my work is to connect with the viewer in the act of slow, deliberate engagement, and build on an interconnected relationship that can be brought about through the finished piece.” special_collections_presentations_and_lectures
Posted: 03/09/2026
Dr. Kelcie Slaton

The George and Ruth Christy Award - Nominations Due 4/1

We strive to acknowledge and express appreciation for our employees’ hard work and accomplishments at UNT Libraries. But as carefully as we pay attention, we don’t always catch every good deed or above-and-beyond action that takes place in our Libraries or virtually through our digital resources. And often, it is you, the user, who is the direct witness and beneficiary of exemplary staff service. Nominations are due April 1st. We strive to acknowledge and express appreciation for our employees’ hard work and accomplishments at UNT Libraries. But as carefully as we pay attention, we don’t always catch every good deed or above-and-beyond action that takes place in our Libraries or virtually through our digital resources. And often, it is you, the user, who is the direct witness and beneficiary of exemplary staff service. As a way of celebrating and acknowledging outstanding staff and faculty contributions in the UNT Libraries, we will be rewarding our best and most helpful service employees with a $500 award, funded by a generous endowment created by George and Ruth Christy, long-time members of the UNT community. Users will nominate library staff or faculty members deserving of this esteemed reward. If you have had an exceptional experience with one of our employees and would like to nominate them for this award, please share your story with us! administrative_office_honors_and_awards
Posted: 02/19/2026
arms of people with tattoos

2026 Summer Archives Institute Applications are Open!

UNT Special Collections is excited to announce that applications for the 2026 Summer Archives Institute are officially open. UNT Special Collections is excited to announce that applications for the 2026 Summer Archives Institute are officially open. The Summer Archives Institute is an immersive, career-focused experiential learning opportunity that prepares students for entry into heritage professions by engaging them in hands-on archival work within the UNT Special Collections department. Throughout the program, students receive professional-level training as they arrange and describe a unique archival collection, gaining skills directly applicable to archival and cultural heritage careers. For more information about prerequisites and application procedures, please see the UNT Summer Archives Institute 2026 Call. Questions regarding the institute can be directed to Special Collections Instruction and Engagement Librarian, Meagan May meagan.may@unt.edu special_collections_presentations_and_lectures
Posted: 02/12/2026
Dr. Kelcie Slaton

Spring 2026 Special Collections Coursework Development Grant

UNT Special Collections is excited to announce the recipient of our spring 2026 Coursework Development Grant – Dr. Kelcie Slaton, Assistant Professor, College of Merchandising, Hospitality, and Tourism. UNT Special Collections is excited to announce the recipient of our spring 2026 Coursework Development Grant – Dr. Kelcie Slaton, Assistant Professor, College of Merchandising, Hospitality, and Tourism. Dr. Kelcie Slaton is an educator and researcher specializing in apparel merchandising, luxury retail, and consumer behavior. She earned her Ph.D. in Apparel Merchandising and Design from Iowa State University, with a focus on developing shopper typologies for Millennial luxury consumers. Her research explores topics such as the secondary luxury market, sustainability, digital product passports, and the integration of physical and digital (“phygital”) retail strategies, with publications in leading journals including the Journal of Retailing, International Journal of Consumer Studies, and Sustainability. Dr. Slaton has presented her work at national and international conferences, frequently addressing innovations in retail technology and evolving consumer motivations. In addition to her research, she teaches courses in merchandising analytics, luxury fashion retailing, and research methods at the University of North Texas and Parsons School of Design, often incorporating industry partnerships and experiential learning. Her professional background includes buying and merchandising roles at Neiman Marcus, as well as consulting in trend forecasting and AI-powered retail strategies. Dedicated to bridging academia and industry, she brings a global, forward-thinking perspective to preparing students for careers in a rapidly changing retail landscape. Partnering with UNT Special Collections to utilize the Dale T. Smith Neiman Marcus Collection, students are provided the rare opportunity to work directly with historic primary sources that exemplify luxury branding in practice. By engaging with the Neiman Marcus Fortnight posters in the Smith Collection, students move beyond textbook definitions of luxury and instead analyze original artifacts that shaped consumer perceptions of global sophistication in the twentieth century. Congratulations, Dr. Slaton! Special Collections staff are excited to work with you and your students this spring! The UNT Special Collections Coursework Development Grant is supported by the Toulouse Archival Research Program Endowment. For more information and questions, please reach out to Special Collections Instruction and Engagement Librarian, Meagan May, at Meagan.May@unt.edu. special_collections_presentations_and_lectures
Posted: 01/26/2026
black and white landscape photograph

Rethinking the Codex: A One-Day Book Arts Symposium hosted by UNT Special Collections

Join UNT Special Collections on Saturday, March 28, in Willis Library for Rethinking the Codex. Featuring presentations, workshops, a keynote, and a reception to celebrate the participants and winners of the 14th Biennial Artists’ Book Competition - the day is sure to be a good time for anyone with an interest in the book arts! Join UNT Special Collections on Saturday, March 28, in Willis Library for Rethinking the Codex. Featuring presentations, workshops, a keynote, and a reception to celebrate the participants and winners of the 14th Biennial Artists’ Book Competition - the day is sure to be a good time for anyone with an interest in the book arts! Registration is free, but required, so claim your spot today. Be sure to check back on this page regularly to stay up to date on symposium news including schedule, presenter, and keynote information. We hope you will join us on March 28!       Time Event Room 8am-8:45am Check-in and Breakfast Willis 250H 8:45am-9am Welcome Willis 250H 9am-10am The Artists’ Books of Teel Sale Michael Bartels, President, Triangle Nonprofit Publishing Morgan Gieringer, Head, UNT Special Collections Tom Sale, Executive Editor, Trilobite Press Willis 250H 10am-11am The Geography of the Page: Thinking of the Page in Physical Space Alesandra Bell, UT Dallas Willis 250H 11am-1pm Lunch and Japanese Stab Binding Workshop Willis 250H 1pm-2pm Rethinking the Codex Keynote: Matthew Magruder Willis 250H 2pm-3pm Artists’ Book Presentations and Demonstrations Audrey Grizzaffi, Wayward Son, 2025 Lauren Lachausse, Visitation, 2025 Nina Le, Window of Time, 2025 Willis 443 3pm-4pm Reception for the 2025-2026 Biennial Artists’ Book Competition Willis 443 Matthew Magruder Matthew Magruder is an artist from Austin, TX with a focus on photography, printmaking, design, and integrating these into his book and box structures. He is also the Art Director with HerbalGram magazine, a licensed psychotherapist, and proprietor of Copelo Press. He studied architecture at Texas A&M University and has a master’s in counseling from St. Edward’s University. He currently serves on the board of the Austin Book Arts Center. He has extensive experience teaching photography, printmaking, and book arts workshops across the country. His work is in private and public collections. special_collections_presentations_and_lectures
Posted: 01/21/2026
black and white landscape photograph

Call for Proposals: Rethinking the Codex

UNT Special Collections invites proposals for presentations, demonstrations, and workshops for Rethinking the Codex, a one-day symposium held in conjunction with UNT Special Collection’s 14th Biennial Artists’ Book Competition to be held on Saturday, March 28, 2026 in Willis Library. A Biennial Symposium Celebrating the Book Arts Hosted by University of North Texas Special Collections Saturday, March 28, 2026 Willis Library, Denton, Texas UNT Special Collections invites proposals for presentations, demonstrations, and workshops for Rethinking the Codex, a one-day symposium held in conjunction with UNT Special Collection’s 14th Biennial Artists’ Book Competition. The symposium aims to foster dialogue about the book as both an artistic form and a site of inquiry where material, textual, visual, and conceptual practices intersect, and we invite proposals that embrace this year’s theme of Rethinking the Codex through the exploration of sculptural elements, bindings, book structures, materials, and more in artists’ books. Proposal Categories Papers and Presentations 15-minute research-based or reflective presentation exploring historical, theoretical, or contemporary topics related to the book arts. Possible areas include but are not limited to: The book as material, performance, or archive Reading, viewing, and the sensory experience of the book Artists’ books in libraries, collections, and teaching Collaborative and community-based book arts projects Artist Demonstrations A 10-minute demonstration and overview highlighting the creative process, materials, or conceptual development behind the making of artists’ books and related forms. Workshops A 90-minute hands-on or participatory session that will be held during the symposium’s lunch break that explore techniques, technologies, or interdisciplinary approaches to book arts practice, pedagogy, or research. Submission Guidelines Please include: Title of proposal 250 words or less abstract or description Format (presentation, demonstration, or workshop) Any equipment or space requirements Submit proposals by Saturday, January 31, 2026 using the application form Notifications of acceptance will be sent by Friday, February 6, 2026. For additional information, please contact Meagan May, Special Collections Instruction and Engagement Librarian, at meagan.may@unt.edu. special_collections_presentations_and_lectures
Posted: 01/07/2026