Max Yela

Head of Special Collections
Special Collections
Subject Contacts
- Art & Design
- Art History
Job Responsibilities
- Head of Special Collections
- Special Collections Instruction Services
- Special Collections Research and Reference Services
- Public Programs and Exhibitions
- Collection Development and Management for Special Collections
- Special Collections Student Assistant, Intern, and Fieldwork Programs
Education
- Master of Science, Information and Library Science – Simmons College
- Bachelor of Arts, History (minors in Art History and Classical Civilizations) – University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Professional Activities
Associations
- College Book Art Association
Selected Presentations
- “The Code of Identity: Letter Forms and the Construct of Self,” Krug Rare Books Room, Milwaukee Public Library, October 14, 2017.
- “Why We Think the Way We Think: The Example of Book History,” Milwaukee Rotary Club, April 18, 2017.
- "Borges, the Kabbalah, and the Artists Book: Jewish Interpolations in the Works of Jorge Luis Borges as Expressed in the Artist's Book-work of Mirta Kupferminc and Saúl Sosnowski," Midwest Modern Language Association, Milwaukee, November 8, 2013.
- Panelist, “Evolving Practices in the Presentation and Care of Contemporary Photography,” Milwaukee Art Museum, February 3, 2011.
- Lecturer, “Artists Books as Expression, Documentation, and Pedagogy,” Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota, November 3, 2009.
- Chair and Panelist, “Artists Books and Pedagogy in the K-12 Classroom,” 2009 Wisconsin Art Educators Association Annual Conference, Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, October 29, 2009.
- Lecturer, “Why Rare Books? A Discussion of the Continued Importance of Rare Books in a Digital Age,” Milwaukee Public Library as the inaugural presentation in the Richard E. and Lucile Krug Rare Book Room Educational Series, April 19 & 23, 2006.
- Panelist, “Virtue and Vandalism: The Ethics of Breaking Books,” Newberry Library, Chicago, co-sponsored by the Caxton Club, May 20, 2005.
Selected Publications
- Co-editor, Peter and Donna Thomas: Bibliography, 1974-2020. Ann Arbor, Michigan: The Legacy Press, 2021.
- “A River Runs Through It: The India Milwaukee Confluence,” essay for the exhibition catalog Confluence, A Curatorial Endeavor by Nirmal Raja and Santhosh Sakhinala. Hyderabad, India: Nehru Art Gallery, Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University, 2016.
- "Greetings from America's Third Coast," essay for the exhibition catalog Works on Paper from the American Midwest, an exhibition at Gail Art Museum in Gyeonggi-do, Korea. Stevens Point, Wis.: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 2014.
- "The Book as Relationship," essay for the exhibition catalog Position/Opposition. Johannesburg, South Africa: Gallery AOP, 2011.
- Caren Heft: The Arcadian Press; Giving Voice. [Stevens Point, Wis.]: Noel Fine Arts Center, Dept. of Art & Design, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, [2010].
- La Bendición. Artist’s book designed and printed by Caren Heft. Stevens Point, Wis.: Arcadian Press, 2009.
- 5th International Book & Paper Arts Triennial, July 25-September 12, 2008. Chicago: Columbia College Chicago Center for Book & Paper Arts, 2008.
- The Shape and Color of Research, An exhibition of new artwork based on research in Special Collections . . . . Milwaukee, Wis.: UWM Libraries, 2002.
- Contemporary Artists’ Prints in Books. Newark, Del.: University of Delaware Library, 1994.
Courses Taught
UWM Department of Art & Design
- Book Arts Concepts
- Book Arts Survey
- Independent Reading & Research
UWM Liberal Studies Program
- Books, Culture, and Change
UWM School of Information Studies
- History of Books & Printing
Research Interests
- Media Theory
- The Book as Media Object
- The Book as Art Medium
- Print/Digital Relationships
- Book and Publishing History