For more than four decades, Buster Simpson has been the ecological and social conscience for neighborhoods and cities undergoing transition, development, and renewal. His practice is grounded in a farsighted contract between an artist, where he lives, and how his art can benefit society. Simpson was the avant garde for environmental and community-minded work long before “green art” and “relational aesthetics” were defined or became en vogue. In this time of ceaseless development, and as Seattle reimagines its waterfront and urban identity, this book is a timely survey for a tireless surveyor of our city.

In a unique partnership between the Frye Art Museum, Marquand Books, and Paper Hammer Studio, this book was produced with some of the environmental and recycling imperatives of the artist in mind. With a “no new materials!” mandate for the publication, Paper Hammer salvaged out-of-date textbooks and catalogues for the covers and utilized pallets of printer’s “book blanks” as raw material to print the new pages. Generously donating these materials to the cause, the Paper Hammer team tore apart the blanks, cut the pages to size, and meticulously reassembled each of these uniquely made, and now each unique, books.

Foreword by: Jo-Anne Birnie Danzker