Speaking in person to an intimate gathering of scholars, curators, students, and artists, followed by a lively discussion, Johanna Drucker’s spotlight talk on Los Angeles-based wood engraver Paul Landacre (1893-1963) provided important insights into an under-explored area in the Clark Library’s collection. 
Drucker outlined three main points: Landacre’s constant struggle to earn a living with his artwork; the representation of a pristine California environment in his prints; and the practice of erasure of Indigenous people in Western landscape painting. Seemingly disparate, these themes were foregrounded in her seminar held at the library in spring of this year in which students explored primary source materials documenting “struggles for recognition, sovereignty, and identity.” The lecture is available for viewing on the Center’s YouTube channel.
Paul Landacre was a Southern California artist known for his exquisite prints that captured the beauty of the California landscape. The Clark Library holds his archive of prints, proofs, drawings, correspondence, business records, blocks, and tools. His archive was the focus of an Ahmanson Undergraduate Seminar held in the fall of 2022. The Clark Library’s Spotlight Talks is an occasional series providing a deep-dive into the collections and how they are used.
–Nina Schneider, Rare Books Librarian, UCLA Clark Library