What’s in a [NAME] Publication? Thanks to a $30,000 2008 challenge grant from the Knight Foundation, NAME is now three artist-oriented books – with more to come. The three books are: “WWW” by Daniel Newman, part of the Miami Artists Series (and reviewed here); “Quiet Village” by Beatriz Monteavaro, also part of the Miami Artist Series (and reviewed here); and “Abandon Architectures” by London-based graphics duo El Ultimo Grito, part of the Object Aside Series.

We checked in with founder and editor Gean Moreno to get more details. Q: How were these books selected?

A: As editor of the Miami Artists Series, I selected Newman and Monteavaro. Criterion: Who would make a book that couldn’t be imagined before it existed? As co-editor, along with Ernesto Oroza, of Object Aside Series, we both selected El Ultimo Grito. Criterion: Who puts everything — concepts, discourse, misbehavior, etc. — before objects? [This last publication, from people outside of Miami, is a little bit different in concept: it focuses on “abandon architectures,” on how contemporary culture incorporates, re-uses, and reinterprets the systems and structures it has inherited. “‘Architectures’ refers to the structure of anything, implying constructions by people and not natural phenomenon.”]

Q:What is most interesting and unique about these publications?

A: That the content/conceptual character has been completely structured by the artists, with zero editorial interference. Gamblers on all sides.

Q: What will be coming next?

A: Album Graphics by Nicolas Lobo (Miami Artists Series) and Marti Guixe (Object Aside Series). These two are at advanced stages of design, going to the printers in the next 90 days. Some other things are cooking, but nothing far enough yet.

Q:Is there something you would like to comment on in terms of the mission of [NAME] Publications? What’s happening, what we can expect?

A: Trucking on. What we’ve done is what we’ll be doing.