VT Book Arts Guild “MailB.A.G.” May 2018
Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 9, 2018, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
We meet at the Unitarian Universalist Society Church located at 152 Pearl Street in Burlington, VT. We will be in the Sophia Fahs Community Room, a large room located in the basement. Click here for more information on directions/parking.
Program: Exhibiting, Pricing and Photographing Your Work – You Are Worth It! with Marcia Volger
Exhibiting, pricing, and photographing your workIn anticipation of our upcoming shows, several B.A.G. members have raised the following questions:
- How do I price my work?
- How do I know if it’s good enough to exhibit?
- How should I photograph my work?
At May’s meeting, B.A.G. Exhibit Chair Marcia Vogler will share basic strategies she has developed for pricing her own work and will lead a discussion on the topic. She’ll also share tips for photographing your work.
In her own words:
I hear groans when people talk about pricing their work for a show. Why? It’s so simple! Let’s review the basic strategy, then get into the nitty gritty of the artist’s age old question: Is my work good enough? We will find the answer: You are worth it.
In addition, let’s discuss presenting your work through photographs. Many shows require photos for submissions, or for publicity. We’ll review some basic considerations and make a checklist for success.
If there is time after the discussion, we will shift into hands-on bookmaking mode. Bring one of the tunnel book model templates from the last meeting to work on, bring a project you are currently working on, or bring something you’ve been hoping to get creative collaboration on, and create in warm and convivial company!
Things to bring:
- A tunnel book model or project to work on
- Personal supplies and tools
April Meeting Reflections
Oh wow. So. Many. Ideas.
Members and friends really came through with exciting structures and innovative ways to execute them. While some of us shared work in progress, plenty of us shared models and instructions of different forms of tunnel books.
The meeting couldn’t have gone any faster; there was so much to see and learn. We even had a husband and wife team who showed how collaboration between the engineer and the artist can be transformative.
Thank you all for your participation, encouragement, and inspiration. And welcome and happy birthday to our new members!
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
*** Book Arts Guild of Vermont 2018 exhibits opening within the next month!
Your work never fails to amaze and impress us and we’re looking forward to seeing what new pieces you’ve cooked up.
Entry forms are available online for both of the exhibits (see below for details). Feel free to bring your work to the May B.A.G. meeting to avoid having to put it into the mail.
Here’s the scoop on the exhibits to refresh your memory:
Beyond Words: Artworks by the Book Arts Guild of Vermont will be held at Studio Place Arts in Barre from May 22 – June 30, where we will be exhibiting in the second floor gallery. Here’s the description for the exhibit:
Books can take on a language of their own, as shown in the multimedia work of this group of artists that use shape, structure, and materials to get their message across.
Important dates:
- Entry deadline:May 9, 2018. Click here to download the entry form.
- Opening: May 22, 2018
- Opening Reception: Thursday, May 24, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
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Closing: June 30, 2018
The Art of the Book will be held at Frog Hollow Craft Gallery on Church Street from June 1 – June 30. This will be a great opportunity to get exposure for our group in the heart of Burlington. Since the theme of the show is wide open to interpretation, you are free to submit the work of your choice.
Important dates:
- Entry deadline: May 22, 2018. Click here to download the entry form.
- Opening: June 1, 2018, 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- Closing: June 30, 2018
We’re looking forward to seeing your submissions!
*** On May 26 & 27 (Memorial Day Weekend), the statewide Open Studio Weekend is offering a wonderful selection of book and paper arts studios for you to visit.
If you’re up for a tour, you can find members of your tribe in the following locations:
- Meta Strick: Fairfield, studio #5
- Jill Abilock: Shelburne, studio #37
- Carolyn Shattuck: Rutland, studio #66
- Kelly McMahon: Montpelier, studio #159
- Elissa Campbell: Montpelier, studio #160
Copies of the the 2018 Spring Event & Resource Guide will be available at the May B.A.G. meeting.
Elissa created a Google Map with all of the locations to help you with your tour. Maps and directions to studios will be available on the VT Crafts Council website in the next week or so.
Book Arts News
*** ArtisTree Gallery is accepting submissions for their 8th annual juried exhibit, UNBOUND: VOL VIII. The theme of the show is simple – an exploration of what a book can be…art using books as a material or a format. The exhibit will be presented in conjunction with the Bookstock Literary Festival in Woodstock, VT.
This call for submissions is open to all 2D, 3D, installation, assemblage, film and video artists who are working in New England or New York who are 18 years of age or older. All artwork must be original in concept, design and execution. Note: Reproductions, if used as mixed media, will be considered.
The deadline for submission is June 29, 2018. All submissions must be made through their online entry form.
For more information, please read the online exhibit prospectus.
You can also contact Gallery Director Adrian Tans at gallery@artistreevt.org.
*** Artist Guylaine Couture is curating an exhibition and sale of Papertoys from October 27 to December 1st, 2018 at Arprim, centre d’essai en art imprimé in Montreal.
Papertoys are paper objects (or, as their name suggests, toys), often related to urban culture. They may represent diverse things such as characters, plants or modern artworks. They are often useless, but generate an emotional response that triggers the need to collect them.
Creating a Papertoy design is a great challenge for an artist. This type of creation is usually popular and widely circulated, as people enjoy the manual labour at the heart of assembling a Papertoy. The techniques used to create the toys include, without restrictions, laser or ink printing, silkscreen, risograph printing, etc. All pieces to be cut, folded and assembled, as well as the instructions, are printed on a few sheets of paper.
The proposal deadline is June 16th. Criteria for selection include creativity, originality and design, allowing an easy manipulation and assembly.
Requirements for submission:
- All parts of the Papertoy must be printed on paper, cardboard or any other material of 8.5″ x 11″ and be easy to cut, fold and assemble.
- Plan pages must include assembly instructions.
- The assembled Papertoy must not be bigger than 20 x 20 x 20 cm.
- Sale prices for the works must be under $100.00. Artists will receive 60% of the profits from sales.
The registration form is available online. Once completed, please send your proposal to Guylaine Couture at gycouture@gmail.com.
*** Editions Studio in Seattle recently hosted its first Business of Book Arts webinar focusing defining your product, your target market, and your style.
You can access the webinar on YouTube. The next webinar in this quarterly series will air in July.
Editions Studio is also the facilitator of the Are You Book Enough challenge on Instagram.
Book Arts Classes
*** Maine Media Workshops + College is offering Pop-Ups for Miniature Books with Shawn Sheehy from August 12 to 18, 2018.
By definition, a miniature book cannot be more than three inches in length, width, or depth. Working within this small format, students will learn how to bring drama and excitement to their pop-up book by inserting impossibly large images into a small package. Students will use cardstock and simple hand tools to build and bind, using a pop-up specific technique, a variety of structures that move above, beyond, and behind the page. Students will have time to experiment with their own ideas and recieve engineering advice from the instructor.
No experience is necessary, but previous experience in fiber arts and/or paper craft will speed your progress. This content readily accommodates beginners and advanced makers alike. You will leave the class with a completed popup book and a good understanding of the basics of popup engineering. Once you’ve tackled the skills in small format, you’ll be able to scale up for future projects!
For more information or to register, please visit the Maine Media website.
*** From June 11 – 15, the North Bennet Street School is offering Miniature Bookbindings with James Reid-Cunningham.
Miniature books present difficult design and structural challenges to the bookbinder. A true miniature is less than three inches tall, and during this course, the student will construct three books of diminishing size: a long stitch binding with decorated boards, a lapped component binding, and an accordion in a wrapper with a tongue and slot enclosure.
The course will contrast the utility of case binding, accordion, and non-adhesive structures for miniature books, with a concentration on flexibility and book action. We will analyze materials and techniques suitable for small format books. The limitations inherent in small-scale books will challenge students to do precisely executed and finely detailed work.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBSS website.
*** The North Bennet Street School is also offering Traditional Ethiopian Bookbinding with Bill Hanscom on June 16 & 17. This two-day workshop will begin with a presentation detailing the traditional methods and materials of the Ethiopian scribe and bookbinder. Students will then construct two historical models.
The first model will be a basic binding with bare wooden boards demonstrating the fundamentals of the unsupported link stitch, board attachment and repair, and the construction of a l?bas (a protective cloth over-cover). The second will be a full leather binding with inlays of patterned cloth and traditional endbands of interwoven leather strips.
Basic tooling techniques as well as common designs and motifs will be discussed and demonstrated. Students will be given the opportunity to decorate their bindings as time allows.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBSS website.
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