VT Book Arts Guild “MailB.A.G.” March 2021
Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 10, 2021, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
This month’s meeting will once again be held via Zoom, an online conference program. If you’ve never attended a Zoom meeting before, check out this video – it will go over the basics of how to join a meeting.
Stay safe!
The B.A.G. Board
Text Me!
Text is an important consideration when creating a piece, just as imagery, structure, and materials are. Our members often tell us that they struggle with incorporating text in their work.
We’ve heard you!
Our 2021 series of themed meetings – Text Me! – will focus on how to approach text in the book arts.
We’ll look at how to choose text, methods for adding text to the page, and determining where to put it. We’ll also be visiting Special Collections at both UVM and Dartmouth to look at how other artists approach text in their work.
We hope you’ll join us as we journey into the world of text!
Program: Text Me, Part 2 – Visit to Darmouth’s Rauner Special Collections
For our March meeting, Morgan Swan from the Dartmouth College Library will be joining us to present books from Rauner Special Collections Library, continuing with the theme, text me.
In the past, creating the opportunity for all Book Arts Guild members to visit the library at Dartmouth hasn’t been possible. Through the wonders of Zoom we are able to bring Morgan and some special books to B.A.G.!
We look forward to seeing you at the March 10th.
If you plan to attend the meeting, please contact Elissa so she can send you the Zoom meeting details.
February Meeting Reflections
What a great way to kick off our new initiative, Text Me!, with a presentation from Prudence Doherty, UVM Silver Special Collections Librarian.
My brain is still spinning from the many inspirational works she showed us relating to creative use of text. Just to remind you of a few, there was handwritten text, stitched text, text as part of the illustration, shaped text, typewriting, and woodcut text.
One of my favorite works was Woody Leslie‘s Parsely, which uses text to create, illustrate, and shape the story, while giving the reader both a sense of anxiety and humor. Now, does that bring up any questions you have, or give you ideas of what you might want to explore in our future meetings? Please let us know!
Thanks again to Prudence for her enthusiastic presentation. We are extremely lucky to be able to access her knowledge as well as the Special Collections library. And thanks to all who participated – it was our largest group ever in attendance!
B.A.G. Library Corner
As a further exploration of our text theme, this month’s library selection from the Spring 2013 issue of Bound & Lettered magazine features an inventive way to add words to a piece of work. Pablo Dugaz doesn’t write or print his words – he painstakingly cuts them, using a technique he calls “papercut calligraphy.”
The space between words is cut away with a blade; the remaining letters hold the sheet of paper together and the resulting negative space is the background for his text. Dugaz typically uses his own handwriting instead of traditional calligraphy fonts as the shape of the characters. His work is delicate, intricate, and stunning, and he enjoys seeing how elements such as wind and sunlight interact with his pieces.
You can check out and download the article here.
You can also purchase the full issue of Bound & Lettered here.
B.A.G. News
*** We’re thrilled with how many of you have become B.A.G. members for 2021! We just wanted to remind those of you who haven’t yet sent in your dues, this year’s dues have been reduced to $25.00. In the event that you send in $35.00, the difference will be refunded to you.
Book Arts News
*** On March 5th, the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America is presenting The Intersection of Artists’ and Antiquarian Books, a conversation with Peter Koch and Gerald Cloud as part of the ABAA California Virtual Book Fair.
Peter Koch is perhaps best known as a printer, but he is also a student of classical philosophy, a teacher, a historian of the book, and an unrepentant bibliophile. In this conversation, Koch will discuss the objects that have for nearly 50 years informed his printing and his love of the book as a material object.
Topics will include typography, “fine press” vs. “artist’s book,” vertical reading, and concepts such as the third stream book and materialia lumina – a new vision of the book as a “total work of art.” The presentation will be grounded by images of Koch’s own printing and that of his peers, but also examples of early printed books that have been his lifelong inspiration.
For more information or to register, visit the ABAA website.
*** Focus on Book Arts has announced that they’re holding a free virtual conference from July 15 – 17, so save the date!
This three-day series of online events centered around the theme Where We Live will include featured speakers, a juried exhibit, artist reception, a challenge book, and vendor marketplace.
More information is coming soon. In the meantime, visit the FOBA website to get the basic details.
*** On March 25th, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts is hosting a virtual screening of The Re-creation of a Masterpiece: La Prose du Transsibérien, a documentary by Rosylyn Rhee, followed by an artist talk and Q&A.
Originally produced in 1913 by painter Sonia Delaunay and poet Blaise Cendrars, La Prose du Transsibérien pushed boundaries of book structure, painted imagery, and poetic expression. Having researched the book’s production since 2012, Kitty Maryatt debuted a new edition in 2018, which faithfully incorporates techniques used in the original.
Using letterpress printing and pochoir (stenciling) to reproduce her edition of La Prose, Maryatt develops insight into the creative and conceptual challenges faced by the original painter and poet, while attempting to discover why they did not complete their planned edition.
For more information or to register, visit the MCBA website.
*** The Kalamazoo Book Arts Center (KBAC) announced a call to artists for the non-juried exhibition The Illustrated Accordion, which will be held in the KBAC Gallery, April 9 – June 18. The exhibit will be both in-person and online.
Open to all emerging and established artists, this 13th annual exhibition focuses on books created in the accordion form. All media, variations, and interpretations of this style of book will be accepted and included in the exhibition.
The deadline for submission is March 26. For more information, check out the prospectus.
*** 23 Sandy Gallery has a call to artists for their upcoming juried show Unseen. The exhibition will be at form & concept in Santa Fe from August 11 – November 20.
When imperceptible phenomena burst into view, revolutionary change may follow. We learned this in 2020, as an invisible but deadly virus spread across the world, an urgent racial justice movement illuminated dark societal realities, and humanity’s long-simmering crimes against the environment unleashed fires and floods.
Unseen forces can shape our lives and surface in unexpected ways, often altering our behaviors and worldviews if and when we are made aware of them. This call for entries invites artists to submit work exploring the idea of the unseen – physically, psychologically, philosophically – and encourages artists to consider the theme through concept, structure, and material.
Deadline for submissions is June 3. For more information, check out the prospectus.
Stay-at-Home Fun
*** The Printing Museum is offering Paper Marbling with Tony Vela on March 11. A recording of the program will be made available to all registrants, so you can watch the program at your convenience if you can’t attend live.
They’ll start by going over preparation of materials, including the carrageenan bath, getting pigments to the right state ready for marbling, and treatment of the paper. Then they’ll demonstrate how to marble classic traditional patterns, as well as modern styles. Feel free to ask questions along the way in this interactive demonstration.
For more information or to register, visit the Printing Museum website.
*** BookArtsLA is offering Traditional Case Binding with Anne Covell on March 21. In this course, students will learn to create a flat back case binding, or what is commonly known as a hardbound book.
Fundamentals of text block preparation and sewing, endband decoration, case construction, and casing in will all be covered. Additionally, students will learn several different case bindings styles including full-cloth, quarter-cloth, and half-cloth bindings with corner triangles to round out their experience.
Discussion will center on materials and best practices in a bindery setting, and students can expect to leave this course with a greater understanding of skills and mechanics required to create a case bound book.
For more information or to register, visit the BookArtsLA website.
*** The Minnesota Center for Book Arts is offering Single Signature Sampler with Amanda D’Amico on March 25.
Inspired by needlework samplers, this virtual workshop explores several decorative sewing patterns for single signature books. Building on a simple pamphlet stitch, learn several stitches and execute them on a single, multi-signature book.
The result is a decorative and functional book that serves as both a reference for sewing and a specimen of achievement in and of itself. In addition to tools participants source themselves, the instructor will send a basic materials kit prior to the workshop, and will discuss alternate materials during work time.
For more information or to register, visit the MCBA website.
*** The Center for Book Arts is offering How to Conceptualize and Create an Artist Book with Maria Veronica San Martin on the following Mondays (4 sessions total): March 22, 29, April 5 & 12.
During this intensive project based remote course, students will learn “how to think and create an artist book” by examining their concept, aesthetic, and techniques. The course will start with a brief exploration of what an artist book is, followed by demonstrations of an accordion book structure (dos-a-dos); the technique of monoprints on plexiglass, zinc or copper (a form of printmaking that produces a unique print) for images and/or text, and the final creation and construction of a flag book.
Students will be able to create their own artist book in four sessions with a final critique. No prerequisites needed, but ideally participants should have some book arts knowledge or experience in order to level the class.
For more information or to register, please visit the CBA website.
*** The San Francisco Center for the Book is offering Image Transfers with Rea de Guzman on March 22 & 24.
Students will learn how to transfer laser prints onto various surfaces such as canvas, paper, and wood. The instructor will demonstrate how to prepare laser prints using matte and gel medium, and how to layer surfaces with acrylic paint onto prepared surfaces.
Emphasis will be placed on continuous experimentation and combination of techniques. Students will leave with the ability to continue working with these processes, which they can incorporate in future art projects outside of class.
For more information or to register, visit the SFCB website.
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