VT Book Arts Guild “MailB.A.G.” September 2012
Next Meeting: Wednesday, September 19, 2012, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 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: Artist Books – Exploring Content with Stephanie Wolff
Whether you have been out enjoying the warm days of summer or busy at work on projects, the Book Arts Guild of Vermont would like to welcome you back to our monthly meetings with an exciting, interactive program on creating content for artists’ books featuring Stephanie Wolff.
Jump start your creativity and get ideas flowing as Stephanie shares her approach to content creation for her artists’ books. During her presentation, Stephanie will lead content generation exercises and encourage a group discussion on ways to overcome fear of the blank page. All you need to bring is a pen you like to write with, some scrap paper or a journal, and the desire to be inspired!
Stephanie Wolff is an artist, hand bookbinder, and book conservation technician, whose books have been exhibited widely. In 2011 she received a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Dartmouth College, focusing her studies on the history, culture, and arts of the book. In addition to working in conservation and on her own creative projects, she teaches book arts to students of all ages.
Reflections on August’s Meeting
Book Arts Guild members were treated to a delightful evening of exploration and inspiration at the University of Vermont Special Collections library. Prudence Doherty, UVM librarian and BAG member, selected books for our viewing pleasure. Her selections fell into three categories; books new to the collection, books on paste paper and marbling, and books by our recent guest teacher Daniel Kelm.
After a brief, yet intriguing introduction, Prudence let us go off on our own to examine and manipulate the books. The size, structure, materials, content, message and illustration varied from book yet every book held the special magic of Book Arts.
Thank you UVM and Prudence for hosting our Book Arts Guild’s annual August meeting.
B.A.G. News
*** B.A.G. member Lorraine Reynolds teaching 3 workshops at Art is…You, a mixed-media art retreat in Stamford, CT. The retreat will take place during October 4 – 8, 2012.
Lorraine’s workshops include:
- What Hides Within: This workshop will help you as the artist/creator tap into the things your hold deep within yourself. The 16” paper mache body that you work on will be transformed into an interactive collection vessel.
- Rural Roots: This workshop marries the creative force of Assemblage with the simplicity of Primitives. Using salvaged materials, such as barn board and feed bags and old rusted tools, we will get back to our RURAL ROOTS. You will learn basic skills of assemblage as well as explore the historical context of primitive folk art.
- Reclaim Your Childhood: In this full day class you will learn the basic skills you need to create a box assemblage and use visual storytelling skills to bring your creation to life.
For more information or to register, please visit the event website.
*** Lorraine Reynolds also currently has work in the exhibit, American Gothic now on display through September 30th at the Vintage Inspired Lifestyle Marketplace in Burlington, VT. The exhibit bridges the distance between past and present, north and south. Mixed media work has been assembled using alternative printmaking and painting processes that speak to the viewer thorough nostalgia and memory, melding a collective past and visions of haunted tales.
For more information, please visit the Marketplace website.
*** B.A.G. members Lyna Lou Nordstrom and Elissa Campbell are opening their studios as part of the statewide Fall Open Studio Weekend sponsored by the Vermont Crafts Council.
If you want to visit fellow book artists October 6 & 7, you can find them in the following locations:
- Elissa: Montpelier, studio #17
- Lyna Lou: Shelburne, studio #100
You can find maps and directions to studios on the VT Crafts Council website. You can also download a pdf of the Vermont Foliage Open Studio Tour Guide. Please note that this is a really big file – 23.7 MB.
Book Arts News
*** Dartmouth College Library in Hanover, NH is looking for an energetic, organized, and experienced printer and book artist to manage the Book Arts Workshop, a letterpress and bookbinding studio that serves the students, faculty, and staff of Dartmouth College as well as the local community.
This is a term position at either three quarters time year round or full-time for 10-months, ending June 30, 2015. This person will report to the head of Preservation Services and will oversee the Book Arts Workshop, and managing all workshop activities including curricular support, instruction, planning and programming, supervision, equipment maintenance, and budgeting.
The successful candidate will develop Workshop programs to increase the effectiveness of the studios as a College-wide and community resource. The Special Instructor serves as a liaison to the faculty and will provide curricular support for classes involving a book arts component.
To view the complete job description (position # 1011369) and/or apply online, please visit the Dartmouth website.
*** From September 4 – January 16, 2013, the Burns Library at Boston College is hosting the exhibition Fine Specimens of the Bibliopegistic Art: Bookbindings from the Burns Library Collections. The show includes books in a variety of styles from a wide span of years and represents many different topics in the library’s collections.
The exhibition will be on display in the O’Brien Fine Print Room and the Irish Room on the Chestnut Hill, MA campus.
*** 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland, OR is soliciting entries for Infinite Possibilities: Science, Math, Book Arts, a juried exhibition of book art inspired by the world of math and science, real or imagined. The exhibit will run from November 30 – December 29, 2012.
By those in the know, meaning those left-brained, analytical types, math and science are often described in artistic terms: the eloquence of an equation, the beauty of a concept. Infinite Possibilities looks at the opposite: how math and science can be used artistically to inspire book artists to think creatively about such topics. The Gallery is looking for book art works that incorporate mechanical and theoretical concepts, from serious to humorous exploring subjects ranging from math, science to medicine, space, architecture, engineering, physics, genetics and more.
The exhibit is open to book and paper arts related works created as either edition or one-of-a-kind. Artist books, sculptural books, book objects, altered books, zines, broadsides and sculptural pieces are all encouraged. Any medium, any style, any size. A maximum of three works may be submitted per artist. Entries must be received online no later than midnight on SEPTEMBER 28, 2012.
For more information, please visit the 23 Sandy Gallery website.
Book Arts Classes
*** Donna Marie Stepien is teaching a Book Crafting Class at the Artistree Community Arts Center and Gallery in Woodstock, VT on Mondays, September 17 – October 8 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Learn how to make a hard cover book with stitching using one of the three practiced bindings: Japanese stab, concertina or saddle stitch. We will also talk about bookmaking history and view handcrafted books. No experience necessary.
Materials are provided by the instructor. You may bring anything flat and lightweight: magazine/newspaper clippings, drawings, photographs, stickers, buttons, beads, ribbons to personalize your book.
For more information, please visit the Artistree website.
*** The Eliot School in Jamaica Plain, MA is offering the following book arts classes now through December 2012:
- Case-Bound Accordion Books: Make a hard-backed book with a covered spine and fold-out accordion pages. It’s great for photographs, collages and scrap-booking.
- Exposed-Spine Books: Make a variety of elegant, exposed-spine books. Learn a variety of bindings including Coptic, buttonhole, long stitch and link stitch.
For more information, please visit the Eliot School’s website or click here to download the complete catalog.
*** Erin Fletcher is teaching Fundamentals of Bookbinding I at the North Bennet Street School in Boston, MA on Tuesdays, October 2 – December 4 from 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Students will learn the foundations of bookbinding with hands-on experience and discussion. The course will cover non-adhesive structures and case bindings, which will teach structural elements, sewing variations, covering and cutting techniques using various materials, tools and equipment. Throughout the course discussions will cover terminology, paper grain and folding, selecting proper materials and tools, and adhesives and their properties.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBSS website.
*** The Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, MA is offering Intermediate Book Repair with Donia Conn on October 25, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Building upon the skills learned in a basic book repair workshop, participants will learn to reattach a sound text block to its original case and replace damaged or missing spines. This hands-on workshop is designed for library staff members with some experience in book repair and/or supervisors of book repair units for general collections. This workshop will NOT cover techniques for the repair of research collections or materials that are rare, special, or archival.
Previous attendance at a basic book repair workshop is highly recommended because the techniques explored in this workshop build on basic skills. Tools will be provided for use in the workshop.
For more information or to register, please visit the NDCC website.
- Book Arts Guild of VT website: http://www.bookartsguildvt.com/
- Book Arts Guild of VT Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/bookartsguildvt
