VT Book Arts Guild “MailB.A.G.” July 2014

Next Meeting: Wednesday, July 9, 2014, 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.


Leather journalProgram: Mini Leather Journals with Elissa Campbell

In this hands-on presentation, Elissa will teach you Keith Smith’s Diamond X binding, using soft leather for the cover. This three signature binding creates a lovely decorative pattern on the spine. The book also has an integrated closure that coordinates with the sewing.

Leather, paper and thread will be provided. Please bring the following with you to the workshop:

  • Bone folder
  • Awl
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Ruler
  • Cutting mat
  • Bookbinding or tapestry needle

Optional (for punching small holes in leather):


Ann Joppe-MercureJune Meeting Reflections

At the June meeting, Ann Joppe-Mercure led us through an overview of tunnel books, which included wonderful examples of student work and her own work. The imaginative tunnel structures appeared fascinating and difficult, but with materials and clear direction provided by Ann, all participants were able to construct a model and a creative piece.

A giant thanks to Ann for again sharing her talents as both a book artist and teacher, and to all the attendees for their enthusiasm and passion.

You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.


Book Arts News

*** Dorothy Simpson Krause currently has a solo exhibition at the Fuller Craft Museum. Curated by Chris Rifkin, it features work from Book + Art: Handcrafting Artists’ Books, published by North Light. The exhibit runs June 14 – November 2, 2014. The Fuller Craft Museum is in Brockton, MA.

Unbound Vol. IV logo*** The exhibit UNBOUND VOL. IV: Art Using books as a material/format will be open from July 25 – August 23, 2014 at the Artistree Gallery in Woodstock, VT.  This juried show looks to explore this idea of “the book” and all the ways artists use that format as a stepping-off point or as material to explore new ideas.

The opening reception will be on Friday July 25th, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. The exhibit is opening in conjunction with the kick off of the Bookstock Literary Festival.

*** From July 18 – September 14, 2014, an exhibition of design bindings will be on display in the Windgate Gallery at the North Bennet Street School in Boston. The book selected for this project is titled La couleur du vent (The color of the wind). It is a collection of poems by Gilles Vigneault, illustrated and designed by Nastassja Imiolek under the artistic direction of Cécile Côté. This exhibit includes the work of fifty-one binders.

A reception hosted by NBSS and the New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers will be held on July 18, 2014 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at NBSS and will be open to the public.

Visit the project website to view the bindings and learn about the artists.

Book Arts Classes

*** Bill Hanscom will be offering an Album Structures workshop on July 12, 2014, from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science in Boston.

Albums provide a way to organize and protect collections of all kinds such as photographs and archival materials. In this workshop we will explore the construction and mechanics of a variety of album structures from the traditional to the intriguingly unconventional. Each provides a different approach to the album, as well as exciting opportunities for experimentation with embellishment with a wide variety of media, even becoming art objects on their own.

Structures will include: a Simple Board Book Album, The Storage Book, Pocket Album, Spider Book, Multi-leaf Accordion, and Accordion Album.

*** On July 19 – 20, the North Bennet Street School is offering Traditional Ethiopian Bookbinding with Bill Hanscom in Boston.

Bookbinding in Ethiopia is arguably one of the oldest continuously-practiced material traditions in the world. Despite its steady decline during the last century, little has changed in the production of an Ethiopian bound manuscript for more than 1400 years.

This two-day workshop begins with a presentation detailing the traditional methods and materials of the Ethiopian scribe and bookbinder, shedding light on many aspects of this often misunderstood craft.

For more information or to register, please visit the NBSS website.


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