VT Book Arts Guild “MailB.A.G.” January 2018
Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 10, 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: Get Your Post-Holiday Book Arts On: Ornament Exchange/Make a Froebel Star
Join us in January for a meeting filled with post-holiday cheer, a handmade ornament exchange and a hands-on workshop to make a traditional European holiday paper star ornament.
In the first part of the meeting, Annette Hansen of Make Life Cozy will teach us to fold beautiful, three-dimensional Froebel Stars, a traditional paper decoration that graces homes in Germany and Scandinavia throughout the holiday season. Annette, who grew up in Denmark, says that paper arts are an integral part of holiday hygge (a Danish word that captures the coziness, conviviality, warmth and contentment of the holiday season).
Annette will bring all supplies, including an array of colored paper for the stars in addition to the traditional white. We’ll also explore way to join and use the stars beyond ornaments.
Tools to bring:
- Scissors
- Bone folder
Once we all have stars in hand, we’ll hold the first B.A.G. handmade ornament exchange (you’ll be ahead for next Christmas). Participation is easy: Simply hand make an ornament and bring it to the meeting (wrapped or unwrapped) to swap!
Once we’ve swapped, all makers are invited to share a little bit about their inspiration and/or process. Instructions on how to make your ornament are always appreciated but entirely optional.
B.A.G. News
*** January Handmade Ornament Exchange
For those of you who were unable to get ornaments done in time for our December meeting – you’re in luck! Due to the cancellation of last month’s meeting, you now have until our January meeting to participate in B.A.G.’s ornament exchange.
At our next meeting, members and friends are invited to swap handmade baubles. Bring one, take one!
We know that the timing is funky. Perhaps you can consider the swap as an extra large, single earring exchange?
Here’s how it works:
- Make an ornament to share – instruction or directions on how to make are optional
- Bring to the meeting, wrapped or unwrapped
- Swap for another ornament
That’s it! The only rule is that the ornaments must be handmade.
Need inspiration? Check out these blog posts:
- Handmade Ornament Exchange Party
- Christmas Ornaments
- Christmas crafts for kids: Top 10 ornaments kids can make (or you, if you’re short on time)
Get making!
*** It’s time to renew your annual membership!
The primary mission of the Book Arts Guild of Vermont is to act as both an educational and creative resource in the field of book arts. Our monthly meetings are $5.00 an evening or free with a $35.00 annual membership. Your membership supports the mission of the Book Arts Guild, pays for our rented space, provides opportunities to exhibit and supports honorariums to presenters.
In addition to the benefits you receive (you can check them out here), your paid membership also enables us to cover expenses such our website and email newsletter – key tools for keeping our book arts community in touch and informed. A special membership benefit this year is that you don’t have to pay to submit work to our annual, non-juried book arts exhibition. You’ll also receive a personal thank you from Ann Joppe-Mercure (priceless).
If you have a skill, a passion, a favorite technique or a body of work that others would love to learn about, and then take the leap and volunteer to share it with us as a presenter. If you present at a B.A.G. meeting, you receive free membership for the year. Think about it – we know you have something to share!
If you would like to become a supporting B.A.G. member, click here to download our membership form.
*** Book Arts Guild of Vermont 2018 Show news!
Members and friends are invited to submit work for our show at Studio Place Arts in Barre from May 22 – June 30, where we will be exhibiting in the second floor gallery. Here is our show name and description, which leaves it wide open for interpretation:
Beyond Words: Artworks by the Book Arts Guild of Vermont
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:
- Submissions: Work must be submitted by May 1, 2018. No work can be accepted after that date.
- Opening: May 22, 2018
- Closing: June 30, 2018
- Artist’s talk: Date TBD
The second show will take place in June at Frog Hollow Craft Gallery on Church Street. This will be a great opportunity to get exposure for our group in the heart of Burlington. Dates for the show have yet to be determined. Stay tuned for updates.
Book Arts News
*** Now through April 1st, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is hosting the exhibition Treasures from the Collection: A 15 Year Celebration.
In honor of its 15th anniversary, the Museum has assembled an all-star lineup of work from its permanent collection. The exhibition showcases significant acquisitions of the past 15 years with a special focus on the Museum’s most recent gifts and purchases.
Also featured are rarely seen three-dimensional objects in the collection such as dummy books, artist sketchbooks, and hand-carved printing blocks. A special selection of artist doodles and sketches – drawn over 15 years of artist visits, workshops, and book signings – is displayed in the auditorium hallway.
The Carle is located at 125 West Bay Road in Amherst, MA.
*** Registration for the 2018 Paper and Book Intensive (PBI), an annual working sabbatical in the book arts, papermaking, and conservation is now open. Registration is available online. Acceptance letters will be mailed beginning in mid-February.
Here’s the lineup of instructors:
- Velma Bolyard
- Rebecca Chamlee
- Jana Dambrogio
- Vasaré Rastonis
- Béatrice Coron
- John DeMerritt
- Bridget Elmer
- Chela Metzger
- Barb Tetenbaum
PBI will take place from May 13 – 24, 2018 at Ox-Bow in Saugatuk, MI.
For more information, please visit the PBI website.
Book Arts Classes
*** The Helen Day Art Center is offering Introduction to Bookbinding with Chiyomi McKibbin on January 27 – 28, 2018 (Sunday is optional).
On the first day of this workshop, students will learn to make an accordion book, a pamphlet stitch book, and how to fold a single sheet of paper into 7 different folded books. On the second day, students will make a portable hole-punching cradle that can be used for future stitch-bound books along with learning how to make Postal Notebooks. Supplies will be provided. Teens welcome!
The Helen Day Art Center is located in Stowe, VT. For more information about the class or to register, please visit the Helen Day Art Center’s website.
*** The Eliot School is offering Altered Books with a Purpose with Susan Porter on four Wednesdays, March 7, 14, 21, & 28.
Turn an old or used book into a work of art with a purpose, using imagination and a variety of mixed media techniques. Take a thematic excursion, tell a tale or dramatize an issue through color and visual imagery, creative materials, and 3-D structures.
Use your book’s existing contents if you like, add new materials or use your book to display a collection of valued objects, images or photographs. Learn to assess the condition of the various components of an old book, decide which parts to keep and which to remove and create layouts that communicate your message or story.
For more information about the class, please visit the Eliot School’s website or click here to download the complete catalog.
*** On Saturday, April 28th, the Kate Cheney Chappell 83 Center for Book Arts is hosting a workshop with Erin Fletcher of Herringbone Bindery, Secret Belgian Binding – Two Ways. The workshop will be held in the Multi-Purpose Room in the Wishcamper Center at the University of Southern Maine in Portland.
This workshop will explore the Secret Belgian binding (also known as Criss Cross binding) and ways to modify it. The binding is simple and easy to construct; it opens flat and is perfect for smaller text blocks. Students will complete two versions of the structure; one bound in the traditional sense and the second will offer a bit more secrecy and refinement to the structure.
Registration is available online or alternatively, you can call (207) 780-5900.
*** The Wells College Book Arts Center has announced its classes for the Book Arts Summer Institute in July 2018. The week-long intensive courses include letterpress printing, bookbinding, calligraphy, typecasting, and font design. Week 1 runs from July 15 – 21 and Week 2 runs from July 22 – 28.
This year’s instructors include Amos Kennedy, Aimee Lee, and Scott McCarney. Wells College is located in Aurora, NY.
Registration is open now. For more information, please visit the Wells College website.
