by Elissa | Mar 3, 2022 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Call to artists, Exhibitions, Lecture, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 9, 2022, 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
In continuing with our tradition of choosing a theme for our meetings every year, the B.A.G. Board has selected the theme of Woven for 2022.
Weaving is one of the oldest surviving crafts in history, and is an integral part of all of our lives. We wear woven clothing, we sit on woven seats, we use and admire woven baskets.
In the paper and book world, there are many examples of paper weaving, woven book covers, and woven structures. Here are a few resources to get your brain churning:
The possibilities are kind of endless!
During the meetings this year, guest presenters will guide you through techniques to get you started on your woven explorations. The simplest methods can produce exciting results and we can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Program: The Woven Accordion with Becky Boardman
At this month’s B.A.G. meeting, our own Becky Boardman will be leading us in a hands-on project that goes perfectly with this year’s theme, The Woven Accordion.
Here’s what you’ll need to join in on the fun:
Materials:
- 1 piece – 11″ x 4.25″ cardstock (grain short if possible)
- 1 piece – 14″ X 3.25″ cardstock (grain short if possible)
- A Strathmore 11″ x 14″ drawing pad has grain short pages and is a good weight.
- 1 piece – 11″ x 2″ cardstock (grain short if possible)
- 2 pieces – 3.25″ x 4.5″ mat board (or something similar for covers)
- 2 pieces – 4.5 x 4 5/8″ heavy text or light cardstock weight
- Drawing paper as mentioned above would work.
- Note: Paper can be any color but you might want to choose different colors that look good together.
Tools:
- X-Acto knife (sharp blade)
- Cutting mat
- Metal straight edge or ruler to cut against
- C-thru ruler (preferably) or other ruler
- Bone folder
- Stylus (or T-pin or fat needle)
- Glue stick and/or 1/4″ double sided tape (can be found at dollar stores)
- Foam or corrugated cardboard to stick stylus into
If you plan to attend the meeting, please contact Elissa so she can send you the Zoom meeting details.
February Meeting Reflections
I have been thinking lately about collaboration in the world today. How could we get along without each other, since our past, present and future are all interwoven? Perhaps it’s been on my mind since the last meeting when University of Vermont librarian Prudence Doherty of the Silver Special Collections Library lead us through a group of books that speak to our woven theme.
Many of the beautiful pieces she showed us had some kind of collaboration, either between people responding to each other’s art, or weaving together text and words to create content. Certainly the most powerful piece to me is Julie Chen‘s Memento, which represents a reaction to the violence of a car bomb in Baghdad in 2007. The response seems equally meaningful to the violence we are witnessing today.
Many thanks to Prudence for giving us a specially curated vision of woven, and thanks to everyone for showing up. I think I counted 50 visitors, a new record! I will continue my thoughts about collaboration and interweaving, and I urge you to do the same
B.A.G. Library Corner
Keith Smith’s Woven Spine Tab tutorial is the perfect way to add a touch of weaving to your book’s exterior. Constructed with the non-adhesive long stitch binding, you have the option of including the woven tab with or without a book jacket. This construction, along with other variations of the long stitch binding, are included in Smith’s Non-Adhesive Binding, Vol. 1: Books without Paste or Glue.
If you have ideas for books to feature or if you have a library book in your possession you’d like to share something from, email Sally at salblanch@gmail.com.
You can check out and download the project here.
B.A.G. News
*** The Book Arts Guild of Vermont is pleased to announce our annual member show at Grand Isle Art Works! The tentative dates of the exhibit are June 15 – August 1.
We are currently working on the submission form and will include it in the next newsletter. In the meantime, keep June 6th in mind, as that’s when submissions will be due. No exceptions!
Members can submit up to three pieces for the show. We’ll have a space devoted to zines, and you can submit zines in addition to the three pieces, without any limit.
Ann Joppe-Mercure will be doing a workshop at GIAW in conjunction with the show. If you’re interested in doing something similar, please contact Ann at joppemercure@gmail.com.
Stay tuned for more details in the next newsletter and we’d love to have your work in the show!
*** B.A.G. member, illustrator, and cartoonist Amy Burns will have her work on display from February 16 – March 31 at Espresso Bueno in Barre, VT. Alongside Amy’s framed works, originals, prints, cards and comics will be work by mixed media painter Keilani Lime.
Work is available for viewing and purchase during the following hours:
- Monday – Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Saturday – Sunday: 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Espresso Bueno is located at 248 N Main Street.
*** Elissa Campbell is teaching The Block Printed Journal at CraftStudies on March 12 & 13. The class will take place at A Lucky Girl Studio in Norwich, VT.
Block printing is an ancient method of printmaking that can be used to create beautiful, decorated papers. Not only is it fun, but it’s something you can easily do at home. In this two-day class, students will experiment with printing and use personalized papers to cover a handmade journal.
On the first day, learn how to design and carve rubber stamps that will be used to create your own decorated papers. We will focus on basic shapes that can be used for layering and repeating to create rich and complex patterns.
On the second day, select one of your papers as a cover for a hand-made book using a binding that allows the book to remain flat when opened, making it perfect for use as a sketchbook or journal.
For more information or to register, please visit the CraftStudies website.
Book Arts News
*** On March 10, Professor Janice Radway will deliver the 36th annual Louis Faugères Bishop Lecture for the Rutgers University Libraries. Her topic is Girls, Zines, and Their Travels: Imagining Lives, Crafting Archives for a New Century.
Radway is the Walter Dill Scott Professor of Communication Studies and a professor of American studies and gender studies within the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University. Radway is widely known for her scholarship on readers, reading, books, and the history of middlebrow culture.
Currently, Radway is working on an oral history of girls, their underground publishing efforts during the 1990s, and their subsequent lives.
For more information or to register for the lecture, please visit the Rutgers University Libraries website.
*** On March 15, the Puget Sound Book Artists will start accepting submissions for their 2022 PSBA Annual Exhibition. You have to be a member to be able to submit work, but membership is open to everyone.
This year’s suggested theme is Peaks and Valleys. Peaks and Valleys invoke many connotations. You are encouraged to explore your own highs and lows, literal and metaphorical.
For more information, visit the PSBA website.
*** The Jaffe Center for Book Arts is currently holding a zine maker contest, Navigating 2020 – 2021. It’s been a crazy past two years, many of us dealing with illness, isolation, confusion, and turmoil on so many different levels. So, we want to know: How did you Navigate 2020/2021?
Were there changes in your life, your relationships, your health, or habits during the past couple of years? Have your philosophies, feelings, or views of the world changed?
Produce and submit (via email or in person) a zine by March 31, 2022. Your submission and all the others we receive will become part of a boxed set that will become part of the permanent collection at FAU Libraries’ Jaffe Center for Book Arts.
For more information on how to submit your work, please visit the JCBA website.
*** Artistree Gallery is accepting submissions for their 10th annual juried exhibit, UNBOUND: VOL X. The theme of the show is simple – art using books as a material or a format. Visitors will have an opportunity to examine curious folios, recent grimoires, tomes turned to sculpture and some works having a relation to “books” in concept only.
This exhibition is for artists working in all traditional and non-traditional 2D (wall mounted) and 3D media, who are working in Vermont or New Hampshire and are 18 years of age or older. All artwork must be original in concept, design and execution.
The deadline for submission is June 4, 2022. All submissions must be made through their online entry form.
For more information, please visit the Artistree website. Please contact exhibits@artistreevt.org with any questions.
Stay-at-Home Fun
*** The Jaffe Center for Book Arts is offering The Elegant Slim Volume with Stephanie Wolff on March 13.
Simple bindings on small books? An opportunity for creativity! Variations in the sewing, finishing details, or materials can give a binder many options when binding small books. We will examine simple binding methods the instructor has gathered over her many years in bookbinding and conservation.
Using thread, wood, wire, beads, and paper, we will build on the basic pamphlet to expand the options of the humble small binding. By considering all the details and materials the most basic of bindings can be elevated to simple elegance. Rather than focusing solely on structure, this workshop is an exploration of variations and design and material possibilities.
Participants are encouraged to dig into their own art supplies and general household items to use in the workshop. We will make as many models as our time allows, with suggestions for adapting the basic forms to create many more after the workshop. Our models will be softcover bindings and will serve as inspiration for future work. Some bookbinding experience is helpful.
For more information or to register, please email John Cutrone at jcutrone@fau.edu.
*** The Minnesota Center for Book Arts is offering the Storage Book with Rosae Reeder on March 19.
Want a fancy way to keep receipts, keepsake ephemera, and anything else you want to save? Construct a storage book! Using the accordion fold as a spine, this hardcover book structure features handmade envelopes sewn onto the folds of the accordion to create a structure that holds two-dimensional as well as small three-dimensional items.
In this virtual workshop, learn this unique book structure and explore many different ways to keep the book closed, including ribbon, a belly band (a paper strip that slides on and off), Velcro, and more. Use a variety of decorative papers to give this book a vibrant look.
For more information or to register, please visit the MCBA website.
*** The Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft is offering Variation on a Pamphlet with Laura Gardner on March 27 & April 3.
Artists, writers, and those keeping journals love working in books open flat. This variation on a pamphlet does just that. The pamphlet book is one sheet of paper folded one time to create four sides. It is used to relay information familiar to most of us from concerts, religious services, or advertising.
For our variation, we will gather five sheets of paper into what is called a signature then make five signatures. We finish by using colored threads to weave the signatures together along the spines to create a book that opens flat– ready for writing, drawing, collecting, journaling, or note taking.
For more information or to register, please visit the Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft website.
*** The San Francisco Center for the Book is offering Pop-Up Native Wildflowers: Go West! with Shawn Sheehy on April 2 & 3.
Celebrate the beauty of the spring bloom by building fantastic pop-up wildflowers. In this workshop you’ll create models of California poppy, California buttercup, miner’s lettuce, Rocky Mountain columbine, prickly pear, and bloodroot. A kit of pre-cut pieces will be provided. You’ll assemble the structures, collect them into a simple, elegant binding, and gain insights into paper engineering and paper sculpture. All are welcome.
For more information or to register, please visit the SFCB website.
by Elissa | Feb 7, 2022 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Call to artists, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, February 9, 2022, 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
In continuing with our tradition of choosing a theme for our meetings every year, the B.A.G. Board has selected the theme of Woven for 2022.
Weaving is one of the oldest surviving crafts in history, and is an integral part of all of our lives. We wear woven clothing, we sit on woven seats, we use and admire woven baskets.
In the paper and book world, there are many examples of paper weaving, woven book covers, and woven structures. Here are a few resources to get your brain churning:
The possibilities are kind of endless!
During the meetings this year, guest presenters will guide you through techniques to get you started on your woven explorations. The simplest methods can produce exciting results and we can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Program: Visit to UVM’s Silver Special Collections
At this month’s B.A.G. meeting, University of Vermont librarian Prudence Doherty of the Silver Special Collections Library, has graciously offered to present to us once again as we kick off our series of meetings focusing on Woven.
She has selected examples from the collection that illustrate the many creative and different ways artists have integrated weaving into their book arts work. We look forward to seeing her choices
If you plan to attend the meeting, please contact Elissa so she can send you the Zoom meeting details.
January Meeting Reflections
Woven!
Weaving is so much fun, so easy to learn, and the results are so satisfying! Penne Tompkins and Becky Boardman started off our exploration of Woven with simple and sophisticated ways to make a woven heart. The techniques are easily transferable to many projects. I’ll bet there will be some amazing Valentines sent out this February!
Thanks to everyone for showing up, being present, and sharing the evening. Special thanks to Penne and Becky for their skill and patience.
If you were unable to attend the meeting, but want to make some woven hearts of your own, you can access the templates here.
B.A.G. Library Corner
Our “woven” theme continues this month with Jeannine Stein’s Woven Mini Book. This project makes weaving the focal point by using a woven piece as the cover. Stein provides a quick and dirty lesson on the basics of weaving and demonstrates how to transform that resulting piece into a showstopper soft cover for your book.
She shows two other examples of the project – a shortcut with a store-bought woven placemat and a master version that showcases the piece of a fiber artist.
If you have ideas for books to feature or if you have a B.A.G. library book in your possession you’d like to share something from, email Sally at salblanch@gmail.com.
You can check out and download the project here
If you have ideas for books to feature or if you have a library book in your possession you’d like to share something from, email Sally at salblanch@gmail.com.
You can check out and download the project here.
B.A.G. News
*** Support the Book Arts Guild of Vermont by becoming a member!
The Book Arts Guild of Vermont is supported by its members and you have kept us going for more than fifteen years. Our organization is solely run by volunteers and we do what we do because we love the book arts and we love B.A.G.. We continue to be inspired by our community, and the enthusiasm and talents that you bring to our meetings.
Membership dues are our main source of income and we hope that you will show that you value what we have to offer – quality programming, future exhibits, and more – by becoming a member. You get so much value out of your $35.00 and attending just one meeting can give you your full money’s worth.
*** New this year – you can now pay your dues using Venmo!
Our account is BAGofVT, listed under businesses.
Just to give you an idea of where membership dues go, here’s a breakdown of B.A.G.’s annual expenses:
- Zoom subscription: $149.90 per year
- Vimeo subscription: $84.00 per year
- Rent: $50.00 per month when we can return to in-person attendance
- Presenter honorarium: $35.00 per meeting
- Website and email newsletter: $100.00 per year
- Presenter reimbursement for supplies: Varies
We hope that you will renew your membership to help us with our annual expenses. You can download our membership form and send it in with your payment by check of $35.00 made out to the Book Arts Guild of Vermont:
Book Arts Guild of Vermont
c/o Ann Joppe-Mercure
10 Brookwood Dr
South Burlington, VT 05403
Thank you so much for your continued support of the guild. We wouldn’t be here without you.
*** The Book Arts Guild of Vermont is considering holding a daylong summer retreat/workshop for members and friends, depending on the interest.
We’d love to get your feedback about the idea, so please complete this brief survey and let us know what you think!
*** B.A.G. member, illustrator, and cartoonist Amy Burns will have her work on display from February 16 – March 31 at Espresso Bueno in Barre, VT. Alongside Amy’s framed works, originals, prints, cards and comics will be work by mixed media painter Keilani Lime.
Work is available for viewing and purchase during the following hours:
- Monday – Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Saturday – Sunday: 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Espresso Bueno is located at 248 N Main Street.
*** B.A.G. member, bookmaker, and printer Jane Ploughman will be co-teaching Decorative Paper & Book Structures with artist Susan Smereka.
In this introductory workshop, you’ll learn the process for paste paper, Gelli plate printing, and Japanese marbling, called Suminagashi. The decorative paper you make will be incorporated into book structures such as single sheet, a single flag, and accordion with a hard cover.
For your final book project, you will be working on content. If you have some bookbinding experience, this workshop will not only refresh your knowledge, but give you some new skills.
The workshop will take place at Susan Smereka’s studio space in Burlington, VT (Howard Street off of Pine) from March 1 – March 29, on Tuesdays from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
For more information, please contact Susan at susansmereka@gmail.com.
*** Elissa Campbell is teaching Pop-Up Basics: The Movable Book at CraftStudies on February 26. The workshop will take place at A Lucky Girl Studio in Norwich, VT.
If you want to add more magic to your cards and artist books, then give pop-ups a try! Also known as paper engineering, pop-ups use cuts and folds to create motion and energy in paper structures.
Through the creation of a series of pop-up cards, students will learn the basics of three-dimensional construction, including box supports, props, and straddles, then bind these cards into a book, which will become a handy reference for future work.
No previous experience is required. You’ll feel more comfortable in the workshop if you have experience using an X-Acto knife.
For more information or to register, please visit the CraftStudies website.
Book Arts News
*** After two years of being canceled due to the pandemic, the Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts‘ Book Arts Bazaar will again be hosted in Wishcamper Center on the Portland Campus of the University of Southern Maine. The Bazaar will take place on Sunday April 3, from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
For more information, please contact Annie Lee-Zimerle at aemin.leezimerle@maine.edu.
*** The Rochester Public Library is currently accepting entries for their 11th juried international exhibit, Art of the Book & Paper: Artists Books, Altered Books & Paper Sculpture. The deadline for entries is February 28.
In 2011, the first Art of the Book exhibit was held in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Rochester Public Library. At the time, they wanted to celebrate what has been at the core of libraries for centuries – the book. They marveled over the intricate interpretations of this humble format, and were thrilled with the response to the exhibit from the community.
Books continue to ensnare the imagination, both for their form and content. Artists manipulate those two components to create breathtaking, mind-bending works of art that tease and cajole people to consider the intricacies of paper, ink, words, and meaning.
For more information or to view the prospectus, please visit the Rochester Public Library’s website.
*** After a 2-year hiatus, the UNBOUND exhibit will make its return to the Artistree Gallery in South Pomfret in June and July.
The show features art using books as a material or a format. Visitors will have an opportunity to examine curious folios, recent grimoires, tomes turned to sculpture and some works having a relation to “books” in concept only.
Submission details have not yet been published on the Artistree website. Stay tuned to the B.A.G. newsletter and we’ll give you the most up-to-date information when it’s made available.
*** The Jaffe Center for Book Arts is currently holding a zine maker contest, Navigating 2020 – 2021. It’s been a crazy past two years, many of us dealing with illness, isolation, confusion, and turmoil on so many different levels. So, we want to know: How did you Navigate 2020/2021?
Were there changes in your life, your relationships, your health, or habits during the past couple of years? Have your philosophies, feelings, or views of the world changed?
Produce and submit (via email or in person) a zine by March 31, 2022. Your submission and all the others we receive will become part of a boxed set that will become part of the permanent collection at FAU Libraries’ Jaffe Center for Book Arts.
For more information on how to submit your work, please visit the JCBA website.
Stay-at-Home Fun
*** The Minnesota Center for Book Arts is offering Non-Linear Artist’s Books with Yuka Petz on February 17 & 24, and March 3, 10, 17, & 24.
Explore artist’s books that defy conventional front-to-back reading. In this virtual workshop, make six non-linear artist’s books, including one-sheet books, flexagons, dos-à-dos, French door, flag books, and volvelles. Each week, learn a new book structure and techniques for adding content that work in tandem with the non-traditional book form to create meaning.
Examples of artists’ books that use these structures will be discussed. The group will also engage in brief idea generation exercises and friendly critique. Participants will have the option to exchange books with one another to begin or grow a personal collection of artists’ books.
For more information or to register, please visit the MCBA website.
*** The Center for Book Arts is offering Artist Books: Concept & Making with Maria Veronica San Martín on February 22–24.
This online course will show you how to conceptualize and make your own artist book. The course begins with a contextual lesson on the book as an artistic medium – helping provide students with inspiration for their own work.
Then the class transitions to art-making – including learning the dos and don’ts of the accordion book structure, the technique of monoprints on plexiglass, and the creation and construction of a flag book.
By the end of the course, each student will have created their own artist book and the class will engage in a final critique and discussion of all the work produced!
For more information or to register, please visit the CBA website.
*** The San Francisco Center for the Book is offering Circle Accordion with Pockets with Stephanie Jucker on February 23.
This decorative and functional book can be made with materials you probably have lying around at home. With a little paper-folding, cutting, and tape this simple structure can be created in a short amount of time, no special tools required.
Lightweight, with useful pockets, it makes a great travel journal, place to store mementos, index card holder or personalized gift. Using two-sided paper (a different color or pattern on each side) adds a lot of interest to the book; the instructor will also show ways to add surface design to your paper at the beginning of class, or you can bring your own patterned/decorated paper.
For more information or to register, please visit the SFCB website.
*** The Jaffe Center for Book Arts is offering Design in the Details: Adaptations & Variations with Stephanie Wolff on February 26 & 27.
Over the course of this full weekend workshop, you will learn a collection of inventive page structures suitable for a variety of bindings, while creating a reference model for inspiration. Making a book by hand allows opportunities for the design and material choices of the book. And it’s those details that can elevate your work from the commonplace and set it apart.
Binder-artists often have ideas that challenge the successful execution of traditional binding forms, whether from the use of unconventional materials or alterations of the structure. This workshop offers some approaches to designing pages that go beyond the regular printed page, but are easily bound into traditional forms.
We’ll cover a range of techniques, with many based on historic structures, including how to incorporate photos or prints, oversized pages, loose material, as well as pockets, foldouts, envelopes, mounting options, and other display possibilities. We’ll discuss ways to incorporate content using these page possibilities.
For more information or to register, please email John Cutrone at jcutrone@fau.edu.
by Elissa | Jan 9, 2022 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Call to artists, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 12, 2022, 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
In continuing with our tradition of choosing a theme for our meetings every year, the B.A.G. Board has selected the theme of Woven for 2022.
Weaving is one of the oldest surviving crafts in history, and is an integral part of all of our lives. We wear woven clothing, we sit on woven seats, we use and admire woven baskets.
In the paper and book world, there are many examples of paper weaving, woven book covers, and woven structures. Here are a few resources to get your brain churning:
The possibilities are kind of endless!
During the meetings this year, guest presenters will guide you through techniques to get you started on your woven explorations. The simplest methods can produce exciting results and we can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Program: Woven Paper Hearts
At our January Zoom meeting we will start the theme for the year of Woven by making variations of woven paper hearts with Penne Tompkins and Becky Boardman. We will also look at some remarkable examples of where you can take these basic structures.
Here’s a list of what you’ll need to complete the project:
- Text weight papers in contrasting colors and/or patterns. Origami paper works well too.
- Scissors or X-acto knife
- Cutting mat
- Some form of adhesive – glue stick, adhesive dots, etc.
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Templates (print these out in advance of the meeting)
- Hole punch and string if you want to make a hanging ornament (optional)
We hope to see you there!
If you plan to attend the meeting, please contact Elissa so she can send you the Zoom meeting details.
December Meeting Reflections
Who wants to do that again?
Not only was it super fun to make a zine, it was even more fun to see and hear how others approached it. The end results were totally amazing and informative. We learned about QR codes, huipil, cricuts, alternative folds, and French doors – all just fabulous.
Best of all, we learned a lot about each other, which is the whole point of getting together!
Thanks to all who participated and attended. Each month seems to be a record for attendance, and as we enter the new year seemingly farther away from in-person meetings, the time we spend together seems more important.
B.A.G. Library Corner
Let’s kick off the new year with a tutorial from the Book Arts Guild’s own Amy Lapidow! Featured in her book Book Art Studio Handbook with co-author Stacie Dolan, the pretty Woven Album would be a great book to capture memories from throughout your year.
The structure is a modified Jacob’s Ladder construction, can be adjusted to fit as many leaves as you like, and is flexible enough to add inclusions and stay flat. The possibilities are endless with this project
If you have ideas for books to feature or if you have a library book in your possession you’d like to share something from, email Sally at salblanch@gmail.com.
You can check out and download the project here.
B.A.G. News
*** Support the Book Arts Guild of Vermont by becoming a member!
The Book Arts Guild of Vermont is supported by its members and you have kept us going for more than fifteen years. Our organization is solely run by volunteers and we do what we do because we love the book arts and we love B.A.G.. We continue to be inspired by our community, and the enthusiasm and talents that you bring to our meetings.
Membership dues are our main source of income and we hope that you will show that you value what we have to offer – quality programming, future exhibits, and more – by becoming a member. You get so much value out of your $35.00 and attending just one meeting can give you your full money’s worth.
*** New this year – you can now pay your dues using Venmo!
Our account is BAGofVT, listed under businesses.
Just to give you an idea of where membership dues go, here’s a breakdown of B.A.G.’s annual expenses:
- Zoom subscription: $149.90 per year
- Vimeo subscription: $84.00 per year
- Rent: $50.00 per month when we can return to in-person attendance
- Presenter honorarium: $35.00 per meeting
- Website and email newsletter: $100.00 per year
- Presenter reimbursement for supplies: Varies
We hope that you will renew your membership to help us with our annual expenses. You can download our membership form and send it in with your payment by check of $35.00 made out to the Book Arts Guild of Vermont:
Book Arts Guild of Vermont
c/o Ann Joppe-Mercure
10 Brookwood Dr
South Burlington, VT 05403
Thank you so much for your continued support of the guild. We wouldn’t be here without you.
*** B.A.G. member, illustrator, and cartoonist Amy Burns will have her work on display from February 16 – March 31 at Espresso Bueno in Barre, VT. Alongside Amy’s framed works, originals, prints, cards and comics will be work by mixed media painter Keilani Lime.
Work is available for viewing and purchase during the following hours:
- Monday – Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Saturday – Sunday: 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Espresso Bueno is located at 248 N Main Street.
*** B.A.G. member, bookmaker, and printer Jane Ploughman will be co-teaching Decorative Paper & Book Structures with artist Susan Smereka.
In this introductory workshop, you’ll learn the process for paste paper, Gelli plate printing, and Japanese marbling, called Suminagashi. The decorative paper you make will be incorporated into book structures such as single sheet, a single flag, and accordion with a hard cover.
For your final book project, you will be working on content. If you have some bookbinding experience, this workshop will not only refresh your knowledge, but give you some new skills.
The workshop will take place at Susan Smereka’s studio space in Burlington, VT (Howard Street off of Pine), with your choice of dates:
- January 21 – February 18, Fridays 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
- March 1 – March 29, Tuesdays 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
For more information, please contact Susan at susansmereka@gmail.com.
*** Elissa Campbell is teaching Pop-Up Basics: The Movable Book at CraftStudies on January 29. The workshop will take place at A Lucky Girl Studio in Norwich, VT.
If you want to add more magic to your cards and artist books, then give pop-ups a try! Also known as paper engineering, pop-ups use cuts and folds to create motion and energy in paper structures.
Through the creation of a series of pop-up cards, students will learn the basics of three-dimensional construction, including box supports, props, and straddles, then bind these cards into a book, which will become a handy reference for future work.
No previous experience is required. You’ll feel more comfortable in the workshop if you have experience using an X-Acto knife.
For more information or to register, please visit the CraftStudies website.
Book Arts News
*** Bech Evans is selling two hand-crafted book presses that were inspired by antique cast iron nipping presses.
The interior dimensions of the yellow press are 10″ high by 11 3/8″ wide. Bed and three platens are 3/4″ baltic birch and measure 11″ x 13″. A durable clear finish was applied over the paint and on the bed and platens.
The frame of the pink press is shaped from laminated baltic birch. A durable clear finish is applied over the paint. The screw is a Jorgensen 12″ press screw.
Both presses are available for purchase on Craigslist (click on the links above). Prices are negotiable.
For more information or to buy a press, please contact Bech at (601) 985-8482.
*** Join the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center for their 14th annual Illustrated Accordion exhibition.
Each year the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center (KBAC) sponsors a non-juried exhibition The Illustrated Accordion, showing in the KBAC Gallery in spring. Open to all emerging and established artists, this exhibition focuses on books created in the accordion form.
The Illustrated Accordion exhibition focuses on books created in the accordion form. The structure of an accordion book is simple: a long piece of paper is folded into pages that can be read like a book or spread open and displayed like a banner. Featuring works of book artists from all over the world, the books in this exhibit take this book form to a new level.
Entries are being accepted online, now through January 24, 2022.
For more information about the exhibition, please contact Katie Platte at katie@kalbookarts.org or (269) 373-4938.
Stay-at-Home Fun
*** Kit Davey has a number of online classes available during the month of January. Here are two of them:
On January 10, Kit is teaching How to Make a Pop Up and Out Book. When you open the pages of this book a card is pushed up and out, just like a toaster.
On January 15, Kit is teaching How to Make an Interlocking Folds Book. This sculptural book is made with two strips of folded paper which “lock” into each other.
In both classes, she will show you the easy steps to make the book and finish it in class.
For more information or to register, please visit Kit’s website.
*** The Jaffe Center for Book Arts is offering Exposed Sewing with Decorative Guards & Self-Locking Wrapper with Karen Hanmer on January 22.
For centuries paper has served as a quick, elegant, and economical covering material for books. This versatile material can create structures ranging from pocket notebooks to conservation friendly bindings to a case durable enough for a heavily-used manual.
Exposed Sewing with Decorative Guards features colorful link stitch sewing and slivers of decorative paper visible on the spine. The covers are hooked around the first and last signatures before sewing, then sewn normally along with rest of the text block. A quick-to-construct self-locking flap keeps the text block clean and secure.
This workshop is appropriate for intermediate binders, beginners who are ready for a fast-paced workout, and anyone who wants to add more paper cases to their repertoire.
For more information or to register, please email John Cutrone at jcutrone@fau.edu.
*** The Center for Book Arts is offering Paper-cutting on Stage: Kamishibai and Paper Theaters with Béatrice Coron on January 27.
A paper-cut stage can take many forms including a tunnel book, multi-layered card, or an artist book. The class will draw inspiration from examples of paper stages from Japan, Victorian England, and more.
Students will consider how the kind of stories they want to tell can inform the structure they choose for their paper stage. Then Coron will share paper-cutting techniques that will allow students to create their own unique paper stages.
The class will also discuss various methods of activating a paper-cut stage like stop animation, video, and live performance. Finally, Coron will share tips, tricks, and resources to help students continue paper-stage-making in the future.
For more information or to register, please visit the CBA website.
*** The Minnesota Center for Book Arts is offering the Paired Station Binding with Rosae Reeder on January 27.
Similar to a Coptic binding, the paired station binding has an exposed spine featuring a decorative sewing. With multiple sewing stations along the spine, the paired station binding can be used to sew sections or gatherings of pages, as well as single sheets.
In this virtual workshop, learn how to make a paired station binding using a combination of sections and single sheets with a soft paper cover. Traditional Coptic bindings, thread variations, and methods for adding boards to make a hardcover binding will be discussed.
While all skill levels are welcome, this multiple-section binding is technical and basic bookbinding experience may be helpful.
For more information or to register, please visit the MCBA website.
by Elissa | Sep 9, 2017 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, Lecture, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, September 13, 2017, 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: Why I Make Books – Artist Talk with Carolyn Shattuck
Resilience
Please join us for the opportunity to meet celebrated book artist Carolyn Shattuck, who will speak about how she has progressed over 20 years of bookmaking. Carolyn will share her process with us and show many of her amazing books, from origami books and flexagons to pop-ups and a Women’s Project.
Born in Montreal, Canada, Carolyn originally trained as a nurse and worked in psychiatry. She began her art career when she moved to the United States in 1971. After a short stay in the U.S., Carolyn’s husband was drafted into the Vietnam War, and she and her husband moved to Okinawa, Japan, where they lived for three years. During those years, Carolyn became influenced by the history and beauty of Japanese prints. After returning to the United States, Carolyn earned an M.F.A. in painting at Bard College.
In the late 1990s, Carolyn organized an exhibition with three artists called, A Country of Souls: Reflections on Early New England Gravesites. The purpose of the traveling show was to develop an awareness of the mystery of death and dying issues. The intriguing folk art of the Puritans that Carolyn discovered while visiting New England cemeteries has generated a lifelong vocabulary that is threaded throughout her work in book arts. Many University Collections, as well as The Smithsonian Museum, have collected her books.
Carolyn currently lives in Vermont, where she teaches and makes books that relate to social and environmental issues.
August Meeting Reflections
Our Coptic Book Extravaganza brought out a lot of friends and members to share in Amy Burns‘ riff on coptic sewing. Luckily there was no beer served with the beer coasters she provided as covers – it was hard enough keeping us under control without the addition of alcohol! Amy was patient with us all anyway, and calmly and cheerfully led us through the sewing procedure. Success was had by all!
As part of the Extravaganza, Jill Abilock gave us an overview of her work with coptic bindings, and showed us how versatile and creative they can be.
Thanks, Amy and Jill for your preparation and presentation, and thanks to all who participated in the evening.
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
Book Arts Guild of Vermont 2018 Show news!
We will have 2 shows in 2018! The first will be at Studio Place Arts in Barre from May 22 – June 30, where we will be exhibiting in the second floor gallery. The exhibit will be in conjunction with the exhibit in the main gallery, Talk to Me / Tell Me / Word.
Spoken, written, and signed language is distinctively human. There are currently 6909 living languages, though half are in danger of extinction and are expected to disappear in this century.
What do the connected sounds and symbols of words suggest for the visual arts? We’re thinking of diverse languages and letterforms (real or invented), new communication technologies, censorship, graffiti, collage, and urgent written/spoken messages. We will be creating a Tower of Babel in the center of the gallery, and welcome proposals for this structure in whole or part.
The second show will take place in June at Frog Hollow Vermont Craft Gallery on Church Street. This will be a great opportunity to get exposure for our group in the heart of Burlington.
*** Congratulations to Nina Gaby, 1st prize winner, and Marcia Vogler, 2nd prize winner in this year’s juried exhibit UNBOUND: VOL VII at the ArtisTree Gallery in South Pomfret, VT. The winning entries were chosen from over 300 submissions.
You can read about the exhibit in this review in Seven Days.
*** If you missed the visit to the Book Arts Workshop at Dartmouth College a few months ago, here’s your second chance. Debra Kraemer has kindly set up another visit for the BAG members for November 18, 2017. More details to come, but put the date in your calendar.
We will be visiting the Book Arts Workshop, the Preservation Studio, and the Special Collections department in the library.
*** B.A.G. member Elissa Campbell has two classes coming up at Studio Place Arts in Barre, VT:
The Paste Paper Photo Album
Saturdays 9/23/17 & 9/30/17
12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
In this workshop, you will learn how to create an elegant hard-cover photo album using bookcloth and paste paper that you’ll make yourself! This is a wonderful keepsake that can hold 4″ x 6″ photos from your recent vacation or family holiday gathering. Different methods will be demonstrated to guide you as you create your own paste papers with vibrant colors. We’ll use methyl cellulose in a paste recipe that’s easy to recreate on your own.
Peek-a-Boo Journal
Saturday 10/28/17
12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
In this workshop, participants will create a journal with a double-needle coptic binding, an intricate stitch that will be visible on the spine of the book. Not only is the coptic binding beautiful, but it also allows books to remain flat when opened. The book covers will include a cut-out window, which offers many opportunities for personalization – photos, pressed flowers, theater tickets – if it’s flat, you can use it.
To register, contact SPA via phone at (802) 479-7069 or email.
Book Arts News
*** On Sunday, September 10th, the Shelburne Museum will be screening Pressing On: A Letterpress Film.
The modern world was born on a printing press. Once essential to communication, the 500-year-old process is now in danger of being lost as its caretakers age. From self-proclaimed basement hoarders to the famed Hatch Show Print, Pressing On: The Letterpress Film explores the question: why has letterpress survived in a digital age?
The screening will take place from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. in the Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education Auditorium and will be followed by a printing demonstration.
The Shelburne Museum is located in Shelburne, VT.
*** Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord is holding an Open Studio event on September 16th from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Susan is the author of Handmade Books For A Healthy Planet and Multicultural Books to Make and Share.
Featured work will include Susan’s Spirit Books and her series Words for Our Time. Her studio is located at 311 High Street in Newburyport, MA.
For more information, please visit Susan’s website.
*** Clemente Orozco, director of Impronta Casa Editora, an independent book publisher and cultural venue in Guadalajara, Mexico, specializing in hand-printed books, will be giving a public lecture at Dartmouth College called Arts of the Book and Book Artists in Mexico: A Panoramic View.
Orozco, a Dartmouth graduate of the class of 1985, has had a long career as an artist. In addition to overseeing design and production at Impronta, Clemente illustrates many of the books and has many years of experience as a printer, book designer, and artist in both the United States and Mexico.
The lecture will take place in the Current Periodicals Room at Baker Library on Wednesday, October 18th from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. with a reception to follow.
On October 20th, from 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., Clemente will be printing at the Book Arts Workshop (in Baker Library, right around the corner from the Orozco murals).
Dartmouth College is located in Hanover, NH.
*** On October 20, 2017, the Kate Cheney Chappell 83 Center for Book Arts will host Fresh Cuttings, a lecture with Béatrice Coron. The artist will discuss her exploration of storytelling in artist books, installations, and public art.
Coron’s cut designs are made of paper, glass or metal and range in size from small to monumental. Her work is held in collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the Library of Congress.
The Kate Cheney Chappell 83 Center for Book Arts is located in Portland, Maine. The lecture will be held from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. in the University Events Room on the 7th floor of the Glickman Family Library.
For more information, please contact Rebecca Goodale at (207) 228-8014 or goodale@maine.edu.
Book Arts Classes
*** On September 16 & 17, the North Bennet Street School is offering Italian Paper Bindings with Bill Hanscom.
Explore the history and use of inexpensive paper-covered book structures beginning at the advent of the printed book in Europe and continuing through the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century. Participants will create four models of bindings commonly used in the Italian region including a plain wrapper, laminated case wrapper, basic long-stitch, and paper case.
Models will incorporate decorated and handmade papers, as well as historically-employed sewing techniques and end-sheet constructions. Structural variations and decoration will be examined through images and historical examples from the instructor’s collection.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBSS website.
*** The North Bennet Street School is also offering Edge Decoration with Erin Fletcher from September 30 – October 1, 2017.
Explore a variety of ways to decorate the edges of a text block. Decorating an edge is more than just applying pigment, students learn how to properly trim and sand edges in addition to preparing pigments such as acrylic, gouache and powdered graphite. We will also explore striped edges, simple gilding and gauffering (tooled impressions).
For more information or to register, please visit the NBSS website.
*** From October 1 -7, 2017, Snow Farm in Williamsburg, MA is offering Fiber Techniques for Book Artists with Natalie Stopka.
Add fiber arts techniques to bookmaking and bring a world of color, pattern, and texture to your work! Learn to prepare and fix natural dyes to fabric and paper for accessible, sustainable color. Use these fibers to create a bound book exploring the synergy of fiber arts, book arts, embroidery, and needle weaving. Bring materials to test in the dye pot or incorporate into your binding. All levels welcome.
For more information or to register, please visit Snow Farm’s website.
*** On Saturday, October 21st, the Kate Cheney Chappell 83 Center for Book Arts is hosting a workshop with Béatrice Coron, Cutting Edges. The workshop will be held in the Multi-Purpose Room in the Wishcamper Center at the University of Southern Maine in Portland.
During this intensive class of serious fun, participants will discover the incredible variety of applications of this art form from fine arts to public art commissions. Through different exercises students will learn how to adapt reference images into papercuts and produce works as different as black and white scenes, color collage, pop-ups, wearables, and stencils.
Cutting different papers and experimenting with scale, we will keep an open mind to adapt them to other materials and explore new territories. Tips, tricks and resources will be provided. No experience necessary.
For more information, please contact Rebecca Goodale at (207) 228-8014 or goodale@maine.edu.
by Elissa | Aug 28, 2017 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Vermont
