by Elissa | May 5, 2021 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, Lecture, MailB.A.G., Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 12, 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. This month, B.A.G. member Deborah Stuart will lead exercises prompting us to both generate text and create simple book structures
We hope you’ll join us as we journey into the world of text!
Program: Text Me, Part 4 – Putting Our Writing into Our Books with Deborah Stuart
Sometimes a piece of writing needs a book and sometimes a book needs some content. Putting those two thing together can present challenges!
For some of us writing is the easy part – finding the right books to put them in is harder. For some of us bookmaking is the natural skill – finding or creating the words and ideas which will fill the pages is the challenge. Even for those who comfortably do both, having new approaches and ideas can open up different possibilities.
We’ll do some quick writing exercises to give us short written material to use, and then we’ll do several simple folded book structures in which to capture what we’ve written. There will be examples of steps to take to make the text-to-page process easier and less daunting. We’ll take a bit of time to share ideas back and forth about what works well for us so we can learn from one another.
Materials list:
- Paper on which to write (lined or unlined)
- Favorite writing pen or pencil
- Colored marker or crayon
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Glue stick or tape
- 6-8 pages text paper (white or solid color)
- Favorite line of poetry and/or a favorite quote (preferably printed out, but handwritten would also work)
If you plan to attend the meeting, please contact Elissa so she can send you the Zoom meeting details.
April Meeting Reflections
As I went back through the notes I took from the meeting with Erin Sweeney, I was surprised to see how much we learned, not only in technique but also in materials and tools! It was enlightening!
I am pochoiring all the time now, and can’t wait to make some gelli prints using Yupo as my stencils. It was an evening that set off some sparks for me in terms of ideas and fun stuff. I hope it was the same for you.
Thanks, Erin Sweeney, for your enthusiasm and your gift for sharing that with us. Thanks to the B.A.G. board for sending out the ‘text kits’ so we could all follow along, and thanks to everyone who attended.
You can download a copy of Erin’s resource list here.
B.A.G. Library Corner
Calligraphy artists Jane Ewing, Marijo Carney, Kimberly Dixon, Tina Lee-Cronkhite, Christine Orsolini, and Karen Vosburg showed the “power of words” in their two-year art collaboration for ArtPrize, the world’s largest juried art exhibition.
Their painstaking process is detailed in Bound and Lettered (vol. 10, no. 3) from the preparation of the vellum, through the selection and application of text, to the final exhibition of the piece.
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 article here.
You can also purchase a copy of the issue here.
B.A.G. News
*** We are pleased to announce that B.A.G. will be having an exhibit at the Northeast Kingdom Artisans Guild in St. Johnsbury from August 6th to September 18th! This is a great time of year for this exhibit as a lot of tourists are in the area at that time and it’s good to spread our book arts further afield to new parts of the state!
More information will be forthcoming, so please begin thinking of work you would like to exhibit. Work to be displayed on surfaces as well as on walls will be greatly appreciated.
Book Arts News
*** On May 22, the American Bookbinders Museum is presenting a lecture with Samuel Feinstein, Going for the Gold.
Feinstein is a bookbinder and finisher working in Chicago. While the basic tenets of gold finishing have not changed much over the years, approach in terms of design, precision of placement of individual tools, and utilization of different gilding sizes has. In his work Sam aspires to work seamlessly in all styles, historical and modern, to bring to the surface some of the essence of what is inside the covers.
In his presentation, Feinstein will talk about how his traumatic brain injury left him unable to do other work, but introduced him to the world of hand bookbinding, the aspects of bookbinding history that truly inspired him to want to follow this path, and the one binding that set him on his course to want to do fine leather bookbinding and specialize in gold finishing.
In his slides he will demonstrate one of the many approaches to gold finishing that he employs in his work and teaching, as well as the philosophy behind his tooling method.
He will then take a tour through a few of his favorite and most engaging bindings that he has had the opportunity to work on and talk about what went into each one, not all of which have gold as the center of attention.
For more information, visit the American Bookbinders Museum website.
*** The virtual 2021 Focus on Book Arts conference has announced their featured speaker. Tia Blassingame will present Book Arts Futures: Musings on the Future of the Field on Friday, July 16.
A book artist and printmaker exploring the intersection of race, history, and perception, Blassingame often incorporates archival research and her own poetry in her artist’s book projects for nuanced discussions of racism in the United States.
In 2019, Blassingame founded the Book/Print Artist/Scholar of Color collective to bring Book History and Print Culture scholars into conversation and collaboration with Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) book artists, papermakers, curators, letterpress printers, printmakers for building community and support systems.
Blassingame is an Assistant Professor of Book Arts at Scripps College and serves as the Director of Scripps College Press.
Virtual conference registration is free, but space is limited. For more information, visit the FOBA website.
*** The upcoming 2021 Ladies of Letterpress Conference will be held online September 24 – 26 and everyone is welcome.
They’re currently developing new workshops, talks, and demos covering a wide range of letterpress topics. They’ll continue a few themes that have percolated from last year’s conference but they’d really love to hear from you. What are you curious about? Send them an email or message on Instagram.
Workshops, talks, and demos from around the letterpress world will be announced in the coming weeks. For the latest information, visit the Ladies of Letterpress website.
*** Each year the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center (KBAC) sponsors a non-juried exhibition The Illustrated Accordion, showing in the KBAC Gallery in late spring. Open to all emerging and established artists, this exhibition focuses on books created in the accordion form.
The books in their 13th anniversary exhibit can be viewed online, now through June 18.
For more information, visit the KBAC website.
Stay-at-Home Fun
*** The Jaffe Center for Book Arts is offering Small Paper, Long Accordions with Stephanie Wolff on May 13.
Accordion books are great structures for exhibitions, as content can be revealed all at once without having a viewer handle the work. But large paper can be a challenge to find or to print on. This workshop covers the basic accordion form, methods of using small paper to create long accordions (and the benefits of doing so), along with a handful of ways to join strips of any length together.
We’ll discuss some of the challenges when working with the accordion form, and some work-arounds and opportunities these limitations present. Participants will complete a set of models to serve as inspiration and reference for future projects.
For more information or to register, please email John Cutrone at jcutrone@fau.edu.
*** The Center for Book Arts is offering The Drum Leaf Binding and Its Precedents with Scott McCarney on May 17, 24 & 31.
In this three-session workshop, we will be making three books that are related in their ease and ingenuity of assembly: a Japanese Album, a Japanese Butterfly book, and a Drum-Leaf binding.
All three books join single folded folios in distinct ways, the Drum-Leaf being a hybrid combination of the Album and Butterfly. All three use a minimum of glue, limiting the amount of moisture introduced to the book block which speeds the binding process considerably. The Drum-Leaf book is cased into an easily assembled quarter-cloth cover with a throw-back spine. Since each page spread is a single folded folio, it allows images to be printed across the gutter with no interruption, making it very popular with printmakers and photographers. Once completed, the book lies flat when opened, making it very popular with viewers.
In session one, we will make a Japanese album and a Japanese butterfly book. We’ll also make covers for these books using the “drumming” technique. In session two, we will “drum” a stack of folded folios to create the book block for the Drum-Leaf binding. in session three, we will make the cover and case-in the Drum-Leaf book block.
For more information or to register, please visit the CBA website.
*** BookArtsLA is offering the Paper Case with Locking Spine with Karen Hanmer on May 19.
The Paper Case with Locking Spine is a good solution when a temporary binding is needed now for a book that will be rebound using a more robust method when time permits. Double folio endsheets are reinforced at the fold, sewn on, and later slit at the head and tail about an inch down through the reinforced fold. The head and tail turn-ins of the case are folded into the slits, locking the text block into the case without adhesive.
The text block can be removed from the case quickly and easily by snipping the threads in the center of each signature. This case is also notable for its interesting fold pattern resulting in envelope-like flaps on the inside at front and rear.
For more information or to register, visit the BookArtsLA website.
*** The San Francisco Center for the Book is offering The Magic of Sewing Cards with Rosae Reeder on May 20 & 27.
The sewing card is a wonderful aid in learning how to master a simple to difficult sewing. Practicing the mechanics of any sewing on a piece of two-dimensional card is tantamount to working on an actual book.
Learn how to prepare and make sewing cards for a few different types of book structures in the first session. Take what you have learned and apply it to making the actual book in the second session. Students will choose which book to make once we have completed several types of sewing cards.
For more information or to register, visit the SFCB website.
*** The Minnesota Center for Book Arts is offering Box Building for Beginners with Erin Maurelli on June 1, 8, 15, & 22.
This workshop is perfect for anyone new to book arts who would like to learn something a little different. Building boxes, with high-density board often called “book board,” is a time-honored tradition within book arts. Hand-built boxes serve many functions, from holding tools to preserving fragile books. Participants will learn the basics of box building while creating two unique boxes with lids.
For more information or to register, visit the MCBA website.
by Elissa | Apr 9, 2021 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Call to artists, Exhibitions, Lecture, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 14, 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. This month we’ll have special guest star Erin Sweeney as our guide through various text-creating methods.
We hope you’ll join us as we journey into the world of text!
Program: Text Me, Part 3 – Adding Text with visiting artist Erin Sweeney
In our April meeting, Erin Sweeney, artist extraordinaire, will lead us through an exploration of methods for printing text. Erin lives and works in southern New Hampshire and received her MFA in Book Arts and Printmaking from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
From Erin:
In this demo, we will utilize pochoir, stamps, transfers, and hand-lettering techniques to include text in your books and other projects. I’ll also show you a cool stamp that has tiny hand-set rubber type, and maybe my new (old) IBM typewriter that I just received! The focus will be on easy techniques to do at home, without fancy equipment.
Tools/Materials:
- Card stock
- X-Acto knife/scissors
- Stamp pads
- Stiff craft brush – round kids brushes work great, the chunky ones
- Fresh photocopies of text – and if you have InDesign and can reverse the text, that would be great, but not necessary
- ChartPak colorless blender pen – again, if you have one, not necessary
If you plan to attend the meeting, please contact Elissa so she can send you the Zoom meeting details.
March Meeting Reflections
At our March meeting, Morgan Swan from Rauner Special Collections Library at Dartmouth College treated us to a sampling of text-related random cool stuff from their artists’ book collection!
Highlights included embroidered letters and pages, cut-out letters, hidden or obscured text, and manipulated text to form images. So much inspiration! I, personally, cannot wait to use some of these techniques. Now, if only I knew what to say…
Thanks to Morgan for a delightful evening, and thanks to everyone for Zooming in.
B.A.G. Library Corner
Continuing with our text theme, Dorothy Simpson Krause provides some ideas for incorporating words in her book, Book + Art: Handcrafting Artists’ Books.
She discusses a bit about how either text or image can be the primary vehicle for conveying meaning and goes on to show how she integrates the two. Exploring writing, type, and found text she provides ideas for including words, shows evocative examples, and lays out her step-by-step processes for positioning text in a work and the physical transferral of text.
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 article here.
You can also purchase a copy of the book here (Krause recommends Amazon, but you can certainly get it elsewhere).
B.A.G. News
*** We are pleased to announce that B.A.G. will be having an exhibit at the Northeast Kingdom Artisans Guild in St. Johnsbury from August 6th to September 18th! This is a great time of year for this exhibit as a lot of tourists are in the area at that time and it’s good to spread our book arts further afield to new parts of the state!
More information will be forthcoming, so please begin thinking of work you would like to exhibit. Work to be displayed on surfaces as well as on walls will be greatly appreciated.
*** Elissa Campbell is teaching the Phabulous Photo Album online for the Morgan Conservatory on June 7 & 8.
Learn how to create an elegant stab-bound, hard cover photo album using book cloth and handmade paper. This is a wonderful keepsake that can hold 4” x 6” photos from your recent vacation, family gatherings, or quarantine photo challenges.
Each participant will leave this virtual workshop with a completed photo album and a basic knowledge of a stab binding technique. You will receive a detailed handout and resource list for all materials used, as well as a materials kit.
Get your pictures off your phone and into your hands!
For more information or to register, visit the Morgan Conservatory website.
Book Arts News
*** On April 13th, Emory Libraries is presenting the History of Pop-up Books. Shawn Sheehy and Kevin Steele will talk about the history of pop-up books and discuss their creative work.
At this free, virtual event, a short slide show of relevant items from the Rose Library’s collection will be shown. After the talks, Shawn Sheehy will provide a fun and brief instruction session in which the audience can learn how to make a simple pop-up.
For more information or to register, visit the Emory Libraries website.
*** The University of Vermont‘s Silver Special Collections is presenting a series of online presentations in April, Gathering Leaves: Conversations about Book Arts.
On April 15th, Luis Vivanco (Anthropology) will introduce his latest bicycle history comic. As a creator of research-based comics on bicycle history, Professor Vivanco has reimagined and reinterpreted the Vermont Road Book as a mini-comic, integrating techniques and inspiration from the book arts world.
In this talk, he will publicly unveil The 1895 Vermont Road Book: A Comical Reinterpretation, explore the relationship between comics and book arts, and discuss some of the primary research, creative, and technical challenges involved in this project.
On April 29th, Elizabeth Fenton (English) invites us to tour her printing studio and learn how letterpress printing has influenced her work as a literary critic.
She will tell the stories behind the presses she has purchased over the years and offer brief demonstrations of their particular operations. She also will show some examples of pieces she has made using letterpress and explain how working to create texts and images using old techniques has changed the way she approaches literature.
The talk will conclude with a short discussion of her current project, a study of documents produced and preserved by members of the early Mormon Church, which has been deeply shaped by her work in Book Arts.
For more information, visit the UVM website.
*** The American Bookbinders Museum is currently hosting an online exhibit focusing on the decorating and finishing of books, Making Their Mark: Decorating and Finishing.
For bookbinders, finishing includes lettering, decorating and other processes that complete the binding process to identify, beautify and finish a book. Those who focus solely on this aspect of bookbinding are called finishers. When impressions are made by hand it is called tooling, and by machine, blocking.
For more than five hundred years, hand tooling of leather bindings has utilized heated brass or metal stamps, pressed into the leather to make an impression. If the impressions are left unadorned it is called blind tooling. A common embellishment is to make the impression through gold leaf for gold tooling.
The American Bookbinders Museum is proud to share its collection of finishing tools with you and to provide an overview of finishing, including hand stamping tools and machine blocking plates.
To view the exhibit, visit the American Bookbinders Museum website.
*** The virtual exhibition, Boundless Possibilities 2: USM Book Arts, hosted by the Portland Public Library presents an array of artist’s books from current students in the Visual Book classes, along with an eclectic display of topics and book formats from artists in the Critique Group at the Kate Cheney Chappell 83 Center for Book Arts.
Of particular note is their collaborative book, Remarkable Maine Women, inspired by the 2020 Bicentennial of Maine’s Statehood and the Centennial of the passage of the 19th amendment.
For more information or to view the exhibit, visit the Portland Public Library website.
*** This year the Movable Book Society conference will be presented in a hybrid format with both virtual and in-person events. The conference takes place from September 30 – October 3.
Virtual attendees will have access to:
- Viewing all conference presentations in real time (including pre-conference “tours”)
- Live interaction with presenters
- Participation in the hands-on project
- An online portion of the silent auction
- Voting for the Meggendorfer Prize for Trade Books
For more information, visit the Movable Book Society website.
Stay-at-Home Fun
*** The San Francisco Center for the Book is offering the Tunnel Book with Bettina Pauly on April 20 & 27.
Developed in the Renaissance for studying perspective, the Tunnel Book is sometimes called a peephole book. It is an accordion with multiple panels, to be viewed from the front for a 3-D effect.
In this two-session class you will learn the concertina-fold that will hold the pages and decorate the four interior “tunnel” pages with collage/rubber-stamping/painting/sketching. Once the tunnel is finished it will be glued into a simple cover to give it a more finished look.
For more information or to register, visit the SFCB website.
*** The Minnesota Center for Book Arts is offering the Seven-Pocket Chinese Thread Book with Kathleen Sheridan on April 21.
Originating in Northern China, the Chinese Thread Book or Zhen Xian Boa, was traditionally used to store thread, needles, and other embroidery materials. Constructed with printed cotton, the original thread book was designed to contain numerous interlocking compartments (or pockets) that open to remove or store items and collapse flat when not in use for efficient storage.
Today, there are many origami paper versions of this clever, satisfying, and playful model. In this virtual workshop, learn to create a square, seven-pocket origami thread book. Build skills to make the model again on your own with any number of pockets! Finished pieces may be used to store embroidery materials as originally intended, or to hold photos, notes, or other flat materials.
For more information or to register, visit the MCBA website.
*** The Center for Book Arts is offering Writing a Colophon and a Prospectus with Roni Gross on Apr 21 & 28.
Students will learn the difference between a colophon and a prospectus, what purposes they serve and how to utilize them in marketing their work. The instructor will present colophons and prospectuses written by various artists, for use of language and the accompanying artwork.
Students will have an opportunity to begin writing a colophon and prospectus in class and get feedback on their writing. We will also talk about how to market artist books.
For more information or to register, please visit the CBA website.
*** BookArtsLA is offering Packed Tacket Binding with Anne Covell on April 24.
The packed tacket binding, dating to the 2nd century AD, is one of oldest known multi-quire sewing styles. Composed of an exposed spine that combines coils of thread that snake up and down the spine, this structure combines speed and simplicity with flexibility and durability of form. Few tools and little to no adhesives are required to make this binding. Emphasis in this class will be on signature punching and sewing methods.
Students in this class will be provided with a descriptive handout and materials list in advance of the class to allow students to bind along with the instructor during the demonstration.
For more information or to register, visit the BookArtsLA website.
*** The Printing Museum is offering Cyanotypes with Fall 2020 Artist-In-Residence Caroline Roberts on April 30.
Learn to make photographs without a camera, using the water-based cyanotype process and sunshine! We will learn about using objects, transparencies, and digital negatives to create images.
A materials list (with suggested sources) will be provided before the workshop for those who want to work alongside (sunshine permitting!)
For more information or to register, visit the Printing Museum website.
by Elissa | Mar 3, 2016 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, MailB.A.G., Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 9, 2016, 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: Box Making with Elizabeth Rideout
Join the Book Arts Guild for an evening of box-making with Boston based bookbinder and former B.A.G. chair Elizabeth Rideout. Elizabeth will show samples and discuss a variety of common structures for custom enclosures and book boxes.
Elizabeth’s presentation wouldn’t be complete without a hands-on component; everyone will build a small box model to take home.
Please bring along your favorite hand tools, including:
- Ruler
- Glue brush
- X-Acto knife or scalpel and blades
- Cutting mat
- Pencil and eraser
- Small, sharp scissors
- Bone folder
February Meeting Reflections
The opening reception of the B.A.G. spring show, BookWorks, was well attended by family, friends, artists, and students. After a short introduction about the Book Arts Guild of Vermont and the show, we all had time to chat with old and new friends, and take a close look at the wonderful work displayed.
The artists’ talks were enlightening and inspiring, and brought whole new meaning to the works – the time and effort applied, the methods and materials used, and the interplay between the concept, the ‘story’, and the structure.
Thank you all for participating in the show, and thanks to the Living/Learning Center Gallery for hosting! On to next year’s show!
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
*** Our Spring 2016 exhibit Book Works: Artists’ Books by the Book Arts Guild of Vermont is currently on display at the Living/Learning Center gallery at the University of Vermont until March 18, 2016.
The exhibit includes a wonderful variety of work, ranging from altered books to calligraphy, letterpressed editions to historical models.
B.A.G.’s Exhibits Chair Marcia Vogler did an amazing job of curating the show. Get yourself to the exhibit and check out the work of your fellow B.A.G. members – you won’t be disappointed!
The Living/Learning Center gallery is located on the UVM campus in Burlington, VT. Click here for directions.
If you can’t make it to the show, click here to view pieces included in the exhibit.
*** 
On March 26th, the Book Arts Guild of Vermont proudly presents the Chinese Sewing Box Book, a one-day workshop with the awesome Erin Sweeney. Erin is a dynamic teacher and artist, and fills a room with excitement and inspiration. Sign up now, as space is limited!
The Chinese Sewing Box Book is a book structure created by the amazing Hedi Kyle – made entirely of folded boxes and enclosures based on paper wallets, and used to store sewing supplies – an origami lovers’ dream! Many things can be housed in this finished structure: surprises, stories, drawings, and prints. Students will leave with one finished book, a pattern to make another, and hopefully the start of a second book!
Erin Sweeney lives and works in southern New Hampshire, where she runs Lovely In The Home Press, and teaches Book Arts and Letterpress printing at the New Hampshire Institute of Art.
Here’s the scoop:
- Date: Saturday, March 26, 2016
- Time: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Location: Ridgewood Clubhouse, South Burlington
- Cost: $75.00, including materials (payment is due in full with your registration to reserve a spot)
You can download the registration form here.
Book Arts News
*** In collaboration with Abecedarian Gallery, Saint Anselm College is presenting CONTEMPORARY BOOK ARTS: 100+ Works, an exhibit of artists’ books co-curated by Kimberly Kersey-Asbury and Alicia Bailey. The exhibit is on view at the Living Learning Commons Galleries at the college and runs now through March 16.
The exhibit includes 85 works on loan to Saint Anselm from Abecedarian Gallery, along with selections from Manchester book artist Erin Sweeney and students at Saint Anselm College. You can view the pieces included in the exhibit on the Abecedarian Gallery website.
For more information about the exhibit, please contact Kimberly Kersey-Asbury at kasbury@anselm.edu. The Living Learning Commons Galleries at Saint Anselm College are located in Manchester, NH.
*** The Movable Book Society and the Ticknor Society are hosting the Movable Book Conference at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel on September 15-17. The conference agenda is available for viewing online.
The conference includes speakers, hands-on activities, presentations, a silent auction, and a book sale. This year’s speakers include Shawn Sheehy, Matthew Reinhart, and Emily Martin. In addition, area institutions and libraries in and around Boston will be mounting pop-up “Pop-Up Book” exhibits of materials in their collections.
For more information or to register for the conference, please visit the Movable Book Society website.
*** ONE Arts Center invites the public to drop off printed single pages or small zines of creative writing to be part of a month-long art show that explores the relationship between verbal and nonverbal communication.
Bring work to the center at 72 North Champlain St. in Burlington, VT from 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The deadline for submissions is March 31.
For more information, please call (802) 338-0028.
Book Arts Classes
*** B.A.G. member Elissa Campbell is teaching Join the Fold: Origami Books at Studio Place Arts in Barre, VT on March 17 from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
In this workshop, you’ll be playing in the intersection between origami and bookmaking, creating folded books that require no adhesive. Many of the forms can be created from a single sheet of paper.
One of the pieces you’ll be making can be used as either a book cover or as a signature in a sewn book, and other pieces include hidden pockets. Structures include the Blizzard Book, Crown Binding, and the Turkish Map Fold.
To register, contact SPA via phone (802) 479-7069 or email.
*** Kelly McMahon of May Day Studio is teaching Introduction to Letterpress in Montpelier, VT on Saturday, March 26 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The cool touch of decades-old metal type. A firm two-handed impression roll for a copy proof. A deft transfer from composing stick to imposing stone. A gentle tap of the planer. Two quick twists of the locking key and the chase with form is secure. The press is inked, the guides aligned, the chase slips into position, paper is correctly placed and your very first impression is ready to print.
Participants set type, lockup and print on a Chandler and Price Pilot and a Vandercook SP-15 – we’ll be printing limited edition notesets, as well as posters! Each participant will leave with 10 cards and envelopes, and 5 8-1/2″ x 11″ posters as lifetime keepsake of their first letterpress experience.
For more information or to register, please visit the May Day Studio website.
*** The Eliot School in Jamaica Plain, MA is offering Pop-Up Travel Journal with Susan Porter on April 17 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Incorporate photos, tickets, labels and other ephemera from your travels to create a pop-up book. The book begins as a simple square but opens into a dramatic, multifaceted container that includes pockets, windows, pop-outs and other paper forms. A variety of media and techniques will be used including printmaking, collage, painting and drawing.
For more information about the class, please visit the Eliot School’s website or click here to download the complete catalog.
*** On April 9-10, the North Bennet Street School is offering Paper “Leather” Bindings with Fionnuala Gerrity.
Love the look of leather but hate the expense? Learn how to use paper as an alternative covering material to leather in this two-day class. This material is also great for conservation applications and for those who prefer to avoid animal products. Students make a blank book sewn on raised cords with a paper covering material molded around the spine and toned to simulate the look and feel of leather. No paring required!.
Students are responsible for supplying their own tools. A tool list will be sent at least 2 weeks prior to class start.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBSS website.
by Elissa | Feb 4, 2016 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, MailB.A.G., Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Thursday, February 18, 2016, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
The February meeting will be held at the Living/Learning Center gallery on the UVM campus. Click here for directions to the gallery and here for a map of visitor parking at UVM.
Please note that in September we will not be meeting as usual on the second Wednesday at the Unitarian Church in Burlington.
Program: Spring Exhibit at UVM Living/Learning Gallery
Our Spring 2016 exhibit Book Works: Artists’ Books by the Book Arts Guild of Vermont will take place at the Living/Learning Center gallery on the UVM campus from February 15 – March 18, 2016.
The opening reception and artists’ talk will be on February 18th at 5:30 p.m. This will be in place of our usual February meeting at the Unitarian Church.
We invite anyone with a piece or pieces in the show to talk briefly about their work. Time may be limited in order to give everyone a chance to speak.
The deadline for submissions has passed. However, if you have a piece that you would like to have included in the show, please email Marcia your paperwork by FEBRUARY 9th. That is the final final final date.
For special arrangements for your piece, please contact Marcia. Address and contact info are on the entry form, which can be downloaded here.
January Meeting Reflections
Our January meeting brought out everyone’s creative spirit in the Build-a-Book Round Robin program. Using materials passed on in an envelope, participants assembled these into unique books using a basic pamphlet structure or variation. With each passing of the envelope, the books took on the quirky, surprising results of collaboration.
We all left with a one of a kind journal that expressed the varied nature of our group. I love mine, and can’t wait to do it again!
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
*** Rebecca Boardman has been busily working on our collaborative Exquisite Corpse book so that it may be included in our upcoming exhibit. She has two pieces with unidentified artists and would like to credit them for their work.
Please look at the images below and contact Becky if either belongs to you.
*** On March 26th, the Book Arts Guild of Vermont proudly presents the Chinese Sewing Box Book, a one-day workshop with the awesome Erin Sweeney. Erin is a dynamic teacher and artist, and fills a room with excitement and inspiration. Sign up now, as space is limited!
The Chinese Sewing Box Book is a book structure created by the amazing Hedi Kyle – made entirely of folded boxes and enclosures based on paper wallets, and used to store sewing supplies – an origami lovers’ dream! Many things can be housed in this finished structure: surprises, stories, drawings, and prints. Students will leave with one finished book, a pattern to make another, and hopefully the start of a second book!
Erin Sweeney lives and works in southern New Hampshire, where she runs Lovely In The Home Press, and teaches Book Arts and Letterpress printing at the New Hampshire Institute of Art.
Here’s the scoop:
- Date: Saturday, March 26, 2016
- Time: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Location: Ridgewood Clubhouse, South Burlington
- Cost: $75.00, including materials (payment is due in full with your registration to reserve a spot)
You can download the registration form here.
*** Many thanks to everyone who folded origami cubes for the Genesis Project. In total, we contributed 168 cubes!
Valerie Hird will be using our cubes, along with thousands of other origami pieces from around the world, to assemble a tree at the Nohra Haime Gallery (730 Fifth Avenue, New York). The exhibition of the tree (including the two weeks when Valerie will be documenting its assembly) will run from March 4 through May 7, 2016.
The official opening reception will be held on Tuesday, March 22. If you can’t attend in person, Valerie is also organizing a live webcast of the reception “where we’ll upload pics, comments and clink wine glasses in real time!”
If anyone is considering heading down to New York for the reception on March 22, or would like to participate in a small gathering locally to join the virtual webcast, please contact Jill.
| 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 (outlined in the sidebar of this newsletter), 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. In addition, 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.
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Book Arts News
*** In collaboration with Abecedarian Gallery, Saint Anselm College is presenting CONTEMPORARY BOOK ARTS: 100+ Works, an exhibit of artists’ books co-curated by Kimberly Kersey-Asbury and Alicia Bailey. The exhibit is on view at the Living Learning Commons Galleries at the college and runs now through March 16.
The exhibit includes 85 works on loan to Saint Anselm from Abecedarian Gallery, along with selections from Manchester book artist Erin Sweeney and students at Saint Anselm College. You can view the pieces included in the exhibit on the Abecedarian Gallery website.
The opening reception will take place on Thursday, February 11 from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. For more information about the exhibit, please contact Kimberly Kersey-Asbury at kasbury@anselm.edu.
The Living Learning Commons Galleries at Saint Anselm College are located in Manchester, NH.
*** The New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers is looking for volunteers for an upcoming Girl Scout event. They will be partnering with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts offering programs for Cadette scouts (age 11-14) to earn a Book Artist badge. In addition, they will run a program for younger scouts.
The event will be held on Saturday March 26, 2016 at Camp Maude Eaton in Andover, MA. They will run a 3-hour program for Cadettes in the morning from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and then have a 2-hour program for younger girls from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. You can volunteer for just one program or make a day out of it and do both!
There will be an introduction and then five stations that the girls will rotate through which may include printing, accordion folds, a pamphlet, origami book, a scroll, decorating paper or a collaborative book, depending on the interests of the volunteers. Each rotation will last for about 30 minutes. The younger girls will have similar programming in a shorter time frame with possibly only four rotations. If you have a book arts technique or project that you’d like to see done with the Girl Scouts please make some suggestions.
You do not need to be a member of the NEGBW to volunteer. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Todd Pattison at bookandtile@att.net.
Book Arts Classes
*** On Sundays February 28 – March 20, the North Bennet Street School is offering Single Signature Binding with Erin Fletcher.
Students begin by making a simple softcover pamphlet booklet then use this basic bookbinding technique and create two different hardcover single signature bindings. The first is a modified stub binding, which pushes the signature away from the spine, allowing the text to open flat. The second is a modified Bradel binding with a leather spine. Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Bookbinding I or equivalent experience, no leather experience necessary.
This is an advanced beginner class. Students should feel comfortable with the basics of bookbinding: measuring, cutting and sewing a textblock on tapes; and gluing.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBSS website.
*** From April 1 – 3, the New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers presents Single Section Staple Binding in Stone with Coleen Curry. The workshop will be held at Third Year Studios in Boston.
This three-day class will explore binding structures using real stone veneer in the techniques created by Sün Evrard. Students will construct a modified historical structure with conservation principles in mind, using the stone veneer.
This single-section staple binding is simple but is executed with a lot of care and attention to detail. The pamphlet binding is sewn and then attached to the boards using copper wire as secondary sewing. You will decorate the bindings by cutting into the stone and painting with acrylic. Students will create one binding, and if time allows, we will explore uses of the stone as a decorative element for bindings or boxes.
For more information or to register, please visit the GBW website.
*** The Eliot School in Jamaica Plain, MA is offering Case Binding: Flatback Journal with Joshua Crotty on February 20 & 21, 2016 from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Learn the fundamentals of basic case binding, including signature construction, a common sewing structure, lining up, case making with cloth and decorative paper and casing in. Go home with a small journal and the skills to produce your own case-bound books using a basic set of tools.
For more information about the class, please visit the Eliot School’s website or click here to download the complete catalog.
by Elissa | Jan 8, 2016 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, MailB.A.G., Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 13, 2016, 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: Build-a-Book Round Robin
To get the new year off to a creative start, come join us in January for the fun and collaborative magic of a Build-a-Book Round Robin, where you bring in some basic materials and go home with a unique, artistic journal that reflects the combined talents and imagination of several people.
In a traditional Art Journal Round Robin, a group of participants each start a book with a theme. The books gets passed around – usually by mail over the course of several weeks – to the other participants, who typically add a page of artwork reflecting the book’s theme.
Designed to be completed in one evening, our Build-a-Book Round Robin will focus on creating, modifying and embellishing basic book structures, using a combination of pamphlet-stitch sewing and/or accordion folds. There will be more than a dozen models of books for inspiration, as well as a short tutorial on the pamphlet stitch and accordion folding.
Before the meeting, simply assemble some basic materials and place them in a folder or envelope (see below). At the start of the meeting, you will hand your envelope to the person sitting to your left, who will choose a design and begin making a book with your materials (adding embellishments of their own, if they choose). After 20 minutes, they will place everything in the original envelope and pass it along to the person on their left. This will continue two or three more times (as time permits). At the end of the evening, the book and any remaining materials are packed up and returned to the original person.
Remember, many hands make unique books!
Please bring the following to the meeting:
Tools:
- Bone folder
- Scissors
- X-Acto Knife
- Ruler
- Cutting Mat
- Glue
- Awl or needle tool
- Needles (bookbinding or crewel)
Materials:
- Linen (waxed or unwaxed) or embroidery thread
- A few sheets of 12″ x 12″ (scrapbook paper size) decorative cardstock for the cover and/or spine of your book
- Several sheets of text-weight paper for pages. Light-weight paper from a large (at least 9″ x 12″) drawing or sketch pad is preferable to copier paper, although copier paper is acceptable if no other is available.
- Large folder or Tyvek envelope labeled with your name.
Optional supplies for decoration/embellishment:
- Decorative punches
- Stamps
- Pens
- Colored pencils, crayons, water colors
- Decorative paper
- Large-hole beads
- Other Fun stuff!
December Meeting Reflections
So many things going on at our meeting last month!
First off, a grand buffet to celebrate the New Year. Thanks to everyone who contributed and helped consume it.
Next, encouragement from Becky to submit individual pieces to be included in the Exquisite Corpse collaborative book project. We had a chance to revisit the book Becky made from the initial exercise done in a previous meeting, and get some inspiration for submissions due at the January meeting (that’s this month, people). It will be exciting to have a piece in which all members can be represented at the Book Arts show.
Finally, another collaborative project, led by Jill. Jill gave us instruction to make origami cubes, which will be submitted to the Genesis Project, a crowd-sourced art installation led by artist Valerie Hird. We have committed to submitting 100 cubes, and I believe we got a huge start on that number at the meeting. Plus it was super fun to chat while folding, once we all got the hang of it.
It was great to see so many familiar faces as well as some new ones at the meeting. I know I look forward to the new year with excitement about new projects and learning opportunities, as well as greeting old and new friends. Thanks to all who attended and participated!
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
Spring Exhibit at UVM Living/Learning Gallery
Our Spring 2016 exhibit Book Works: Artists’ Books by the Book Arts Guild of Vermont will take place at the Living/Learning Center gallery on the UVM campus from February 15 – March 18, 2016.
We encourage all members and friends to participate in this broadly themed show. Work can include new or time honored techniques, book-related pieces and sculpture, and generally any work that can be ‘read’.
The gallery is in a unique spot that serves UVM students as well as the public, offering exposure to a variety of artistic media in a creative setting. It is a perfect venue to exhibit all styles and levels of work.
After such a fantastic show last year at SEABA, we’re excited to see what comes next for everyone!
Important Dates:
- Deadline for submissions: January 15, 2016. Please bring your work along with the entry form to the January meeting. Work can also be mailed to Marcia. For special arrangements, please contact Marcia. Address and contact info are on the entry form.
- Set up: February 15, 2016. If you would like to help hang the show to see what goes on pre-show, please let me know.
- Opening reception and artists’ talk: February 18, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. This will be in place of our usual February meeting.
The exhibit entry form and additional information can be downloaded here.
The Book Arts Guild of Vermont’s
annual membership begins this month!
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 (outlined in the sidebar of this newsletter), 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. In addition, 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.
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Save the date!
On March 26th, the Book Arts Guild of Vermont will present a workshop with the awesome Erin Sweeney – the Chinese Sewing Box Book.
This book structure was created by the amazing Hedi Kyle – it’s made entirely of folded boxes and enclosures based on paper wallets, and used to store sewing supplies – an origami lovers’ dream!
More details are coming, but mark your calendar now!
- Date: Saturday, March 26, 2016
- Time: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Location: Ridgewood Clubhouse, South Burlington
Book Arts News
*** Now through January 26th, the New City Galerie is presenting BOOKBODY, a juried exhibition of art and books relating to book forms and the human body. Artists and authors are exploring the intimate relationship between the human body and the physical book.
How do the tactile characteristics of the book impact how our bodies read? How does the body make books? What occurs between this give and take? What is the nature of this symbiosis?
The New City Galerie is located at 132 Church Street in Burlington, VT.
*** The New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers is looking for volunteers for an upcoming Girl Scout event. They will be partnering with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts offering programs for Cadette scouts (age 11-14) to earn a Book Artist badge. In addition, they will run a program for younger scouts.
The event will be held on Saturday March 26, 2016 at Camp Maude Eaton in Andover, MA. They will run a 3-hour program for Cadettes in the morning from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and then have a 2-hour program for younger girls from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. You can volunteer for just one program or make a day out of it and do both!
There will be an introduction and then five stations that the girls will rotate through which may include printing, accordion folds, a pamphlet, origami book, a scroll, decorating paper or a collaborative book, depending on the interests of the volunteers. Each rotation will last for about 30 minutes. The younger girls will have similar programming in a shorter time frame with possibly only four rotations. If you have a book arts technique or project that you’d like to see done with the Girl Scouts please make some suggestions.
You do not need to be a member of the NEGBW to volunteer. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Todd Pattison at bookandtile@att.net.
Book Arts Classes
*** The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts has announced their 2016 summer workshop lineup. There are two book arts workshops of note:
- 6/26 – 7/8: Artist’s Books: The Balancing Act of Concept and Form with Rebecca Goodale. The rich complexity of the artist’s book involves rhythm, pace, and form and is driven by a desire to express an idea and/or narrative over and across the pages. In this workshop participants will develop a vocabulary of book structures and then consider appropriate concepts to use with those forms.
- 7/31 – 8/12: A Letterpress, an Artist’ Book, and some text walk into a bar… with Erin Sweeney. This intensive workshop will focus on the depth and breadth of the artists’ book. Participants will learn a variety of printmaking techniques using a Kelsey platen press and a Showcard proof press, experimenting with alternative materials, as well as type, to create imagery.
If you would like to receive a course catalog or be added to their Email list, please contact them at haystack@haystack-mtn.org or (207) 348-2306. Haystack is in Deer Isle, ME.
*** On February 1 – 5, 2016, the North Bennet Street School is offering Introduction to Blind and Gold Tooling on Leather with Samuel Feinstein.
In this week-long intensive, students learn the fundamentals of blind tooling and gold tooling on leather, focusing on straight lines and using BS Glaire to affix the gold. Line-work is one of the most important, fundamental, and versatile decorative techniques used on tooled bindings, and it is used in both traditional and contemporary designs. Students also have time to explore the use of curved lines and small decorative tools within a limited scope. A final plaquette will be completed using the techniques covered.
This is an introduction for beginners as well as a step forward for those who would like to build on their existing knowledge. The goal of this workshop is to familiarize you with the processes involved and prepare you for further practice.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBSS website.
*** On Saturdays from January 16 – February 13, 2016, the North Bennet Street School is also offering Fundamentals of Bookbinding I with Amy Lapidow.
Students learn the foundations of bookbinding through hands-on experience and discussion. Learn structural elements, sewing variations, covering and cutting techniques using various materials, in addition to proper use of tools and equipment. Discussions throughout the course cover terminology, paper grain and folding, selecting proper materials and tools, and adhesives and their properties. The focus is on non-adhesive structures such as coptic, historical long stitch and case bindings such as flat back, rounded back.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBSS website.
*** The Eliot School in Jamaica Plain, MA is offering Case Binding: Flatback Journal with Joshua Crotty on February 20 & 21, 2016 from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Learn the fundamentals of basic case binding, including signature construction, a common sewing structure, lining up, case making with cloth and decorative paper and casing in. Go home with a small journal and the skills to produce your own case-bound books using a basic set of tools.
For more information about the class, please visit the Eliot School’s website or click here to download the complete catalog.
