by Elissa | Jul 8, 2026 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont
Next Meeting: Wednesday, July 8, 2026, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
We meet at the Unitarian Universalist Society Church located at 152 Pearl Street in Burlington, VT. We will be in the Sophia Fahs Community Room, a large room located in the basement. Click here for more information on directions/parking.
We look forward to seeing you!
The B.A.G. Board
Announcing Our Theme for 2026!
In 2026, we’re returning to our tradition of choosing an annual theme for our meetings. The B.A.G. Board is happy to announce our theme for this year, Interaction.
Cornell University said it well in Wake the Form: Artists’ Books in Context: “An important characteristic of artists’ books is their interactivity. The artist often creates an experience for the reader that encourages performance, either in constructing or staging the piece, or in rehearsing parts of the text. A book can become a miniature stage set, unfolding to reveal sequences that can be extended, figures added, scenes reorganized.”
With artists’ books, the reader is invited to participate in the work – intimacy between the viewer and the book distinguishes our art form from other types of art.
Throughout the year, we’ll look at the ways one can interact with a book, whether it’s through form (structure, materials used), content (text, imagery), or a combination of both.
Get ready because it will be an exciting year!
Program: Fishbone Binding with Elissa Campbell
At July’s B.A.G. meeting, Elissa Campbell will teach you how to make the Fishbone Binding, a fascinating structure developed by Hedi Kyle.
You’ll also have the opportunity to create a cover for your text block. All materials will be provided to those attending the meeting in person.
If you wish, you can also bring your own papers using the measurements provided below.
For those at home, here are the tools and materials you’ll need to participate in making the project:
- Metal ruler
- Scissors
- X-Acto knife
- Cutting mat
- Awl
- Pencil
- Needle
- Linen thread (or embroidery thread if that’s all you have): 21”
- 1 piece of cover weight paper: 7.75” x 13.5” (grain short)
- 1 piece of cover weight paper: 1” x 1” (optional – this can be used for a button)
- 1 piece of text weight paper: 11.25” x 21.75” (grain short)
- Note: If you don’t have a piece of paper 21.75” long, there’s a workaround!
- Piece together two pieces measuring 11.25” x 10” and 11.25” x 12.25” (both grain short) by overlapping them by 0.5”.
- Attach the pieces with a glue stick and you’ll be all set.
If you’d like to attend the meeting over Zoom, please contact Elissa and she’ll send you the details.
June Meeting Reflections
Slow stitching and happy sewers!
At last month’s B.A.G. meeting, Vera Ryersbach led us into the bliss of the running stitch, complete with a bit of history and an informative zine.
After her lovely intro we were off and “running”. We used 8” x 6” heavyweight paper that Vera will collect and bind into a book. The calming effect of stitching was felt by all. Vera encouraged our creativity with the endless variations of the running stitch and the possible additions of paint or collage.
Thanks Vera! We’re going slow and it feels good.
B.A.G. Library Corner
Elissa here, tapping in for Sally!
When I think of the theme of interaction, I can’t help but think of the Jacob’s Ladder structure. I find the flip-flappiness and click-clackiness of it very satisfying.
Did you know that there’s also a way to create this structure in box form? The lid opens in both directions and offers you the opportunity to both conceal and reveal as you interact with it.
In Roger Green’s book, A Comprehensive Guide to Box Making for Bookbinders, Artists and Amateurs, you can construct your very own four-section Magic Box.
And it really is as magical as it sounds.
You can check out and download the selection here.
If you have ideas for books to feature or if you have a B.A.G. library book in your possession from which you’d like to share something, email Sally at salblanch@gmail.com.
B.A.G. News
*** The Book Arts Guild of Vermont Retrospective is still up! You still have through the end of July to see it for yourself.
There are plans in the works for book arts related events during the month of July that will pique interest in the show. One may be an event in which a limited number of interested community members would be given the opportunity to have a private viewing of books that were not included in the show – an exclusive look behind the curtain!
If you’re unable to make it to the exhibit in person, never fear! Elissa took pictures of all the pieces in the exhibition! You can check out the full exhibition here.
*** Congratulations to Karen Krieger for winning Best in Show at the Morgan Conservatory’s 14th Annual Juried Exhibition, A Hand of One’s Own. The exhibition highlighted paper as a creative medium and active substrate and featured 60 artworks from talented artists across Ohio and representing 30 states nationwide.
Ranging from fashion, sculptural works, book forms, ephemera, and other traditional methods, the show embodied the capabilities of the artistic hand and how paper has no limits.
Book Arts News
*** Helen Hiebert‘’s paper-loving community, The Paper Year, is open for enrollment now through July 12.
Each month, you’ll receive project instructions designed to spark ideas that keep you creating. You’ll explore creative paper techniques, including origami, pop-ups, paper weaving, book arts, paper cutting and more.
When you join, you’ll gain access to all past projects in The Paper Year Library.
For more information, please visit Helen’s website.
*** The American Bookbinders Museum is presenting a virtual lecture, Buried Alive! Books Unearthed in Our Time, with Michael Burke on July 18. This lecture tells the story of three ancient books that were buried underground, lost for centuries and then found again.
The Nag Hammadi Codices were discovered in Egypt in 1945 a clay pot. These books, written in the Coptic language, contain the infamous Gnostic Gospels. Within a short time some had been smuggled and sold, and sent all over the world to various libraries. They have now been reunited and live in the library at Cairo. Michael will tell the story of their discovery, which involves murder, cannibalism and international scholarly squabbling.
St. Cuthbert’s Gospel was made by the monks of Lindisfarne in 692, buried with Cuthbert when he died, and discovered in his coffin in the year 1104 in exceptionally good condition. It is the earliest known decorated European binding, and was acquired for the nation in 2005 for £9 million. It is now on permanent exhibition in the treasures room of the British Library. You’ll learn about St Cuthbert’s extraordinary life, the monks of Lindisfarne, why they had to move on to new houses over the years, and how the book was made and decorated.
The Fadden More Psalter is one of the earliest surviving British manuscripts. It was found in a peat bog in Tipperary in 2005, an appalling mess of squashed and crumpled parchment and leather. You’ll learn the story of how it took over four years of painstaking work to unpick the damaged pages, removing 1,300 years of soil, moss and seed pods, before the book could be studied by the scholars.
For more information or to register, please visit the ABA website.
*** Every graduating class from the full-time Bookbinding Department at North Bennet Street School completes a design binding, in their own unique style, of an assigned text. This is referred to as the set book.
Since graduating from NBBS in 2012, Erin Fletcher of Herringbone Bindery has been conducting annual interviews of each student about their binding, discussing the concept and the process.
The text selected for 2026 was Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children’s Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Erin’s interviews of this year’s graduating class can be read on her website.
Stay-at-Home Fun
*** The Center for Book Arts is offering Camera-less Eco-Photography: From Plant to Print for Book Artists with Iviva Olenick on July 16 & 23.
Learn how to use household materials and plants to make camera-less eco-photographs in this two-part workshop. Transform food waste (purple cabbage leaves, turmeric spice, water from soaking black rice, spinach leaves) into photographic emulsions to make anthotypes, or plant-based sun-prints, similar to cyanotypes.
Learn how to take plant cuttings and use them to make a safe developer for printing plants on B&W photo paper, known as phytograms. Add embroidery to your phytograms, crafting unique, mixed media artworks, and begin to plan new book arts projects incorporating these techniques.
For more information or to register, please visit the CBA website.
*** The Frederick Book Arts Center is offering Pop-Up Mini Creatures with Shawn Sheehy on July 22.
Pop-ups are all about the “wow” factor. Building pop-ups in miniature maximizes the “wow” factor, as dramatic structures emerge from tiny spaces. In this workshop, you’ll build three miniature pop-up cards featuring charming woodland creatures.
Using just card stock, glue and a handful of simple tools, you will build three miniature pop-up cards that feature a snail, a snake, and a robin (plus a sneaky little worm).
All levels are welcome.
For more information or to register, please visit the FBAC website.
*** Erin Fletcher of Herringbone Bindery is teaching the Box with Telescoping Lid on August 4, 6, & 11.
In contrast to the clamshell box, this style of enclosure has a completely separate lid that slides off the base. In this workshop, students will construct an inner tray set within a frame for the object to rest. A ribbon will be added for easy retrieval of the object.
Students will be able to customize the inner tray to fit an object from their own library. Your object should be no larger than 145 x 100 x 20mm (h x w x d).
For more information or to register, please visit the Erin’s website.
*** The Minnesota Center for Book Arts is offering Make Your Own Binding Tools with Rachel Payne on Tuesdays August 4, 11, & 18.
Many bindery tools are specialized, making them difficult to find or expensive to purchase. In this virtual workshop, you’ll make a few tools and discuss how to make more.
Through live demonstration and guided discussion, you will discuss the construction of tools such as a laying press, press boards (wood and plexi), bone folders, and box corner jigs. You will make a punching cradle, corner trimming jigs, faux brass edged boards, bent needles, and soft weights.
There will be ample time for questions, troubleshooting, and discussion of alternative materials and methods. By the end of the workshop, you’ll understand how to construct your own bindery tools and adapt designs to suit your workspace and needs.
For more information or to register, please visit the MCBA website.
by Elissa | Jun 7, 2026 | bookbinding, Exhibitions, Vermont
Ecclesiastes III by Nancy Stone
Ecclesiastes III by Nancy Stone
Ecclesiastes III by Nancy Stone
Ecclesiastes III by Nancy Stone
Ecclesiastes III by Nancy Stone
Ecclesiastes III by Nancy Stone
Ecclesiastes III by Nancy Stone
Sacred Bonds by Nancy Stone
Shelter by Sally Blanchard-O’Brien
Shelter by Sally Blanchard-O’Brien
Stories My Grandmother Told Me by Sally Blanchard-O’Brien
Bygone Opportunities by Rebecca Boardman
Pandora’s America by Rebecca Boardman
Mainstreaming by Rebecca Boardman
Layers of Lethal and Heartless Orders by Rebecca Boardman
Layers of Lethal and Heartless Orders by Rebecca Boardman
Child’s Play by Rebecca Boardman
There are No Human Races by Rebecca Boardman
You Can’t Take it with You by Elissa Campbell
Pipsqueak’s Adventure Carousel Pop-Up Book by Diana D. Dunn
Tunnel Book Pipsqueak Reimagined by Diana D. Dunn
Dialogue by Marilyn Gillis
Interplay by Marilyn Gillis
Stitching through Time by Marilyn Gillis
Collage by Sue Gleason
Takes a Village by Gretchen Hammel
Takes a Village by Gretchen Hammel
Big Words for Small Children by Gretchen Hammell
Big Words for Small Children by Gretchen Hammell
I Envy the Carrots in My Garden by Gretchen Hammell
Discarded Universe by Dorsey Hogg
Tightly Bound by Dorsey Hogg
Touching Other People’s Stories by Dorsey Hogg
Remnants of a Walk by Anne McMillan
Phase II by Anne McMillan
El Viejoy El Mar by Anne McMillan
Tree House by Anne McMillan
The Adventurers by Anne McMillan
Tell Me by Carole McNamee
Archetypal Mandalas: Reflections of the Life Cycle by Carole McNamee
Ethos Lost V2 by Carole McNamee
For the Birds by Carole McNamee
A Time to Reap by Ann Joppe-Mercure
The Olive Branch is Falling by Ann Joppe-Mercure
The Golden Rules by Ann Joppe-Mercure
Tale of Two Cities by Sally Knight
Vermont Dreamscapes by Sally Knight
Village Stories by Sally Knight
Dream House III by Sally Knight
Bath Time by Debra Kraemer
Dictionary of the Unknown (to Me) by Debra Kraemer
Expressions in Indigo by Debra Kraemer
Fragments by Debra Kraemer
Garden Grid by Karen Krieger
Minuetto Butterfly by Karen Krieger
Purple Circles by Karen Krieger
Crazy Quilt Bottle by Karen Krieger
Grid Quilt Offering Bowl by Karen Krieger
Welcome to the Circus by Laura Lacroix
The Exquisite Corpse by Laura Lacroix
Seasonably Cold by Laura Lacroix
Notorious Women by Laura Lacroix
Hidden in Plain Sight by Laura Lacroix
Galapagos Travel Journal by Susan Marsh
Presenting Henrietta’s Presents by Susan Marsh
Presenting Henrietta’s Presents by Susan Marsh
Steeped by Susan Marsh
An Illusion of Story by Gina Pisello
Flyover by Gina Pisello
26 Reasons: Why My Garden Will Not Be Featured in Martha Stewart Living by Jane Ploughman
Quietude by Jane Ploughman
Landscape Star Book by Vera Ryersbach
Homage to Rousseau by Vera Ryersbach
ABC Cloth Button Book by Vera Ryersbach
silent hint by Susan Smereka
agement by Susan Smereka
a complete list by Susan Smereka
formation by Susan Smereka
sudden by Susan Smereka
Footsteps on Sacred Ground by Peggy Smith
Footsteps on Sacred Ground by Peggy Smith
Rides, Neon Lights and Fried Pickles by Peggy Smith
The Pond in Spring by Deborah Stuart
The Pond in Spring by Deborah Stuart
Cyanoprint Experiments #1 by Deborah Stuart
Cyanoprint Experiments #1 by Deborah Stuart
Morning Glory by Penne Tompkins
B.A.G. Postcard Challenge by Penne Tompkins
Measuring Up by Marcia Vogler
Measuring Up by Marcia Vogler
By Marcia Vogler
Bird Totem by Marcia Vogler
A Show of Hands by Marcia Vogler
Modern Constellations by Marcia Vogler
by Elissa | Dec 2, 2021 | B.A.G. Book Swap, B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Call to artists, Exhibitions, MailB.A.G., Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, December 8, 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
Program: Zine Swap Sharing
Our December meeting will be a sharing of your amazing ZINES.
Come prepared to guide us through your zine creation and share your process. The variety of zines made by our 20+ participants is so creative and full of surprises. Get ready for an evening of inspiration and fellowship.
Zine you there!
If you plan to attend the meeting, please contact Elissa so she can send you the Zoom meeting details.
November Meeting Reflections
Traditionally, the November meeting (formerly Book Blitz and Card Tricks) has been one of my favorites. Participation is always at a high and ideas flow freely. The new program, simply called Paper Tricks, did not disappoint. Volunteers showed their simple, complicated, or just plain fun ideas using their awesome paper skills.
We also caught up with Gail Martin and her collection of miniature books that was in the show at the Northeast Kingdom Artisans Guild. Wonderful all around.
Thanks, everyone, for presenting, participating, and just plain showing up. We continue to buoy each other up, and look forward to a future when we can meet in person.
You can download Elissa’s card template here.
B.A.G. Library Corner
We all know that food is the most important part of the holiday season. What about creating a journal to house your holiday recipes?
Jeannine Stein’s Adventures in Bookbinding gives us a step-by-step guide to creating a quirky coptic-bound, decoupage journal – that even incorporates real spoons! Whether you use this tutorial to create a junk journal of gathered recipes or to create a blank book to copy your recipes by hand, Stein’s method is fun to follow or easy to customize to your own vision.
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.
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.
*** Mary Ellen Manock is offering up her stash papermaking supplies to anyone interested. She’s got a blender, instructions, straw, and cellulose materials to wet down and make paper. She also has some color aid paper (glossy brilliant color).
The catch is that she needs to get everything out of her garage by this weekend as she is closing on her house. If she can’t get any takers, then she will bring everything to the ReStore.
If you’re interested, please contact Mary Ellen at memanock@mac.com.
Book Arts News
*** 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.
*** Now through December 6, Abecedarian Artists’ Books is accepting submissions for its upcoming show, Lettered & Bound. The exhibit will be on view at Dayton Memorial Library, Regis University, in Denver, CO in February 2022 and Tallyn’s Reach Public Library in Aurora, CO in March 2022.
Eligible are book works that include calligraphy (the art of beautiful writing) as a primary element. Book works can be unique, editioned, traditionally bound, created using experimental forms (e.g. folded forms), wall mounted (e.g. scrolls) or loose sheets presented in a portfolio or box. Calligraphy is here defined as human mark making that draws upon traditional forms of calligraphy or modern, gestural, or abstract forms.
For more information or to submit work for consideration, please visit the Abecedarian Artists’ Books website.
Stay-at-Home Fun
*** The Austin Book Arts Center is offering the Watercolor Sketchbook with Beatrice Baldwin on December 10.
Learn some basic bookbinding skills in this 3-hour workshop. Students will create a hard-cover book with pages of watercolor paper (140 lb Arches cold press). It is an accordion fold construction, so the book opens wide and the pages lay flat, perfect for sketching or watercolor.
For more information or to register, please visit the ABAC website.
*** The Jaffe Center for Book Arts is offering A Wardrobe of Paper Cases with Karen Hanmer on December 11,
In this one session online workshop you will quickly construct a text block using a very speedy sewing technique. This will free up the remainder of our time together to concentrate on folding a variety of paper cases to dress this text block ”mannequin.” As each case is presented, suggestions will be given on appropriate sewing techniques and endsheet constructions for that particular structure.
All structures are low or no adhesive. All can be constructed in a sparsely-equipped home studio with minimal specialized equipment.
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 Zines, Zines, Zines! with Beth Sheehan on December 16.
In this two-hour virtual workshop for beginners, the instructor will give an overview of the multifaceted history of zines and teach participants to make their own!
Participants will learn simple image-making techniques like pochoir and easy-to-do zine structures including variations on the accordion book.
For more information or to register, please visit the CBA website.
by Elissa | Nov 4, 2021 | B.A.G. Book Swap, B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Call to artists, Exhibitions, Lecture, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, November 10, 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
Program: Paper Tricks – Books, Cards, and Garlands
We have rebranded our annual November tradition from Book Blitz and Card Tricks to Paper Tricks! Member-led mini demonstrations can include any paper-centric item, including mini books, holiday cards, ornaments, garlands, or any other form you come up with.
While we are unable to be together IRL, we can still celebrate each others’ creativity. Your task – design an item that has a trick or two; maybe a pop-up, French doors, a window, or unusual material or structure.
Here’s where we need YOU.
We are seeking volunteers to share their paper manipulation during our Zoom meeting. You will simply hold up your creation for us to see and demonstrate how you made your paper item. We can post follow up references on Chat if desired.
Contact Marcia to secure a spot in the spotlight. The more members who participate, the richer our meeting will be.
If you plan to attend the meeting, please contact Elissa so she can send you the Zoom meeting details.
October Meeting Reflections
We are all missing IRL meetings and the socializing that we enjoyed during those times. But I really felt the camaraderie in our group at our meeting in October where artists shared work from the NEKAG show.
There was a lot of giving going on in the form of positive feedback, helpful ideas, and general admiration. And what’s not to admire? We had very positive feedback from the gallery, and succeeded in one of our main missions, to further the public knowledge of book arts.
So thank you to all the artists who participated in the show, and special thanks to those who shared their work more intimately at the meeting. It’s always inspiring to me to know where ideas come from, and how they make it into book form. How does that happen for you? What makes you create a book? Ah, these questions deserve discussion.
B.A.G. Library Corner
We’re entering the holiday season once again and beginning to put our gift lists together. And what could make a gift giving prettier than Naomi Shiek’s leafy gift set?
In her book, Fold It and Cut It, Shiek provides templates and instructions for creating intricate hand-cut leaf designs for gift tags, gift wrap, and ribbon. Together, these designs make any gift something special.
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
*** We have over 20 participants in the B.A.G. Zine Swap Challenge!
Remember to mail your 10 zines by November 20th to:
Ann Joppe-Mercure
10 Brookwood Drive
South Burlington, VT 05403
Here’s a recap of the details:
- Create your zine using an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of paper – it should be an 8 page origami structure (one-sheet book).
- The final zine size should be 4.25″ x 2.75″.
- Make 10 copies of your zine and fold them.
- Optional fun – create a box or wrap to contain your zines.
We will mail packets of 10 assorted zines to you in late November, just in time to share them at our December B.A.G. meeting
*** B.A.G. Co-Founder Nancy Stone will selling her book 251 Vermont Vistas from a booth at the Made in Vermont Marketplace put on by Vermont Business Magazine. The book is a collection of original watercolor ‘postcards’ that she painted over several years as she and her husband visited each of Vermont’s 251 towns and cities. To preview the book or to order on-line, visit Nancy’s website.
The Marketplace will take place on Saturday, November 20th from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and on Sunday, November 21 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Double Tree by Hilton Burlington on Williston Road. It will welcome exhibitors who make unique Vermont products, from food to spirits to woodworking to Vermont clothing and more.
The timing of the event, a week before Thanksgiving, enables people to start shopping for holiday gifts early. With all the talk of supply chain shortages, now is the time to buy local for Christmas.
For more information please visit the Made in Vermont Marketplace website.
*** Emma Percy is teaching Zines & Book Arts at River Arts in Morrisville on December 5.
Zines have a recent but rich history as an underground mode of sharing information, art, and new ideas with other like-minded creative folks. This workshop will explore what zines and artist’s books are and what they can be, introductory layout, printing, and bookbinding techniques to get you started, as well as things to consider when beginning a do-it-yourself publishing or bookmaking project.
A zine can be anything from a folded sheet of paper to a beautifully crafted booklet, and with help and inspiration from Emma’s extensive zine library and scrap paper collection, we will all make a few small zines as well as the foundation for a larger artist’s book where you can let your creativity shine!
For more information or to register, visit the River Arts website.
*** This one comes to us from Nancy Stone:
Gwendolyn Evans is seeking someone to help her with technology for creating pages of her own writing that can be put into a handmade book. Due to vision loss, she is unable to do this herself. She has “always wanted” to make a book using her original content that would be bound within covers created from her work with polymer clay.
She can be reached at (802) 879-2706 or at gwendolynvt@gmail.com.
Book Arts News
*** Now through November 16th, the Baker-Berry Library at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH is hosting The New England Guild of Book Workers 40th Anniversary Exhibition.
This exhibition highlights the creative range and skills of the current members. The work bridges traditional fine binding to innovative design binding where book forms are re-imagined using unconventional materials in new experimental ways.
If you can’t make it to the exhibit, you can view a catalog of the work online.
For more information, please visit the Baker-Berry website.
*** Now through November 20, 23 Sandy Gallery is presenting UNSEEN, and exhibition of book arts featuring 76 works juried by Fulbright recipient and book arts educator Barb Tetenbaum, Jordan Eddy (director of form & concept), and Erin Mickelson (owner of 23 Sandy).
Artists were asked to consider the invisible forces that can shape our lives and surface in unexpected ways – physically, psychologically and philosophically. Work ranges from traditional codexes and interactive and exquisite corpse-style works to reactive sound art books and sculptures.
You can view all of the included work on the 23 Sandy Gallery website.
*** Now through December 6, Abecedarian Artists’ Books is accepting submissions for its upcoming show, Lettered & Bound. The exhibit will be on view at Dayton Memorial Library, Regis University, in Denver, CO in February 2022 and Tallyn’s Reach Public Library in Aurora, CO in March 2022.
Eligible are book works that include calligraphy (the art of beautiful writing) as a primary element. Book works can be unique, editioned, traditionally bound, created using experimental forms (e.g. folded forms), wall mounted (e.g. scrolls) or loose sheets presented in a portfolio or box. Calligraphy is here defined as human mark making that draws upon traditional forms of calligraphy or modern, gestural, or abstract forms.
For more information or to submit work for consideration, please visit the Abecedarian Artists’ Books website.
*** Now through December 11, the Center for Book Arts is hosting CBA 2021 Faculty Fellow Colette Fu‘s exhibition, What the Butterfly Dragon Taught Me, Dimensional Stories in Paper.
The exhibition showcases Fu’s mastery of complex three-dimensional compositions engineered from paper and her own photographs – a practice she has honed over almost two decades.
CBA recorded an artist talk with Fu, where she both discussed the individual stories of each work and spoke to the overall series they are part of – We Are Tiger Dragon People.
You can watch Fu’s talk on YouTube.
Stay-at-Home Fun
*** The Jaffe Center for Book Arts is offering the Sewn Boards Binding with Karen Hanmer on November 13.
This variation on the Sewn Boards Binding is based on Gary Frost’s first prototype. It is held in University of Iowa Library Historical Bookbinding Model Collection. A quick and utilitarian notebook, the outer card folios are glued shut, the spine lined, and a breakaway spine wrapper is added while covering the book in sturdy bookcloth.
Expect a fast-paced workshop; some binding experience and familiarity with basic concepts like folding and paper grain direction will be helpful.
For more information or to register, please email John Cutrone at jcutrone@fau.edu.
*** The Center for Book Arts is offering Intro to Tunnel Books with Maria G. Pisano on November 17 & 18.
In this workshop, students of all experience levels will learn how to make tunnel books. A tunnel book is a wonderful book structure that creates the optical illusion of perspective through accumulated layers.
Traditionally a tunnel book is accompanied by supporting concertinas sides, which make the work collapsible, portable, and easily viewable. The reader is able to hold a tunnel at eye level and marvel at it!
Students will work with their own images to create the book. The images should all be related in theme and subject matter to facilitate a successful outcome.
For more information or to register, please visit the CBA website.
*** The Austin Book Arts Center is offering the Secret Belgian Binding with Kevin Auer on three Mondays, November 29, December 6, and December 13.
Developed by the Belgian artist Anne Goy in 1986 this binding has a similar appearance to a Japanese stab binding. The structure uses a primary and secondary sewing. The sewing creates a distinct thread pattern on the cover and it is a very sturdy binding that allows the book to open completely flat.
In this class we will create a three-piece cover using book board. This board will be covered in paper. The cover pieces will then be sewn together to create the case and the unique sewing pattern. Once the case is completed the textblock will be sewn directly onto the cover using the existing sewing to anchor it in place. We will explore two different sewing methods for connecting the textblock to the case.
For more information or to register, please visit the ABAC website.
*** The Minnesota Center for Book Arts is offering Fuzzy Books with Joanna Manning on two Tuesdays, November 30 and December 7.
Chase away the cold pricklies with some warm, fuzzy, hand-felted artist’s books! In this interactive workshop, get acquainted with needle felting materials and turn wool into a miniature artist’s book of your design.
Craft your own miniature book creation with simple techniques and minimal materials. Learn basic wool felting techniques including how to create and use stencils, fill in shapes, blend colors, and master fine details like thin lines, sharp edges, and dots.
This beginner-friendly workshop doesn’t require any previous knowledge or skills. A materials list will be provided and you’ll walk away with your own unique finished project, plus techniques to continue making more after the workshop.
For more information or to register, please visit the MCBA website.
by Elissa | Nov 3, 2021 | bookbinding, Exhibitions
Homage to Mondrian by Vera Ryersbach
Brambles by Josette Lee
Untitled by Penne Tompkins
Moments by Penne Tompkins
Vermont Dreamscapes by Sally Knight
Urban Calligraphy 23 by Marilyn Gillis
Urban Calligraphy 22 by Marilyn Gillis
Something that you feel will find its own form (Kerouac) by Nina Gaby
Secret Scribbled Notebooks For Your Own Joy – (Kerouac) by Nina Gaby
Urban Calligraphy by Marilyn Gillis
Urban Calligraphy 20 by Marilyn Gillis
Child’s Play by Rebecca Boardman
The Pond in Spring by Deborah Stuart
Bound Together by Jane Ploughman
Urban Calligraphy 2 by Marilyn Gillis
Urban Calligraphy 3 by Marilyn Gillis
Oh Sweet Tomatoes by Marcia Vogler
Homage to Matisse by Vera Ryersbach
Bath Time by Debra Kraemer
A Rude Awakening by Rebecca Boardman
Homage to Henry Rousseau by Vera Ryersbach
Flower/Book by Carol Hendrickson
Homage to Jasper Johns by Vera Ryersbach
Touching Other People’s Stories by Dorsey Hogg
A Show of Hands by Marcia Vogler
Written in Stone by Ann Joppe-Mercure
Expressions in Indigo by Debra Kraemer
Nightscape by Pam Wright
Found Words, Found Words by Sally Blanchard-O’Brien
Lotus Harbor by Carolyn Shattuck
Creature Comfort by Linda Whelihan
There Are No Human Races by Rebecca Boardman
Pipsqueak’s Adventure Pop-Up Book by Diana Dunn
Pipsqueak’s Tunnel Book by Diana Dunn
Urban Calligraphy 6 by Marilyn Gillis
Urban Calligraphy 5 by Marilyn Gillis
Seachange Haiku by Nancy Stone
AT A LOSS 394: Threatened & Endangered Animals by Lynn Ocone
Medicinema by Elissa Campbell
Time Traveler’s Coat by Marcia Vogler
Legs (b) by Rebecca Boardman
Legs (a) by Rebecca Boardman
For the Birds by Carole McNamee
Bursting by Marilyn Gillis
The Nest by Marilyn Gillis
Cinnamon Sticks by Marilyn Gillis
Prayer of Peace by Ann Joppe-Mercure
The Improvable Landscape by Patricia Reilly
Bottled Up by Amy Burns
Afternoon Walk by Amy Burns
An Apple A Day by Maryann Riker
Hope Springs by Patricia Reilly
Butterflies by Marilyn Gillis
It Takes a Village by Sally Knight
Watershed by Carol Hendrickson
Fragments by Debra Kraemer
Slice of Life by Debra Kraemer
Nests by Marilyn Gillis
Forget Not by Beverly Keim
Creepy Crawlers by Josette Lee
Book Fair by Gail Martin
Circular Reasoning by Carole McNamee
Urban Calligraphy 18 by Marilyn Gillis
