by Elissa | Oct 9, 2020 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, Lecture, MailB.A.G., Member News, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, October 14, 2020, 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: Virtual Visit to UVM’s Silver Special Collections
At this month’s B.A.G. meeting, University of Vermont librarian Prudence Doherty will once again host our annual visit to Special Collections, but this time virtually.
Not everyone knows that we have one of the finest collections of artists’ books in the nation, right here in Vermont. Prudence will share books acquired since last March, as well as a selection of books that speak to these challenging times.
If you plan to attend the meeting, please contact Elissa so she can send you the Zoom meeting details.
September Meeting Reflections
The program for September allowed Mail Art Challenge participants to share the mail art they received. Being a total mail art junkie, I was thrilled to both receive and send a piece or two, and equally excited to see everyone else’s contributions.
The sharing was really joyous, and I think gave us all a sense of being connected in a new way. Thanks to Ann Joppe-Mercure for suggesting and organizing the challenge, and thanks to all who participated.
I hope that we can do it again, and that we have more participants to share the joy.
B.A.G. News
Elissa Campbell is teaching the Phabulous Photo Album at Studio Place Arts in Barre, VT on October 17th. This is a “small batch” class that limits enrollment to 3 or 4 students, providing appropriate social distancing for health safety.
In this workshop, you will learn how to create an elegant hard-cover photo album using bookcloth and handmade paper – this is a wonderful keepsake that can hold 4” x 6” photos from your recent vacation or family holiday gathering (or perhaps your pandemic adventures).
Each participant will leave class with a completed photo album and a basic knowledge of bookbinding technique. You will receive a detailed handout and resource list for all materials we use.
No previous experience required – this is a great class for a beginner. You can even bring in your own cover materials to customize your book.
Register online or contact Studio Place Arts at (802) 479-7069.
Book Arts News
*** The Guild of Book Workers is generously offering FREE access to videos of the Standards of Excellence presentations from 1984-1993. Videos can be found at this link.
Enter the code GBW1020 during checkout to reduce the cost of a rental to $0.00. Rentals are available as streaming content for 7 days. This code will expire on October 31, 2020.
For help watching videos on Vimeo, please consult the Vimeo FAQ. For other video related questions, please contact GBW Library Chair, Jay Tanner at library@guildofbookworkers.org.
*** The New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers recently had an online Show and Tell featuring bindings from Uppercase Magazine‘s Encyclopedia of Inspiration.
Todd Pattison talked about the history of the binding project, and detailed how he facilitates distributing the Encyclopedia in sheets to each group of binders. Ten binders shared the books they made for the project, including our own Marcia Vogler!
If you couldn’t watch it live, never fear – you can now watch it on the Guild of Book Workers’ Vimeo page.
*** The Book as Art Exhibit v.8 Infinity is currently on display at the Decatur branch of the Dekalb County Library through October 17th. While viewing the exhibit in-person is limited, you can access the full catalog of the show online.
Held in the hand, a book can be a source of stability in unsettled times. Tactile and olfactory, the black and white pages conjure emotions and images that endure longer than flickering light on small screens. From tablet to folio, papyrus to scroll, song to psalm – all are created as a concept that becomes thought, becomes word, becomes book, becomes sculpture.
These objects, in an increasingly digital world, stubbornly survive. The objects in this exhibition will interpret the concept of the book and invite the viewer to look beyond the printed page to where ideas, words, and symbols are transformed and are transfigurative. They are expressive, expansive and iconic. They have become form, and are infinite.
In addition, there are recordings and live streaming events associated with the show. Check out the Dekatur Arts Alliance website to view past videos. Check out the Georgia Center for the Book‘s Eventbrite page for details on upcoming live Zoom artist talks.
*** Another organization that moved an exhibit online is Designer Bookbinders. Their summer exhibition Art Book Craft (ABC) can be viewed in their online catalog.
ABC showcases some of the finest work in contemporary bookbinding and book arts in the world today. All produced by Fellows and Licentiates of Designer Bookbinders, each bringing their unique interpretation of contemporary bookbinding and book arts to the fore.
We hope ABC will not only be of interest to established, discerning bibliophiles and collectors, reaffirming the allure of the contemporary book as art but also to allow a new, wider audience the opportunity to engage with and delight in unique and exceptional bookbinding and book arts.
For more information about the exhibit, visit Designer Bookbinders website.
*** A Tradition of Generosity: A Lecture on the Wells College Book Arts Center will be presented by Leah Mackin on October 14th.
The Book Arts, as an academic and artistic discipline, relies upon historic study, preservation of materials and equipment, and contemporary documentation and discourse. This lecture will provide a virtual walk-through of the Wells College Book Arts Center programs, history and goals.
Click here to register.
Stay-at-Home Fun
*** Bay Area Book Artists (BABA) is hosting a Virtual Book Arts Jam, now through October 31st. This online celebration of the book arts features speakers, member galleries, and a marketplace where you can purchase goodies from book-related vendors and book artists.
In addition, the members of BABA are offering live online and on-demand classes. Upcoming live classes include:
October 10: Pop-Out Book with Kit Davey
Kit will guide you through the process of making this fun, easy book in just 90 minutes. Each page opens like a flower. When the book is open it takes the shape of a semisphere.
October 14: Making Bookcloth: Tips & Tricks for Best Results with Rhiannon Alpers
Making your own bookcloth is a gateway to the options for your bookmaking with color, texture, pattern, and weight. In this workshop, you’ll be lead through three different ways to create bookcloth from start to finish. We’ll also walk through many samples of finished cloth to discuss the tips and tricks for the best results for different applications.
For more information about the event, visit the BABA website.
*** Book Paper Thread is offering Kakishibu and Washi with Linda Marshall on October 24 & 25. In this workshop, you’ll be working with kakishibu, a granular persimmon dye. You’ll learn how to prepare it using different recipes.
You’ll look at the traditional Japanese uses of washi and kakishibu and discuss how to use those techniques in contemporary ways. You’ll discuss various preparation techniques and how to apply kakishibu to washi. You’ll create samples on a range of Japanese papers for future personal studio reference. Lastly, you’ll learn alternative applications, patterning ideas, and traditional and modern dye techniques.
For more information or to register, visit the Book Paper Thread website.
*** The Dartmouth College Book Arts Workshop has some online offerings this month, including the following:
October 19: Hang Out with Letterpress Printer Katherine Ruffin
The Book Arts Workshop will meet with Katherine Ruffin, Director of Book Studies Program and Lecturer in Art at Wellesley College. Katherine has published limited editions under her own imprint of Shinola Press since 1994.
She’ll be sharing views of her studio and work – especially a series of letterpress printed broadsides encouraging voting! That series of posters began in 2008, when Katherine drew inspiration from a case of wood type in her studio and carved linocut stars and stripes letterforms to spell VOTE. The same case of wood type played an important role in a series of prints she made which are portraits of her Universal I Vandercook press.
October 21: Isaac’s Mail Art Extravaganza with Isaac Feldman
Join Book Arts Workshop student assistant, Isaac Feldman ’23 for an exploration of the history of mail art from around the world and some information, ideas, and techniques in how to make your own mail art. You might want to have handy some paper, scissors, tape/glue and a tool for making creases.
For more information about these or other upcoming events, visit the Book Arts Workshop website.
*** BookArtsLA is offering Japanese Binding Duo: Flutter Book and Butterfly Book with Anne Covell on October 18th. These two Japanese bindings are both from the Heian period.
In the Flutter Book, individual sheets are pasted to hinges at the fore-edge and attached to a single cover sheet that wraps around the spine. Because the textblock is only tipped to the cover and not glued at the spine, the pages can easily be blown out by a gentle breeze, giving the book its descriptive name.
In the Butterfly Book, individual sheets are folded and pasted along a narrow strip at the spine. The cover is made in three parts: a decorative spine liner, and two laminated paper covers that are pasted and attached to the first and last pages of the textblock. When open, each pair of leaves joined by paste turns at an angle that resembles the wings of a butterfly.
For more information or to register, visit the BookArtsLA website.
by Elissa | May 7, 2020 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, MailB.A.G., Workshops
As you know, Vermont’s Stay Home order is in effect until May 15th due to COVID-19. For this reason, there will be no May in-person meeting.
That’s right – we said in-person.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 13, 2020, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
We will have this month’s meeting via Zoom, an online conference program. You will need to have Zoom downloaded on your computer, phone, or tablet in order to access the meeting. 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.
We’ll be watching how things progress over the coming weeks and determine when it’s safe to resume our in-person meetings. We’ll stay in touch with updates.
Stay safe!
The B.A.G. Board
Program: The Nested Accordion Pop-Up Fold Book on Zoom with Elissa Campbell
Oh yeah – we’re having a program!
This month, Elissa will be teaching you the Nested Accordion Pop-Up Fold Book, a structure created by Peter and Donna Thomas. You can find it in their book More Making Books by Hand: Exploring Miniature Books, Alternative Structures, and Found Objects.
Here’s what you’ll need to participate:
Tools:
- X-Acto knife
- Metal ruler
- Pencil
- Bone folder
- Glue stick
- PVA (optional, if you’d like to make a hard cover)
- Glue brush (optional)
Materials:
- 1 piece medium weight card stock (similar to Canson Mi-Teintes), grain short: 2″ x 14″
- 1 piece medium weight card stock, grain short: 2.75″ x 17.5″
- 2 pieces bookboard, grain long: 2.875″ x 1.875″ (optional, if you’d like to make a hard cover)
- 2 pieces cover material, grain long: 3.875″ x 2.875″ (optional)
If you plan to attend, please contact Elissa so she can send you the Zoom meeting details.
We hope to see you online!
B.A.G. News
*** Announcement: Spring/Summer member exhibit, Page Turners: Artist’s Books by the Book Arts Guild of Vermont
We are sad to announce that our spring/summer exhibit at ArtHound Gallery has been postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19. Please continue to work on your submissions, and we will plan to see them another day (hopefully at an exhibit).
Book Arts News
*** The Community College of Vermont in Brattleboro is looking for someone to teach Introduction to Book Arts starting in the Fall of 2020.
The ideal candidate has a master’s degree in a visual arts field, but CCV can make adjustments for a person who has significant teaching, exhibit, or professional experience in an area.
Candidates can apply at this link. If you have any questions, please contact Ginger Gellman, Coordinator of Teaching & Learning.
Quarantine Fun
*** The Center for Book Arts has online classes available during the month of May. These classes are offered with a suggested donation, which will be used to pay the instructor and to cover the class expenses.
Here’s one that might be of interest:
June 1, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.: In Botanical Books: Make Your Own Seed Paper with Iviva Olenick, you will learn how to make paper pulp from recycled paper by hand. You will adapt household tools to incorporate into making paper, including a sieve or strainer, cheesecloth, a silkscreen if you have one, and a food processor or blender.
You will explore the natural dyes, colorants, or textural inclusions (scraps of fabric, lace, yarn) you can add to their paper pulp. Finally, you will incorporate seeds into the paper which can then be planted in the garden.
For more information or to register, click here.
*** The Guild of Book Workers‘ Board of Directors has extended its offer of making all videos on the Guild of Book Workers’ Vimeo page available to rent, FREE of charge through the end of the month. This offer is open to everyone, regardless of membership status.
Enter the code GBW4FREE during checkout to reduce the cost of the rental to $0.00. Rentals are available as streaming content for 7 days. This code will expire on May 31, 2020.
If you have any difficulty using this promo code, please contact GBW President Bexx Caswell-Olson. Technical questions relating to the Vimeo website should be directed to Vimeo.
*** If you’re on Facebook, check out the Jaffe Center for Book Arts at Florida Atlantic University Libraries – they’re live on their Facebook page for Book Arts 101: Home Edition every Wednesday at 3:00 p.m..
Each week, they talk about books and craft, usually coming in at under half and hour.
by Elissa | Apr 6, 2020 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Call to artists, Exhibitions, MailB.A.G., Vermont, Workshops
We hope that you’re managing to hang in there during these crazy times. Please let us know how you’re doing and what you’re up to – we can share your messages with other members to help us stay connected.
In order to secure the health of our members and the community, the B.A.G. Board has decided to cancel the April meeting. As of now, we don’t know if there will be a May meeting.
We’ll be watching how things progress over the coming weeks and determine when it’s safe to resume our meetings. We’ll stay in touch with updates.
Stay safe and sane!
The B.A.G. Board
Looking for book artsy things to do while stuck at home?
*** From April 15 – May 20, Helen Hiebert is teaching an online class, Flexible Book Structures. Join Helen in creating a series of flexible book structures that fold and unfold, collapse and expand, and feature innovative attachments and connections.
You’ll create six book objects, the equivalent of a weeklong workshop during this 6-week class. A new lesson will be in the classroom each Wednesday, and you can work from the comfort of your own home or studio at any time throughout the week. Hop into the online classroom anytime to ask questions and share your projects and ideas in a supportive and creative on-line community.
For more information or to register, visit Helen’s website.
*** The Center for Book Arts also has a selection of online classes throughout the month of April. These classes are offered with a suggested donation, which will be used to pay the instructor and to cover the class expenses.
Here are two that might be of interest:
April 14, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: During the Quarantine Book class with Johanna Maierski, you will learn how to make your own handmade quarantine book using found materials.
Students are encouraged to use found materials in their home: invoices they don’t want to pay, scrap paper, love letters, old leaves from their Monstera plants, fabric, plastic foil, yarn, needles, hammers, clips, etc.
The class will also serve as a space for seeking advice on bookmaking techniques and learning the different kind of zines formations to produce their own quarantine book. The class also includes a discussion of the materials gathered by the class, to collaboratively find a solution for binding for each individual project.
For more information or to register, click here.
April 14 & 21, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.: In Artist Books & The Everyday with Ben Denzer, students will conceive and create their own artist books using the everyday materials they are currently quarantined with.
In the first session, Ben will introduce a working definition of the term “Artist Book,” share a survey of historical examples, and detail basic bookmaking techniques. A discussion will follow, along with each student describing their initial ideas and available materials.
Between sessions, Ben will be available for one-on-one conversations to give feedback and construction advice.
In the second session, each student will share their completed artist book in a group critique.
For more information or to register, click here.
*** The Guild of Book Workers‘ Board of Directors has generously decided to make all videos on the Guild of Book Workers’ Vimeo page available to rent, FREE of charge for the next month. This offer is open to everyone, regardless of membership status.
Enter the code GBW4FREE during checkout to reduce the cost of the rental to $0.00. Rentals are available as streaming content for 7 days. This code will expire on April 17, 2020.
If you have any difficulty using this promo code, please contact GBW President Bexx Caswell-Olson.Technical questions relating to the Vimeo website should be directed to Vimeo.
*** Check out the monthly Are You Book Enough challenge on Instagram. The rules are simple – create a book based on the monthly theme and post it on Instagram using the assigned tags. This month’s theme is Machine and you’ve got the whole month to work on something!
The project has been going on for over 3 years and even if you’re not going to participate, there are wonderful books to look at if you search for #areyoubookenough.
B.A.G. News
*** Announcement: Spring/Summer member exhibit, Page Turners: Artist’s Books by the Book Arts Guild of Vermont
Our spring/summer exhibit will take place in June at ArtHound Gallery in Essex, Vermont. The theme, Page Turners, is open-ended, allowing for unlimited interpretation. All members are invited and encouraged to contribute new or old work.
This new gallery offers a beautiful space for the exhibit, surrounded by work from artisans all over Vermont. All work must be FOR SALE.
Here are some important dates:
- Entry due date: May 27, 2020. No entries will be accepted after this date. Artists are encouraged to bring work and appropriate paperwork to the May 13th B.A.G. meeting.
- Exhibit dates: June 6 – 30, 2020
- Opening reception: June 6, 2020. Times to be determined.
Now is a great time to get to work on a piece! Don’t you have more time on your hands?
by Elissa | Jul 5, 2019 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, July 10, 2019, 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: Postcard Swap and Artists’ Talk
It’s July! We have invited you to create 7 postcards, 1 to keep for yourself and 6 to swap. We will begin July’s meeting by swapping your 6 postcards for 6 others. The postcards will be collected and grouped in 6’s, and each participant will be given a batch. Of course, swapping can occur after the batches are distributed.
With these original artworks, participants will create a book structure to hold the cards, and share their creation at the September meeting. There’s plenty of time to complete the challenge!
After the postcard swap, artists are invited to give a short talk about their work from the Bound to Happen show at the S.P.A.C.E. Gallery. It was a wonderful show with terrific work! This is a chance to get a more in-depth look at the pieces and the thoughts and techniques that went into them.
If you weren’t able to get to the exhibit, you can visit images of the included work on the B.A.G. blog.
June Meeting Reflections
For our June meeting, Elissa Campbell led us through Keith Smith‘s Triple Parquet binding, and with her amazing teaching skills and props, we all finished the lovely leather book within the allotted time.
I always notice during a hands-on presentation, how friendly and willing participants are to share their knowledge with those of us who may struggle or fall behind. Thank you all for that.
Giant thanks to Elissa and her Giant Sewing Board for preparing the kits for us and making the evening fun and productive!
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
*** Congratulations to seven (!) Book Arts Guild of Vermont members on their acceptance into UNBOUND IX, an upcoming juried show at Artistree Gallery in South Pomfret, VT.
Ann Joppe-Mercure, Dorsey Hogg, Becky Boardman, Marcia Vogler, Nina Gaby, Debra Kraemer, and Elissa Campbell will have work on exhibit from July 26 – August 24. The opening reception will be held on Friday July 26th, from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
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.
*** Elissa Campbell is teaching The Block Printed Journal at Studio Place Arts in Barre, VT on July 15 – 16. This class is open to ages 13 years and up.
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, you’ll experiment with printing and use one of your own papers to cover a handmade journal.
On the first day, you’ll learn how to design and carve rubber stamps that will be used to create your own decorated papers. You’ll focus on basic shapes that can be used for layering and repeating to create rich and complex patterns.
On the second day, you’ll select one of your papers for the cover – you can save your unused papers for other projects. You’ll make a book using a binding that allows the book to remain flat when opened, making it perfect for use as a sketchbook or journal.
Register online or contact Studio Place Arts at (802) 479-7069.
Book Arts News
*** Now through July 27th, the North Bennet Street School in Boston is hosting Formation, a traveling exhibit of work by members of the Guild of Book Workers.
Work in this juried show explores the theme of formation: of personal narratives and histories, craftsmanship, forming ideas, natural sciences, and many more interpretations. Featured among the 50 books are several created by NBSS Bookbinding alumni, faculty members, and colleagues.
The closing reception will be held on Thursday, July 18th from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Jackie Scott, the exhibit organizer, will give a brief overview of the exhibit in addition to a few local artists who will speak about their work.
If you can’t make it to the exhibit, you can view images of included work on the Guild of Book Workers website.
*** John Churchman is opening ArtHound Gallery in the new Essex Experience Center (formerly Essex Outlets) and is looking for Vermont artists wishing to show their work. All mediums are welcome.
Artists will have access to classroom space, continuing education and events. The gallery will host three levels of creative expression separated into distinct gallery spaces including Fine Art & Master Artisan Craft, Emerging Artists, and Community & Student Art.
To indicate your interest, please complete the form at this link.
Book Arts Classes
*** Maine Media Workshops + College is offering two workshops in August that may be of interest:
Composing on the Press with Emily Martin will run from August 4 – 10.
Letterpress printing can be a slow process, but it can also be very spontaneous. Using a Vandercook proof press with magnet and Boxcar bases it is possible to print in a spontaneous manner composing the image as you print.
Stainless steel wire combined with various sticky backed foams can be cut and manipulated to make shapes and lines quickly and can be altered as needed. P22Blox are shaped modules that can be combined and recombined to forms letters, frames, figures and more.
The emphasis will be on experimentation and variation rather than on specific end products. Each participant will contribute a set sized sample print for a portfolio exchange.
Click here to register.
__________
Contemporary Paper Structures with Karen Hanmer will run from August 18 – 24.
Paper structures are quick, elegant, and economical options for a variety of book projects. The structures covered in this workshop will be a great resource to artists, beginner or experienced, looking to expand their repertoire.
Students will construct numerous book structures ranging from unsewn folded sheets to multi-signature books with structural and decorative sewing. Some of the books will have soft paper cases or wrappers, others will have stiff covers. Some will be sewn on supports, others will have exposed sewing. Endsheets may be decorative only or essential to the book’s engineering. Most of the bindings will be close to or completely non-adhesive.
During this information-packed course you will build the knowledge and skills to continue making books in your own studio with a few hand tools and no specialized equipment. This attractive set of models, together with detailed handouts, will be a valuable reference and inspiration for future projects.
Click here to register.
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Maine Media Workshops + College is located in Rockport, ME.
*** Long Ridge Farm is hosting Tactile Notebooks & the Written Word with Sandra Brownlee on August 7 – 11.
Each day students will walk, observe, gather and write, taking the time they need to immerse themselves in each experience. In the studio, they will work in their notebooks creating tactile pages that express what they have experienced in a way that honors their own nature.
The objectives of this workshop are to encourage reflection and awareness grounded in the present moment; to strengthen and vitalize the connection between daily life and notebook keeping; and to foster community through meaningful dialogue between peers.
Click here to register. Long Ridge Farm is located in Westmoreland, NH.
*** Pattison Paperworks is hosting a workshop with Erin Fletcher on August 17 & 18 – Embroidered Leather Bindings.
Embroidery has been used as a decorative technique on bindings for centuries. In Europe, particularly England, around the 15th – 17th centuries a great number of bindings were heavily adorned with embroidery. The substrate was typically canvas, silk or velvet but occasionally leather was used. The designs fell into three distinct categories: heraldic, floral and figurative. Today, embroidery as a decorative technique is seeing a revival in contemporary design bindings and artist books. Many artists and binders are experimenting with embroidery on a range of materials including leather.
In this workshop, students will learn a few basic embroidery techniques that are best for decorating leather along with ways to transfer a design and prep the leather for covering. In addition to these simple embroidery stitches, demonstrations will also cover ways of creating texture and depth to a design by incorporating onlays and other decorative techniques. Students will use these techniques to design and embroider a simple cover for a miniature full leather blank book.
To register, please contact info@pattisonpaperworks.com. Pattison Paperworks is located in Otisfield, ME.
by Elissa | Jul 7, 2017 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, July 11, 2017, 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
The July meeting will be held at the SEABA Center Gallery at 404 Pine Street in Burlington, VT. Click here to get directions using Google Maps.
* Please note that this meeting is different than our usual meeting in three ways:
- Location: We are meeting at SEABA, not at the Unitarian Church in Burlington.
- Date: We are meeting on a Tuesday, and not on the second Wednesday of the month.
- Time: The meeting starts at 6:00 p.m., not at 6:30 p.m.
Program: Artists’s Talk and Reception
Correspondence: Bookworks from the Book Arts Guild of Vermont
Correspondence: Bookworks, our 2017 exhibit, will be held at SEABA on Pine Street in Burlington from July 11 to August 25, 2017.
The opening reception and artists’ talk will be on Tuesday, July 11 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. This will be in place of our usual July meeting at the Unitarian Church.
We encourage each artist to talk about his or her work, highlighting any special processes, challenges, or inspiration. Since there are a lot of entries in the show, please be prepared to make brief remarks so that everyone can get a chance to talk, socialize, and enjoy the mutual admiration club.
We hope to see you there!
June Meeting Reflections
Amy Burns delighted the group with her unique and handy packaging ideas and tips. Although not everyone sells their work in such a professional manner, there was a lot of interest in how Amy has developed her own identity and successfully markets her brand. The take-away is that details count! Thanks to Amy for sharing her process and tricks.
Amy also provided a fantastic comic illustration of the double needle coptic bindng process, and led the group through the step by step instructions. Her instructions helped to make clear the complicated binding technique.
Again, many thanks to Amy for preparing the materials and giving everyone a chance to bind their own beer coasters!
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
*** B.A.G. Co-Founder Nancy Stone has lots of news to share with our members. First off, one of Nancy’s paintings has been selected for inclusion in a juried show at the Birds of Vermont Museum in Huntington, open now through October 31st.
And now through July 22nd, yet another of her paintings can be seen in the Vermont Watercolor Society‘s annual juried members’ show AQUA at the Valley Arts Festival Gallery in the Village Square Shopping Center, Route 100 in Waitsfield.
Lastly, she’s got a solo show at Saint Michael’s College‘s McCarthy Art Gallery in Colchester from August 2 – 12, 2017. The exhibit coincides with the Playhouse‘s production of You Can’t Take it with You. Her Handmade-Books-on-the-Wall exhibit includes two large installations – her Vermont 251 Club postcards with original watercolors displayed as accordion books and her 13 books of Ecclesiastes III with white-on-white pop-ups.
Congratulations Nancy on all of your accomplishments!
*** Looking for college credit? Ann Joppe-Mercure will be teaching The Art of the Book (GED 673A) at Saint Michael’s College from July 10 – 28, 2017.
Educators and students are invited to explore and create in this studio course addressing the art of the book. Participants will experiment with forms, structures, materials, and concepts as we investigate the limitless possibilities of the book. By surveying the historical need to record and contain knowledge and by examining the work of contemporary book artist students will gain a foundation for their own creative expression of ideas and meaning. Students will make a working portfolio of paper treatments, book models and altered structures then create their own individual art books.
The class will be a working model of a 21st century collaborative community supporting the creative process through practice, constructive criticism, reflecting, and refining technique. The Common Core anchor standards of Craft and Structure and Integration of Knowledge and Ideas will be addressed.
No previous bookmaking or art experience required. Students who have previously taken The Art of Bookmaking (GED 671) and/or Science, Art and Bookmaking: Making Connections (GED 673), are welcome in this class. A $50.00 materials fee is required and due at registration.
For more information, please visit St. Mike’s website.
Book Arts News
*** Now through July 19, 2017, the North Bennet Street School is hosting Open • Set, a traveling, triennial bookbinding exhibition organized by the American Academy of Bookbinding. The exhibit showcases the art of fine design bookbinding and hopes to inspire both new binders and professionals.
The exhibition is intended to be a recognition of the beauty of the craft and a commitment to the public toward a better understanding of this art form. The international exhibition features fifty books and recognizes excellence in craftsmanship and design concept interpretation.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information, please visit the North Bennet Street School’s website.
*** ArtisTree Gallery‘s 7th annual juried exhibit, UNBOUND: VOL VII, will open on July 28th and run through August 26, 2017. This exhibit is opening in conjunction with the kick off of the 9th annual Bookstock Literary Festival in Woodstock, VT.
The broad theme of UNBOUND VOL. VII encompasses all of the possibilities of what we may think or may not think a “book” is. Is it story? An entry to another world? An exploration? What does it indicate? This juried show looks to explore this idea of “the book” and all the ways artists use that format as a stepping-off point or as material to explore new ideas.
An opening reception will be held on Friday July 28th, from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
For more information, please send an email to gallery@artistreevt.org or visit the ArtisTree Gallery’s website.
Book Arts Classes
*** In July, the Wells College Book Arts Center is offering its Summer Institute, two week-long intensive courses in letterpress printing, hand bookbinding, artist’s books, lettering arts and font design. Week 1 runs from July 9 – 15 and Week 2 runs from July 16 – 22.
This year’s instructors include Samuel Feinstein, Barb Tetenbaum, and April Sheridan. Wells College is located in Aurora, NY.
Please send inquiries to bookartscenter@wells.edu. You can also download the course catalog (pdf) from the Wells College website.
*** The Guild of Book Workers is offering Covered and Visible: Protected Multi-Section Pamphlet Stitch Structure with Gabrielle Fox from July 14 – 15, 2017. The workshop will be held at Dartmouth College Preservation Services in Hanover, NH.
In this two-day class, you will complete at least one full leather binding using the simplest version of this structure. This variation provides the strength and flexibility of a tight backed book with the action of a hollow tube. You may also have time to explore several onlay techniques using pre-thinned leather and decorative papers.
The delight of this structure is the ease with which it opens, closes and the possible variations that can be used for both design and conservation binding. The entire case or cover of the binding is completed before sewing in the text, which is the final procedure or step in the binding. This structure can be kept very simple or adapted to something as complex as a full leather traditional binding with a difference.
Questions regarding registration should be directed to Martha Kearsley at negbwprograms@gmail.com.
Please note that you will need to prepare some of the required materials in advance. For more information, visit the Guild of Book Workers website.
*** From July 16 – 22, 2017, Art New England is offering Artists Books: Structure and Story with Julie Leonard. ANE workshops take place in Vermont at Bennington College.
The hand-held, tactile, and serial qualities inherent to the book make it a compelling media for artistic expression. Artist books can be visual, textual, sculptural, traditional or experimental in form. A book’s structure in concert with text and/or image can serve as an essential contextual element.
This course will consider the connections between structure and other content with a goal of creating books in which the physical form plays an integral role in both function and meaning. Participants will learn several book structures for presenting material in alternative formats. Through exercises, ideas will be translated into ‘sketches’ made in book form. Contextual possibilities particular to book work will be examined, including visual and/or textual narrative, serialization, and unifying multiple pages into a cohesive whole.
The class will also address the importance of understanding book structure and basic binding skills in order to produce work with both depth and material integrity.
For more information or to register, please visit the Art New England website.
*** Art New England is also offering Pop-Up Books with Colette Fu from July 30 – August 5, 2017.
Pop-up books aren’t just for children! Pop-up structures can be used to make engaging works of art for any age, from greeting cards to animations to kinetic sculptures. Complex and engaging pop-up works are created from a combination of basic mechanisms enhanced by your art, playfulness and imagination.
In this workshop, participants learn the basic elements of pop-up paper engineering, including multi-level platforms and pulltabs, as well as how to combine them to create more complex structures. Participants learn how to incorporate their own art into their structures effectively to create unique pop-up books, cards, and works of art. All levels of experience are welcome.
For more information or to register, please visit the Art New England website.
*** Maine Media Workshops + College is offering Alternative Book Structures with Valerie Carrigan from July 23 – 29, 2017.
This workshop focuses on book structures that lend themselves to the presentation of two-dimensional imagery such as photographs, prints, and paintings. You will make a series of book models including the pivoting panel book and flag book, originated by Hedi Kyle, and variations on the accordion book. All book structures introduced may be opened in the traditional way – page-by-page, or extended for a more sculptural view.
After completing your models, you will spend the remainder of the week creating and sequencing imagery and/or text for the content of your books. Simple letterpress techniques will be discussed and utilized. Participants will be encouraged to pursue the medium of their choice in these book forms.
This workshop is ideal for photographers, painters, printmakers, collage artists – anyone who wants to present imagery in the form of an artist book. No experience is necessary and those with prior experience will have the chance to add to their repertoire of creative book forms.
For more information or to register, please visit the Maine Media Workshops + College website.
