by Elissa | Aug 9, 2020 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, MailB.A.G., Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 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: Revisiting Accordions: Let’s Have a Sew-In with Marcia Vogler
Ah, the versatility of the accordion. In this workshop, Marcia will lead you in exploring different methods of adding pages to the accordion with sewing. Using the 3-hole pamphlet stitch and the 5-hole butterfly stitch, you will attach sections to an accordion spine in 2 different ways, then look at methods of adding covers with sewing or glue.
Here’s what you need to prepare for the meeting:
Materials:
- Card stock for accordion spines and covers: 4.25″ x 11″ ( 8.5″ x 11″ cut in half lengthwise) grain short if possible (6-8 pieces)
- Text weight for sections:
- 4.25″ x 7″ (12 pieces)
- 4.25″ x 8.5″ (12 pieces)
- Linen thread, waxed or unwaxed
Tools:
- Cutting mat
- X-acto knife
- Bone folder
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Punching cradle or magazine
- Awl
- Needle
If you plan to attend the meeting, please contact Elissa so she can send you the Zoom meeting details.
July Meeting Reflections
The July Zoom meeting gave us a chance to learn from Amy Lapidow, author of the Book Art Studio Handbook. She led us through the steps for the Accordion Album with Frames, a project from the book.
While teaching through Zoom is a challenge, Amy sailed through the project and we sailed along with her. Another great accordion structure with so much potential!
Thanks, Amy, and thanks to all who Zoomed along with us.
B.A.G. News
*** Mail Art Challenge – Make 2 Receive 2!
This August we are offering a quick fun challenge for B.A.G. The concept is to create 2 fun Mail Art envelopes and mail them. Then you will receive two fun Mail Art pieces in your mail.
Here’s what you need to do to participate:
- Watch the first lesson or more of the MAIL IS MAGIC video series produced by the Minnesota Center for Book Arts.
- Join the challenge by emailing Ann by August 19. Include your name and address.
- Receive two names with addresses from Ann by August 21.
- Create two Mail Art envelopes and send then on their way by September 2.
- Please note that the Mail Art envelope is a suggested option but you are encouraged to be as creative as you wish. This is all for fun and art should be apolitical.
- Receive two pieces of Mail Art. Sharing will be at our September BAG meeting.
We hope you’ll get in on the fun!
Book Arts News
*** On 8/26/20, the New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers will host its Annual Meeting online. The meeting is open to both members and non-members.
There will be a presentation by Sarah Pike who will be speaking about the various services she offers at FreeFall Laser. Three different makers will also speak about how they’ve used laser-cutting in recent projects: Amy Borezo, Andrea Dezsö, and Aspen Golann.
Following the discussion, Chapter Chair Erin Fletcher will give updates on chapter business.
RSVP: Please register here if you plan to attend. Zoom info will be sent prior to the meeting.
Stay-at-Home Fun
*** The San Francisco Center for the Book has an online series of virtual tours called Shelter in Studio.
The focus is to chat with folks (SFCB Staff, instructors, and community members) about projects and processes that keep hands and minds engaged. Stop on by every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. PT for a half hour studio visit.
You can view videos of past visits (Coleen Curry, Macy Chadwick, Jennie Hinchcliff) by visiting the SFCB website.
*** On August 19, Yuka Petz is teaching Split-Page Books as a virtual workshop in association with the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Also known as mix-and-match books, split-page books are simple, yet compelling structures that encourage lots of hands-on engagement.
In this workshop, you will examine a variety of artist-made and commercially printed examples and then make your own folded and sewn variations of split-page books. You will also discuss creating split-page books in collaboration with adults and children, and how to structure content to create cohesive books that retain the play of chance operations. Participants will also have the option to collaborate on a split-page book with other class members, to be completed after the workshop.
For more information or to register, visit the MCBA website.
*** The San Francisco Center for the Book is also offering a number of online workshops via Zoom. Here is a selection of what’s available during the month of August:
August 25 & 27: Suminagashi Marbled Notebook with Juliayn Coleman
Suminigashi is a relaxing and fun way to marble paper, with little set-up, little clean-up, and yet the results can be stunning. Many types of paper will accept the ink, and consequently it’s a great way to make use of ordinary paper, or to think of fine paper in a new way. There is some flexibility in the dimensions of the finished book, so students may make use of the paper they already have.
Join us for a couple hours in this fun and creative project as we float ink on water, observing the ripples that form, and transfer them to paper as the record of a moment. In the second session, we’ll use some of our paper to make a simple binding for a blank book you can use.
August 29 & 30: Contemporary Gilding with Solange Roberdeau
Using a contemporary version of gilding, the process of applying paper-thin sheets of metal to a surface, workshop participants will learn how to add metal to paper, wood and stone in their own shapes and patterns.
Over the course of two 2-hour sessions, Solange will walk participants through the nuances of this technique from how to effectively prepare a variety of material surfaces and apply metal leaf as a compositional element.
For more information or to register, visit the SFCB website.
by Elissa | Aug 4, 2018 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, MailB.A.G., Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, August 8, 2018, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
We meet at the Unitarian Universalist Society Church located at 152 Pearl Street in Burlington, VT. We will be in the Sophia Fahs Community Room, a large room located in the basement. Click here for more information on directions/parking.
Program: Studio Support and Workshop Time…Upcycled Coptic-Bound Artist Journal Continued
Studio Support and Workshop Time is two hours that you give yourself, in the company of fellow book- and paper-arts lovers, to learn, share and create in a supportive and encouraging environment. The meeting is devoted to creative work. Bring along a project or model from a previous meeting that you’d like to continue working on or develop further, or bring a piece of your own to simply continue working on in the company of others.
In June, Jill Abilock led us in creating Coptic-bound artists journals from upcycled library books and shared an alternative method for attaching covers to Coptic-bound books. During this studio support session, Jill will be on hand to guide us through the the steps needed to finish the Coptic-bound journals we started during the June meeting. Please be sure to bring the materials (text pages, covers, template and thread) that Jill provided in June. If you were unable to attend the June meeting, Jill has a few extra kits available, and can share the basics of her unique cover attachment method as time permits.
To work on the Coptic journals, please bring the following tools:
- Scissors (to trim your thread)
- Awl, pin vise or needle tool
- Old phone book, cutting mat or punching pad
- Bone folder
- Curved bookbinders or upholstery needles (four) (if you have them – if not, there will be needles available to borrow)
Request to more experienced members: Not everyone has specialized tools, like an awl, curved needles, or a bone folder. If you happen to have extra, it would be wonderful if you could bring them in to share with a neighbor who doesn’t. Thanks!
But wait, there’s more!
In addition to the planned Coptic fun, Elissa Campbell will also be bringing in her advance copy of Hedi Kyle‘s much-anticipated book The Art of the Fold: How to Make Innovative Books and Paper Structures.
This book is not due to hit stores until October, so this is your chance to check it out before getting it for yourself.
July Meeting Reflections
OH wow. I am reflecting all of the awesomeness that our group has produced! It’s so bright, like a huge full moon in the summer sky.
The meeting was filled with positive energy, fueled by the talented artists who shared their work from our two shows. It’s so inspiring to find out the story behind each piece, the skill required, and the thought process each artist takes to create their art and to express their ideas.
Thank you, all you talented people, for sharing your intent, work habits, quirkiness, etc. We look forward to next year’s show! And in the meantime, it is always welcome at our meetings to show something you’re working on, to ask questions, get feedback, or simply bask in the admiration of others. That’s what we’re here for.
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
*** The Book Arts Guild of Vermont is proud to be participating in this year’s Burlington Book Festival on October 12 – 14, 2018 at the UVM Alumni House Silver Pavilion. This annual event celebrates the written word by offering readings, book signings, panels, workshops, demos, family activities, and special events.
The Book Arts Guild has been enthusiastically invited to exhibit original works at the festival to introduce the community to book arts and increase awareness of our organization. We will have an exhibit during the evening opening ceremonies on Friday, October 12 as well as on Saturday, October 13 throughout the day. During the exhibit time, we have also committed to demonstrating various book structures (not hands-on workshops).
In addition to very generously providing the Book Arts Guild exhibit space free of charge, the Burlington Book Festival is also offering Book Arts Guild members the opportunity to sell original artists’ books and book-related work with no commission or fee.
Here are the opportunities for participation:
- Exhibit/Sell Artists’ Books:
You can submit new work or something you have previously exhibited. If you would like to submit work for the exhibit, please download the entry form and bring it, along with your work, to the September 12th Book Arts Guild meeting. If you cannot attend the meeting but would like to submit work, please email Jill Abilock by Monday, September 10th to make arrangements to get your work to her.
- Volunteer at the Book Arts Guild exhibit and/or help with set up and/or break down:
Book Arts Guild Exhibit volunteers at the at the 2016 Burlington Book Festival found the experience fun and rewarding. Opportunities at the upcoming festival include:
–> Friday evening set-up
–> Saturday morning set-up
–> Exhibit Volunteer (2 – 3 hour shift)
–> Saturday evening break down
Please email Jill if you would like to volunteer!
*** Other Alphabets: Dimensional Memoir is BAG member Nina Gaby’s solo show opening on September 7th in the Rebecca Lawrence Gallery at the AVA Gallery and Art Center. Gaby currently works in mixed-media, focusing on single edition artist books which explore the intersection of narrative and object.
The show runs through October 3rd and offers a two-day workshop in conjucntion with the show where participants will concieve and construct their own dimensional memoir in words and clay.
The AVA Gallery and Art Center is located at 11 Bank Street in Lebanon, NH.
For more information visit AVA’s website.
*** B.A.G. member Elissa Campbell was recently accepted to teach at the 2019 Focus on Book Arts conference in Forest Grove, OR. The conference is held very other year and offers workshops taught by the very best in the fields of bookbinding, printing, decorating papers, paper making, books design and publishing.
In addition, she was also accepted to teach in the summer of 2019 at the Morgan Conservatory in Cleveland, OH. The Morgan Conservatory is the largest arts center in the United States dedicated to every facet of papermaking, book arts and letterpress printing and to cultivating the talents of established and emerging artists.
*** Chelsea Linder over at the Artists’ Mediums Art Shop wanted us to pass along that as a framer, she (obviously) cuts archival matboard. If you’ve got small projects or things that don’t require heavy bookboard, you can get archival 4 ply mat pieces for super cheap. Chelsea mentioned that she’s got many small pieces (5×7’s @ 5¢ and 8×10’s @ 10¢ each).
The Artists’ Mediums Art Shop is located at 286a Old Route 15 in Cambridge, VT.
Book Arts News
*** The New England Chapter of The Guild of Book Workers is hosting a gilding demonstration on Thursday, August 9th from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Dust off your tools and break out your gold. Recent North Bennet Street School graduate Jon Simeon presents an informal summer weeknight gilding demo at the Washington Street Art Center. Come see what he’s working on and get an up close tutorial on French gilding techniques. An onlay tutorial may follow if there’s time.
Admission is $10.00 per person at the door. Please note that this is a demonstration only event.
The Washington Street Art Center is located at 321 Washington Street in Somerville, MA. For more information please call (617) 623-5315.
*** ArtisTree Gallery‘s 8th annual juried exhibit, UNBOUND: VOL VIII is open now through August 25, 2018.
The broad theme of UNBOUND: VOL VIII 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.
Big congratulations to B.A.G. members Marcia Vogler, Dorsey Hogg, Nina Gaby, and Debra Kraemer for having their work juried into the exhibit!
For more information, please send an email to gallery@artistreevt.org or visit the ArtisTree Gallery’s website.
*** The New England Chapter of The Guild of Book Workers will hold its annual meeting at Dartmouth College on August 10 – 11. On Friday evening, there will be a tour of the Rauner Special Collections Library followed by a reception with light refreshments. On Saturday, participants are invited to attend two half-day workshops with Bill Hanscom and Sarah Smith. The annual meeting will take place during lunch.
Here’s the scoop on the workshops:
Freestyle Composition with Sarah Smith
In this visit to the Book Arts Workshop at Dartmouth College we’ll make letterpress printed posters/decorative paper. One of our Vandercook presses will be set up with a large wood type word cloud and another Vandercook will be set up with a smattering of relief images from our eclectic collection. We’ll get creative with the layering of prints between the presses and you’ll go home with a bunch of fun papers to work with on your books (or to hang on the wall)!
Blizzard Books with Bill Hanscom
Learn to make three variations of Hedi Kyle’s Blizzard Book: The Blizzard Book, Blizzard Pocket, and Blizzard Boxes. Participants will use a variety of utilitarian and decorative papers to fold up wonderful structures that are part book, part container with lots of potential for artistic experimentation and decorative embellishment. You will also have the opportunity to use rubber stamps and stencils to add some color and excitement to your origami creations.
The workshops are limited to 20 participants, but all members are welcome to attend the annual meeting on August 11th. Please register for lunch if you plan to only attend the meeting. To register, please click here.
For more information, please visit the NEGBW website.
*** From June 11 – October 1, 2018, the John J. Burns Library at Boston College is hosting the exhibit Dreams of Art & Glory: Book Arts by the Roycrofters.
Roycroft, a reformist community of craftspeople and artists, was created by Elbert Hubbard in 1895, in the village of East Aurora, NY. The artisans who worked there were known as Roycrofters. When Hubbard was unable to find a publisher for his book Little Journeys, he set up a private press to print the book himself, founding Roycroft Press.
His championing of the Arts and Crafts philosophy of work attracted many craftspeople to East Aurora, and he formed a community of printers, furniture makers, metalsmiths, leathersmiths, and bookbinders.
The exhibition focuses on the printing and bookbindings executed by the Roycrofters, and includes an array spanning the modest *Little Journeys* pamphlet series, to beautifully printed and hand-decorated text-blocks, as well as books bound in stunning modelled leather bindings.
The John J. Burns Library is located at 140 Commonwealth Avenue in Chestnut Hill, MA.
Book Arts Classes
*** Sunset Lodge Workshops is hosting Hand Bookbinding with Juliayn Coleman from September 2 – 8. Sunset Lodge is located on Lake Damariscotta, ME.
In this hands-on bookbinding workshop, you will make one simple nonadhesive book each day. The structures will range from the earliest binding styles to contemporary, and they are geared towards beginner through intermediate skill level.
In addition to the binding, you will explore at least three different ways to decorate paper for the covers of your books: paste paper, suminagashi, and plant printing. The goal is to create a harmonious set of beautiful books, learn simple structures that you can take home and repeat on your own, and let your creative mind explore the medium of bookbinding.
Workshop space is limited to 12 Hand Bookbinding students. A list of bookbinding tools and what to bring will be sent upon registration.
For more information and to register, please contact Noah Kahn by email or call (510) 427-0297.
*** The Eliot School in Jamaica Plain, MA has two book arts classes coming up this fall. Here’s the scoop:
Paper Marbling with Cristina Hajosy will take place on Sunday, September 16th from 9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Create beautiful swirls and mottling colors on paper with several forms of marbling. Learn Turkish- style marbling on water thickened with carrageenan (Irish moss). Experiment with a range of materials, colors and papers to create lovely, unique designs.
Marbled paper is striking when used as book end papers, portfolio covers, and more. Beginner to advanced students welcome.
Wild Journals with Susan Porter will take place from October 4 – November 8. Sessions will be held on Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Create colorful, textured art journal pages, using paint, printmaking techniques, stamping, stenciling and collage. Transform your pages into intricate, multilayered surfaces. Add dimensions by cutting and folding. Add extensions, pop-outs, windows and pockets. Make each page a one-of-a-kind canvas for words, drawings, images and photographs. Bring a blank journal; all other materials will be provided.
For more information about the classes, please visit the Eliot School’s website or click here to download the complete catalog.
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