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.
by Elissa | Jun 2, 2016 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Call to artists, Exhibitions, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, June 8, 2016, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
We meet at the Unitarian Universalist Society Church located at 152 Pearl Street in Burlington, VT. We will be in the Sophia Fahs Community Room, a large room located in the basement. Click here for more information on directions/parking.
Program: Studio Support and Workshop Time
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 will begin with some group time, both for sharing – something you’ve made, a great resource or tool you’ve found, a source of inspiration – and for asking questions or puzzling out challenges you may be having with a project or particular technique.
The remainder of the time will be 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.
Not sure of what to bring? No worries! Every Studio Support and Workshop Time session will have suggestions, resources or materials for a project.
This session will offer the opportunity to continue exploring (or discover the pleasure of making) the Jacob’s Ladder books presented by Ann Joppe-Mercure in May. If you missed the last meeting and would like to try making one, or you’d like to make a companion to the one you made in May, you’ll need to bring:
- A tool such as an X-Acto or scalpel capable of cutting mat board
- Cutting mat
- Metal ruler
- See-Thru ruler for measuring
- Scissors
- Double-sided tape (or quick-dry white glue – glue sticks don’t work)
- Pencil
- Fun materials to design your pages
Bonus: Ann will be on hand with instruction sheets, guidance and moral support!
May Meeting Reflections
Our program for May focused on the Jacob’s Ladder book structure. Ann Joppe-Mercure first gave us an overview of the unique, fun structure that flips back and forth, and then gave us inspiration through her own magical books.
Ann led us through the step-by-step to make our own model, and then encouraged us to fill in the blank pages. It was amazing to see the variety of directions that participants took with the same simple materials.
Thanks to all who participated, and special thanks to Ann for sharing with us. Let’s do it again!
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
*** This summer, B.A.G. member Jill Abilock is teaching a series of five bookbinding workshops at the Bixby Memorial Free Library in Vergennes, VT. All workshops run from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
You’ll learn how to make five elegant book structures, each offering a variety of uses and exciting artistic possibilities. Each workshop focuses on a different technique and book structure. You can sign up for individual workshops or the whole series – all workshops cover basic skills.
Soft-Covered Books – The Pamphlet Stitch and Long Stitch
Saturday, June 11, 2016
This workshop will cover the basics of hand-sewn books. You will a make two books to take home: a beautiful, pamphlet-stitched journal with a wraparound tie, and a long-stitch journal or sketchbook that incorporates an optional beaded embellishment in the binding.
The Amazing Accordion
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Deceptively simple, the accordion fold can be used alone or in combination with other techniques to make a broad range of beautiful and innovative books. In addition to learning the secret to folding a perfect accordion, you will make a hard-covered accordion album – great for displaying art, poetry or photographs – as well as several models of compound books, such as dos-a-dos and flag books, that feature accordion spines with sewn or glued pages.
Hardcover Coptic Books
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Coptic-stitch bindings have endured through the centuries because, in addition to their strength and beauty, they are flexible enough to lie flat when open. You will make a traditional Coptic bound book with covers made from heavy book board and decorative paper.
Case-Bound (Hardcover) Books – Part I
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Although historically not the first structure to be called a book, the sturdiness, durability and attractive appearance of hardcover books have made them both ubiquitous and highly prized. In the first session of this two-part workshop, you will learn the basics of case binding by making and attaching a hardcover case to a single-signature textblock to create a thin, elegant hardcover book.
Case-Bound (Hardcover) Books – Part II
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Prerequisite: Case-Bound (Hardcover) Books Part I
The second session of this two-part workshop will be held at Six Loons Studio in Shelburne, VT. You will begin by making traditional multi-signature textblocks that are sewn onto tapes. After discussing methods of end-sheet and case construction, you will create a case for your textblock and assemble it into a beautiful, handmade hardcover book.
For more information and a registration form, please email Jill Abilock at jabilock@japanlink-trans.com.
*** B.A.G.’s very own Ann Joppe-Mercure will be teaching The Art of the Book at Saint Michael’s College from July 5 – 15 (no class on 7/4).
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 GED 671 The Art of Bookmaking and/or GED 673 Science, Art and Bookmaking: Making Connections, 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
*** ArtisTree Gallery, in partnership with Pentangle Arts, is looking for submissions for their 6th annual juried exhibit, UNBOUND: VOL VI. The theme of the show is simple – an exploration of what a book can be…art using books as a material or a format.
The exhibit will open in tandem with the Bookstock Literary Festival in Woodstock, VT.
This call for submissions is open to all New England and New York residents of the U.S. who are 18 years of age or older. All artwork must be original in concept, design and execution. Note: Reproductions, if used as mixed media, will be considered.
The deadline for submission is July 2, 2016. For more information, please visit the ArtisTree Gallery’s website.
*** The New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers will be holding their second New England Chapter Mini-Conference in northern Maine from August 26-28, 2016. Spend a weekend with a community of local artists working in the field of bookbinding, book arts, paper making and calligraphy.
The event includes two 1-day workshops, evening lectures, a mix and mingle event and material swap. Registration is open to both members and non-members of the Guild of Book Workers and covers both workshops and all meals.
For more information or to register, please visit the GBW website. You can also feel free to contact Erin Fletcher at negbwprograms@gmail.com.
*** The Rochester Institute of Technology’s Cary Graphic Arts Collection is hosting the Guild of Book Workers‘ juried traveling exhibition, Vessel, now through June 17, 2016.
The book as vessel inspires beautiful metaphor – a craft for traveling, a container, a holder, a receiver, a transporter. Across time and culture, the vessel is at the center of many ceremonies and rites of passage. Native American cultures regarded the vessel as a portal to a sacred realm. The book as craft is our vessel to sail the high seas, to hold our dearest memories, and to indicate the pulse of life. Guild of Book Workers members contributed works to interpret “vessel” as broadly or as narrowly as they wished.
The exhibition features approximately 50 works by GBW members. Selected works include fine and edition bindings, artist’s books, broadsides, and historical binding models.
For more information about the exhibit, please visit the GBW website.
*** The Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA is hosting the exhibit Paper and Blade: Modern Paper Cutting, now through July 31, 2016. The exhibit celebrates the pioneering spirit of artists working in cut paper.
Exhibiting artists were selected for their passion for this humble material, their masterful techniques, and their innovative approaches to working in this media, and together they will present a collective vision of the future of paper craft. Participants includes Beatrice Coron, Maude White, Randal Thurston, Nikki McClure, Elizabeth Alexander, Bovey Lee, and Charles Clary.
For more information, please visit the Fuller Craft Museum’s website.
*** In collaboration with The Ticknor Society, The Movable Book Society is holding its biennial conference in Boston on September 15 – 17, 2016. The Movable Book Society was organized in 1993 to provide a forum for collectors, artists, curators, book sellers, book producers, and others to share enthusiasm and exchange information about pop-up and movable books.
This year’s speakers include Matthew Reinhart, Shawn Sheehy, Laura Davidson, and Emily Martin. The conference also features hands-on activities, presentations, a silent auction, and a book sale.
For more information, please download the conference program or contact The Movable Book Society at info@movablebooksociety.org.
Book Arts Classes
*** The New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers, in collaboration with the Dartmouth College Library Preservation Services, is presenting Bookbinding According to Diderot with Abigail Bainbridge. The workshop will take place on July 15-16, 2016 at the Dartmouth College Library in Hanover, NH.
Mid- to late-18th century France is marked by the appearance of descriptions of the art of bookbinding, giving for the first-time a thorough (if not always specific or accurate) description of the previously guarded trade secret. The style of the time was so prescriptive that the average binding is recognizable immediately: full brown calf, often sprinkled or with tree marbling, raised bands, panels tooled in gilt with centerpieces, corners, and stars, solid red or perhaps marbled blue edges, single core front bead endbands, French curl endpapers. Features less visible are the particular lacing patterns, parchment spine linings, and edges cut in boards.
In this busy two day workshop we will bind a text of a manual describing this 18th century style using the techniques set forth, thus replicating this distinguished style. Participants will get an in depth look at the contemporary sources and the bindings themselves, and come away with a thorough understanding of this notable binding style in the context of its time.
* Prior bookbinding experience required.
For more information or to register, please visit the GBW website. You can also contact NEGBWprograms@gmail.com with any questions.
*** The Women’s Studio Workshop is offering The Medium as Message: An Adventure in Low Tech with Caroline Walp from July 11 – 15, 2016. The workshop will take place in Kingston, NY.
You will begin this workshop by learning letterpress basics, including setting type, mixing ink, and various ways of generating images by different means. You’ll also learn basic bookbinding techniques to make accordion or single signature artists’ books and/or zines.
In this immersive, multi-media class, students will learn the simplest and most direct ways of generating text and image as a multiples, using a table top letterpress, hand printing, lino cuts, hand stamping, rubber stamping, and other alternative printing processes. The emphasis will be on effectively transmitting your message into a publishable format.
For more information or to register, please visit the Women’s Studio Workshop website.
*** On June 25- 26, 2016, the New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers is excited to present Making Simple Finishing Tools with Jeffrey Altepeter.
For traditional design nothing really beats a collection of decorative finishing tools. But making your own tools can offer more immediate control in the design process, the ability to modify as you work, and the ability to do more unique work. Making tools is also gratifying and fun.
This workshop will offer an introduction to the materials, tools and techniques of making your own brass finishing tools for bookbinding. A combination of demonstration, discussion and hands-on practice will prepare students for continued experimentation and more advanced future projects.
The workshop will be held at Third Year Studio in Boston, MA. For more information or to register, please visit the GBW website.
*** Maine Media Workshops + College is offering The Art of Bookmaking with Eliot Dudik on June 26 – July 2. The college is located in Rockport, Maine.
The photobook, as a means of presenting an artist’s vision, has never been as popular as it is today. In this workshop, you will discuss and practice techniques in bookbinding and hardcover casing, as well as editing, sequencing, and layout design for personal handmade art books. Learn how to showcase and present your photographs in an artistic and professional manner, and have fun while you’re doing it!
Students will work with Adobe software for layout design, digital printmaking, and hand tools to create unique handmade art books. Depending on the needs of the individual student, you will be working with Coptic stitch or Saddle stitch bindings and hard cover casings.
For more information or to register, please visit the Maine Media Workshops + College’s website.
by Elissa | May 4, 2016 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, Lecture, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 11, 2016, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
We meet at the Unitarian Universalist Society Church located at 152 Pearl Street in Burlington, VT. We will be in the Sophia Fahs Community Room, a large room located in the basement. Click here for more information on directions/parking.
Program: Jacob’s Ladder Books with Ann Joppe-Mercure
Join us in May as we explore the enchanting structure of Jacob’s Ladder to make a very unique book.
Under the expert guidance of Ann Joppe-Mercure, we will each will make a five-section Jacob’s Ladder book. Just like the old fashioned toy, the pages will flip back and forth, revealing different information in a mesmerizing fashion. Ann will provide the basic materials (mat board, ribbon, and paper squares).
Please bring the following tools and materials:
- See-Thru ruler for measuring
- Pencil
- Glue (or double-sided tape) to adhere the mat board squares together
- Scissors
- X-Acto knife or scalpel
- Cutting mat
- Fun materials to design your pages
April Meeting Reflections
Remember when we made the origami cubes back in December as a contribution to a group project? The project’s originator and designer, Valerie Hird, presented a video of her finished project, The Genesis Tree, at our meeting in April, and talked about her idea behind the project and how it came to be. Really good stuff here, an example of how important collaboration can be in a world so broken up by false perceptions. Watch the video here, and be proud of our group’s contribution.
During the workshop time, we had a lot of different projects going on, giving way to lively discussion as well as focused work. Without a planned program, there was the opportunity to find out more about each other, and to get work done that may otherwise sit on the worktable at home until we ‘get to it’. It was hard to get everyone out of the room at the clearing out time.
Thanks to all who participated, and a special thanks to Valerie.
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
*** On May 28 & 29 (Memorial Day Weekend), the statewide Open Studio Weekend is offering a wonderful selection of book artsy studios for you to visit.
If you’re up for a tour, you can find your comrades in the following locations:
Elissa created a Google Map with all of the locations to help you with your tour. You can find maps and directions to studios on the VT Crafts Council website. You can also download a pdf of the 2016 Spring Event & Resource Guide. Please note that this is a really big file.
*** B.A.G.’s very own Ann Joppe-Mercure will be teaching The Art of the Book at Saint Michael’s College from July 5 – 15 (no class on 7/4).
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 GED 671 The Art of Bookmaking and/or GED 673 Science, Art and Bookmaking: Making Connections, 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
*** On Thursday, May 26th, Burlington City Arts is hosting a party in honor of those who participated in the The Genesis Tree project.
There will be a video tour of the tree and its assembly, as well as some of the outstanding examples of the origami cubes, boxes and birds. Parents, teachers and friends are welcome.
Please RSVP to Valerie Hird at valerieb.hird@gmail.com if you plan to attend the event.
*** The Rochester Institute of Technology’s Cary Graphic Arts Collection is hosting the Guild of Book Workers‘ juried traveling exhibition, Vessel, now through June 17, 2016.
The book as vessel inspires beautiful metaphor – a craft for traveling, a container, a holder, a receiver, a transporter. Across time and culture, the vessel is at the center of many ceremonies and rites of passage. Native American cultures regarded the vessel as a portal to a sacred realm. The book as craft is our vessel to sail the high seas, to hold our dearest memories, and to indicate the pulse of life. Guild of Book Workers members contributed works to interpret “vessel” as broadly or as narrowly as they wished.
The exhibition features approximately 50 works by GBW members. Selected works include fine and edition bindings, artist’s books, broadsides, and historical binding models.
For more information about the exhibit, please visit the GBW website.
*** On Thursday, May 12th at 5:30 p.m., the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Cary Graphic Arts Collection is presenting a lecture with Todd Pattison, Art, Craft and Conservation: De-mystifying A Book Conservator. Pattison is the Senior Book Conservator at the Northeast Document Conservation Center. A reception will follow the lecture.
Todd will discuss his work as a book conservator and how it relates to research and teaching in the field of bibliophily. He will also highlight his artistic contribution to the Vessel exhibition, as well as those of some of his peers, who are also professional book conservators around the country.
For more information, please visit the Cary Graphic Arts Collection’s website.
*** The Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA is hosting the exhibit Paper and Blade: Modern Paper Cutting, now through July 31, 2016. The exhibit celebrates the pioneering spirit of artists working in cut paper.
Exhibiting artists were selected for their passion for this humble material, their masterful techniques, and their innovative approaches to working in this media, and together they will present a collective vision of the future of paper craft. Participants includes Beatrice Coron, Maude White, Randal Thurston, Nikki McClure, Elizabeth Alexander, Bovey Lee, and Charles Clary.
For more information, please visit the Fuller Craft Museum’s website.
*** In collaboration with The Ticknor Society, The Movable Book Society is holding its biennial conference in Boston on September 15 – 17, 2016. The Movable Book Society was organized in 1993 to provide a forum for collectors, artists, curators, book sellers, book producers, and others to share enthusiasm and exchange information about pop-up and movable books.
This year’s speakers include Matthew Reinhart, Shawn Sheehy, Laura Davidson, and Emily Martin. The conference also features hands-on activities, presentations, a silent auction, and a book sale.
For more information, please download the conference program or contact The Movable Book Society at info@movablebooksociety.org.
Book Arts Classes
*** The Women’s Studio Workshop is offering The Medium as Message: An Adventure in Low Tech with Caroline Walp from July 11 – 15, 2016. The workshop will take place in Kingston, NY.
You will begin this workshop by learning letterpress basics, including setting type, mixing ink, and various ways of generating images by different means. You’ll also learn basic bookbinding techniques to make accordion or single signature artists’ books and/or zines.
In this immersive, multi-media class, students will learn the simplest and most direct ways of generating text and image as a multiples, using a table top letterpress, hand printing, lino cuts, hand stamping, rubber stamping, and other alternative printing processes. The emphasis will be on effectively transmitting your message into a publishable format.
For more information or to register, please visit the Women’s Studio Workshop website.
*** On June 25- 26, 2016, the New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers is excited to present Making Simple Finishing Tools with Jeffrey Altepeter.
For traditional design nothing really beats a collection of decorative finishing tools. But making your own tools can offer more immediate control in the design process, the ability to modify as you work, and the ability to do more unique work. Making tools is also gratifying and fun.
This workshop will offer an introduction to the materials, tools and techniques of making your own brass finishing tools for bookbinding. A combination of demonstration, discussion and hands-on practice will prepare students for continued experimentation and more advanced future projects.
The workshop will be held at Third Year Studio in Boston, MA. For more information or to register, please visit the GBW website.
*** Maine Media Workshops + College is offering Merging Content & Craft with Frank Hamrick on June 19 – 25. The college is located in Rockport, Maine.
The first part of this weeklong workshop will focus on learning four bookbinding methods: hardbound pamphlet, accordion, Japanese and Coptic. Each structure introduces various techniques materials, closure methods and sewing methods. In the second half of the workshop each student will take what they have learned to make a small artists’ book of content, be it image, text or some combination of the two.
You will work together one on one and in group critiques to edit, sequence and shape each person’s images and/or writing to create a book structure fitting for each body of work.
For more information or to register, please visit the Maine Media Workshops + College’s website.
by Elissa | Aug 15, 2012 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Call to artists, Exhibitions, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, August 22, 2012, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
The August meeting will be held at UVM’s Special Collections in the basement of Bailey Howe Library. Click here to download a pdf of the directions to Special Collections.
Please note that in August we will not be meeting as usual on the third Wednesday at the Unitarian Church in Burlington.
Program: Visit to UVM Special Collections
Librarian Prudence Doherty will guide us through some of the amazing artists’ books held in the Special Collections Department at UVM, including Vermont artists’ books and books from the 18th – 19th centuries. Not everyone knows that we have one of the finest collections of artists’ books in the nation, right here in Burlington. Join us in a hands-on exploration that will stimulate your imagination and spark your creativity!
Note: Please try to arrive on time – Bailey/Howe Library will actually be closed when we visit, but Prudence will have someone greeting people at the door from about 6:20 p.m. – 6:40 p.m. If you arrive late, you can call Special Collections at (802) 656-2138 and someone will open the door for you. In an effort to minimize disruptions, please arrive on time!
* Please bring a pencil, not a pen, if you plan to take notes.
Reflections on June’s Meeting
Our first Open Bindery brought a cozy group of B.A.G. members to the Unitarian Church. A variety of bookbinding tools and equipment were provided for use – among them a book press, sewing frame, Kutrimmer, and hand tools. While attendees brought projects to work on, the meeting evolved into a Show and Tell.
Marcia Vogler shared her wonderful Word of the Day, a single sheet, Coptic-bound book of artwork created as part of a daily practice. Jill Abilock demontrated Elizabeth Rideout’s bedazzled Xyron machine for everyone, which brought oohs and ahs. Overall, it was a fun evening and thanks to everyone who attended!
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
*** B.A.G. members Lorraine Reynolds and Carolyn Shattuck currently have work in the juried exhibit, Unbound Vol II: Art using the book as a material/format. Congrats to Lorraine for earning Juror’s 2nd place for her entry.
The exhibition is sponsored by ArtisTree Gallery and Pentangle Arts Council, in conjunction with the Bookstock Festival in Woodstock, VT. The exhibit was juried by Daniel E. Kelm, founder of the Garage Annex School for Book Arts in Easthampton, MA.
The broad theme of Unbound Vol II 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.
For more information, please visit the ArtisTree Gallery’s website.
*** Carolyn Shattuck also has her work on display in the WalkOver Gallery exhibit, Key West Inside/Outside. The exhibit runs now through August 25, 2012 and includes mixed media collage and artists’ books inspired by her experience living in the Keys. Carolyn will give an artist’s talk at the gallery on August 16th at 6:00 p.m.
The WalkOver Gallery is located at 15 Main Street in Bristol, VT.
*** B.A.G. member Judy Sgantas recently collaborated with Claire Van Vliet on the ABC of Bugs and Plants in Northern Gardens. The content is about garden pests – what attracts or repels them – and a plant’s defenses.
There is a tri-fold page for each letter of the alphabet and these open to 19″ x 6.5″. The classical Roman letter forms are entwined with plant life and insects. There are two different images for each letter of the alphabet – one in black & white and one in color. Text fills the middle panel. The form is a woven strip binding, in a new pattern designed by Van Vliet for this book.
You can order one of the 120 copies signed by Judy from The Veatchs.
Book Arts News
*** There is an effort being put forth to create a Book Arts Academy of New England. In early May, a group of about 25 people gathered in the Boston area to discuss the importance of the art of the book. The one common thread among the group is an appreciation of the book as an object.
There are courses and workshops available throughout New England for various facets of the book arts (i.e. bookbinding, letterpress printing, calligraphy, etc.) but there is currently not a facility with a comprehensive curriculum that encompasses all aspects of the book arts; courses such as: the history of the alphabet, calligraphy, typography and font design, the history of the book, page layout, bookbinding, manuscript gilding, paper making, paper marbling, paper conservation, preparing a manuscript for commercial printing, creative writing, and others.
Small groups will meet over the next few months to discuss formulation of a business plan and feasibility study; faculty and curriculum; location and facility requirements; marketing and fund raising. An early fall gathering will be scheduled to update the full group and plan out how to proceed from that point.
If you would like to receive Emails about the progress of the school, please send an Email to bookarts@theabbeystudio.com and include “‘add to list serve” in the subject line.
*** From September 4 – October 31, 2012, the Burns Library at Boston College is hosting the exhibition Fine Specimens of the Bibliopegistic Art: Bookbindings from the Burns Library Collections. The show includes books in a variety of styles from a wide span of years and represents many different topics in the library’s collections.
The exhibition will be on display in the O’Brien Fine Print Room and the Irish Room on the Chestnut Hill, MA campus.
*** 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland, OR is soliciting entries for Infinite Possibilities: Science, Math, Book Arts, a juried exhibition of book art inspired by the world of math and science, real or imagined. The exhibit will run from November 30 – December 29, 2012.
By those in the know, meaning those left-brained, analytical types, math and science are often described in artistic terms: the eloquence of an equation, the beauty of a concept. Infinite Possibilities looks at the opposite: how math and science can be used artistically to inspire book artists to think creatively about such topics. The Gallery is looking for book art works that incorporate mechanical and theoretical concepts, from serious to humorous exploring subjects ranging from math, science to medicine, space, architecture, engineering, physics, genetics and more.
The exhibit is open to book and paper arts related works created as either edition or one-of-a-kind. Artist books, sculptural books, book objects, altered books, zines, broadsides and sculptural pieces are all encouraged. Any medium, any style, any size. A maximum of three works may be submitted per artist. Entries must be received online no later than midnight on SEPTEMBER 28, 2012.
For more information, please visit the 23 Sandy Gallery website.
Book Arts Classes
*** B.A.G. member Ann Joppe-Mercure is teaching The Art of Bookmaking for Educators this fall at Saint Michael’s College, on Thursdays from 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Educators from all disciplines and grade levels are invited to explore traditional and nontraditional book structures and their application to curriculum. Participants will create unique book projects that demonstrate learning in their chosen content area, produce a working portfolio of handmade papers and book models, and develop lessons that integrate bookmaking as a teaching resource.
Class discussion and readings will connect bookmaking to the Vermont Content Standards and the 21st Century innovation skills of creativity, critical thinking and communication. No previous bookmaking experience required. A materials fee of $30.00 is due at registration.
Registration forms are available on the Saint Michael’s College website.
*** The Massachusetts College of Art and Design is offering The Art of the Book with Peter Madden on Tuesdays from September 25 – November 13, 2012. Learn the basics of bookbinding beginning with simple structures and building daily on your skills.
Through demonstrations and hands on guided studio time, you’ll progress quickly from easy, magical books made from a single sheet of paper to more elaborate, hardcover, multi-signature books. No unusual or expensive equipment is required and everything covered in class can be easily continued at home. Participants in this workshop typically leave with at least 10 book structures and the inspiration and knowledge to create dozens more.
For more information or to register, please visit the MassArt website.
