by Elissa | May 4, 2017 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Call to artists, Exhibitions, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 10, 2017, 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 May meeting will begin an exciting Show and Tell of the wonderful books created for the two-part Printmaking /Bookmaking Challenge.
For the Printmaking Challenge, participants made an edition of 12-16, 6″ x 6″ prints inspired by the surface design theme of the January and February meetings, and then exchanged their artwork at the March meeting. The Bookmaking Challenge called upon participants to bind the wonderful artwork they received into a book to be shared in May. In addition to seeing all the wonderful books that were created, we will also discuss various methods for binding prints and other artwork.
The remainder of the time will be devoted to creative work. In April, Meta Strick fired up our imaginations by encouraging us to make anything-goes, mixed-media “junk-box books.” Although Meta can’t make it this month, she left us her giant box of cool, unexpected stuff, and has invited us to use it to continue exploring, playing, and creating one-of-a-kind “out-of-the-box” books!
Of course, you are always welcome to 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.
Suggested tools and supplies include:
- Glues (PVA or fast-tack white glue, super glue, E6000, etc.)
- Paper
- Scissors
- Pliers
- Bone folder
- Needles and linen, hemp or cotton thread
- X-Acto knife or scalpel
- Cutting mat
- Ruler
- Pencil and eraser
- Interesting fasteners
- Wire cutters and other tools that you think might be useful
April Meeting Reflections
The program for the meeting, Junk Box Books with Meta Strick, was hilarious and inspiring. Meta shared many beautiful books she has made from materials at hand, and gave us a new perspective on seeing the bookish potential of anything, including a potato masher.
From there, participants swarmed the pile of junk as if it were the first day of a rummage sale, and then manipulated their finds into some kind of book object.
Success was in the eyes of the beholder for this challenge. Thanks to Meta for leading us into the unknown, and thanks to everyone who followed.
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
*** Show your work at the Book Arts Guild of Vermont’s Annual Exhibit!
Correspondence: Book Works, our show for this year, will be held at SEABA on Pine Street in Burlington, during the months of July and August.
This venue gives us a great exhibit space and a lot of exposure to the community. We encourage all members and friends to participate in this show, and to respond to the theme in any way. Work can include new or time honored techniques, book-related pieces and sculpture, and generally any work that can be ‘read’.
Important dates:
- Submission deadline: June 14, 2017. Please bring your work along with the entry form to the June meeting. Work can also be mailed to Marcia. For special arrangements, please contact Marcia. Address and contact info are on the entry form.
- Opening Reception: First Friday, July 7, 2017
- Artists’ Talk: Wednesday, July 12, 2017 (in place of the July meeting)
Submissions are limited to 3 pieces per artist. The exhibit entry form and additional information can be downloaded as a pdf or a fillable Word document.
*** Jane Ploughman and her husband John Vincent are the featured artists in Art on Main‘s The Art of the Word. The exhibit is open now through May 7th.
Under the name Ploughgirl Press, Jane creates beautiful artist books and handmade journals using unique papers and structures that incorporate decorative elements and a wide range of bookbinding techniques.
Her artist books include a range of printmaking techniques including mono prints, letterpress, and linoleum cuts. The exhibit will include a portion of her 365 “make a book a day for a year” project that she completed in 2012.
John designs and creates visually engaging posters, broadsides and cards, using antique, foot and hand powered printing presses under the imprint of A Revolutionary Press.
He handsets wood or metal type with images he carves from linoleum, wood and other materials. Vincent’s work often features quotes from other writers that he hopes will raise questions in the viewers’ mind and encourage them to think critically rather than simply being “for or against.”
For more information, please contact the gallery at info@artonmain.net. Art on Main is located in Bristol, VT.
*** On May 27 & 28 (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:
Copies of the the 2017 Spring Event & Resource Guide will be available at the May B.A.G. meeting. You can also download a pdf of the guide from the VT Crafts Council website. Please note that this is a really big file.
Elissa created a Google Map with all of the locations to help you with your tour. You can also find maps and directions to studios on the VT Crafts Council website.
Book Arts News
*** ArtisTree Gallery is looking for submissions for their 7th annual juried exhibit, UNBOUND: VOL VII. The theme of the show is simple – an exploration of what a book can be…art using books as a material or a format.
Bill Hanscom is this year’s juror. The exhibit will be presented in conjunction 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 June 29, 2017. For more information, please visit the ArtisTree Gallery’s website. or contact Adrian Tans at gallery@artistreevt.org.
*** Calling all papermakers! Harley Smart, a book publisher in Montreal is looking for a partner in Vermont to manufacture recycled cotton rag paper incorporating U.S. currency. Because it includes shredded U.S. currency, the Bureau of Engraving requires that the paper be manufactured in the United States.
For more information, please contact Harley at 514-884-5765 or harley@anteism.com.
*** The Currier Museum of Art is currently hosting the exhibit Deep Cuts: Contemporary Paper Cutting. The exhibit, open through May 21st, showcases work by contemporary artists who reconsider, redefine and even subvert the centuries-old practice of paper cutting.
In the tradition of the craft, the art featured in the exhibition is impressive and intricate, but its subject matter is updated for the 21st century. Addressing deeper personal or social themes, the work touches upon complex reference points including the various cultural, economic and environmental associations imbued in the humble medium of paper.
The Currier Museum of Art is located at 150 Ash Street in Manchester, NH. For more information, please call (603) 669-6144.
Book Arts Classes
*** Maine Media Workshops + College is offering Book Arts Basics Part I: Letterpress Printing and the Pamphlet with Richard Reitz Smith from June 18 – 24, 2017.
This course will cover everything you need to know to start hand-setting type and use the printing press on your own. This class begins by providing a strong conceptual foundation to your practice by covering history, terms, tools, type, and material. Then, through demonstrations and hands-on practice, students will learn the correct procedures for setting type by hand and for printing on a Vandercook proof press.
Each student will have the opportunity to print a two-color broadside as well as various, smaller, one-color pieces. Students will also be exposed to the pamphlet stitch, learning how to combine a few printed sheets into a small booklet.
For more information or to register, please visit the Maine Media website.
*** 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.
*** On June 10 & 11, the North Bennet Street School is offering Medieval Long and Link Stitch Bindings with Bill Hanscom.
Long-and link-stitches connect the text block directly to the limp parchment cover and can be used individually or in combination to create striking exposed-sewing patterns on the spine. After examining models and images of historical bindings, participants choose from a number of templates and create two structures using traditional techniques and features such as fore-edge flaps and string-and-button closures.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBSS website.
*** Also at the North Bennet Street School is Miniature Bookbinding with James Reid-Cunningham. The class will take place from June 16 – 18.
Miniature books present difficult design and structural challenges to the bookbinder. During this course, students construct three miniature books of diminishing size, all less than three inches tall: a long stitch binding with decorated boards, a quarter leather binding, and an accordion in a wrapper with a tongue and slot enclosure. The course contrasts the utility of case binding, accordion, and non-adhesive structures for miniature books, with a concentration on flexibility and book action. We analyze materials and techniques suitable for small format books. The limitations inherent in small-scale books challenges students to do precisely executed and finely detailed work.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBSS website.
by Elissa | Apr 6, 2017 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, MailB.A.G., Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 12, 2017, 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: Adventures in Mixed Media: Junk Box Books with Meta Strick
Anything can become a book! At the April meeting, Meta Strick will bring a juicy “junk box” filled with unexpected goodies, and we will all get to fish around for potential pages or covers or parts. Odd, silly, peculiar, unexpected…anything goes!
So dig through your junk drawer, your basement, your garage or your attic and bring some junk to contribute to the collection. You never know what will spark the creative imagination of someone else, so bring broken toys, kitchen gadgets, jar lids, candy wrappers, playing cards and ticket stubs, tiny tins, interesting boxes, nails, screws, washers, leftover parts from forgotten projects or games, sticks, stones, bones, and anything else that needs a new life.
Ideally the pieces should be no larger than about the size of your hand. Meta will bring cool junk (of course!) too, and some tools and materials.
If possible, please bring:
- Glues (PVA or fast-tack white glue, super glue, E6000, etc.)
- Paper
- Scissors
- Pliers
- Bone folder
- Needles and linen, hemp or cotton thread
- X-Acto knife or scalpel
- Cutting mat
- Ruler
- Pencil and eraser
Optional:
- Interesting fasteners
- Other tools that you think might be useful
- Most importantly, your sense of humor!
March Meeting Reflections
I feel a renewed energy in the Guild and its meetings these past few months, and this meeting confirmed that. Many new faces as well as familiar ones showed up to make a sweet leather binding, courtesy of the multi talented and entertaining teacher, Elissa Campbell.
It was glorious fun, and the soft pink leather cover magically turned into a beautiful little book over the course of the evening.
Thanks, Elissa! And thanks to all those who participated.
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
*** Both the Sherman Art Library and the Rauner Special Collections Library at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH have unique collections of handmade artists’ books.
Please join us on Saturday, April 8th when Morgan Swan, Special Collections Education and Outreach Librarian and Jay Satterfield, Head of Special Collections who is the chief selector of artists’ books, for a look at some of the many unique book structures, letterpress editions and sculptural gems their collection has to offer.
We will begin the morning with a tour of the letterpress studio with Sarah Smith, Book Arts Workshop Program Manager during the students Open Studio hours.
If you’re interested in attending the event, please email Marcia to let her know. Carpooling is available and encouraged, so please add a message if you want to carpool and she’ll will try to arrange groups.
Click here to download directions to Dartmouth and information about parking.
*** Announcing the Book Arts Guild of Vermont’s Annual Book Arts Show!
Our show for this year will be at SEABA on Pine Street in Burlington, during the months of July and August. This venue gives us a great exhibit space and a lot of exposure to the community.
Important dates:
- Submission deadline: June 14, 2017
- Reception: First Friday, July 7, 2017
Members and friends are invited to submit up to 3 pieces.
If you need some inspiration, you may use a loosely defined theme of Correspondence as a stepping off place. All work is welcome, though, so no need to fret about the ‘theme’.
*** Axel’s Frame Shop and Gallery in Waterbury is hosting an exhibit, The Book as Art, co-curated by B.A.G. member Marilyn Gillis. Artists included in the exhibit are B.A.G. members Elissa Campbell, Marilyn Gillis, Penne Tompkins, Ann Joppe-Mercure, Rebecca Boardman, Vera Ryersbach, Judy Sgantas, and Marcia Vogler.
An artist reception will take place on March 10th from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Axel’s is located at 5 Stowe Street.
*** For those of you participating in the Book Arts Guild of Vermont’s printmaking / bookmaking challenge, here’s your one month reminder!
Now that you’ve got your exchanged prints, it’s time for you to create a book incorporating them. Completed books will be shared at the May B.A.G. meeting.
Book Arts News
*** The University of Southern Maine‘s annual Book Arts Bazaar will be held on Sunday, April 10th from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Wishcamper Center on the school’s Portland campus.
This festival with book artists, papermakers, bookbinders, printmakers, educators, and writers is dedicated to all things related to the book. The free event is sponsored by USM’s Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts.
For more information, please contact Rebecca Goodale.
*** Now through April 30, 2017, the Kate Cheney Chappell 83 Center for Book Arts is hosting the exhibit Bookbinding and the Pursuit of the Human Touch: The Work of Gray Parrot, curated by Britta Konau.
Gray Parrot began learning the ancient craft of bookbinding in 1971, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, under Master Bookbinder Arno Werner, who trained several generations of U.S. binders. While there, Mr. Parrot absorbed Mr. Werner’s work ethic and his appreciation and knowledge of time-honored materials and techniques, which to this day have directed the course of his career. After studying fine finishing techniques at the Legatoria Artistica in Ascona, Switzerland, he opened his own bindery in 1973. Except for an 8-year interlude in Massachusetts, Mr. Parrot has worked from his home in Hancock, Maine.
During the past 43 years, Mr. Parrot has been commissioned to create edition bindings for numerous private presses, including Leonard Baskin’s Gehenna Press, Dard Hunter’s Mountain House Press, Henry Morris’ Bird & Bull press, and the Khelcom/New York press of Peter Bogardus. In addition, he has produced many fine bindings and housings for rare books, as well as modern rebindings. His work may be found worldwide in major libraries and museums, as well as in many private collections.
The Kate Cheney Chappell 83 Center for Book Arts is located in Portland, Maine. The exhibit is in the UNUM Great Reading Room on the 7th floor of the Albert Brenner Glickman Library.
*** The Currier Museum of Art is currently hosting the exhibit Deep Cuts: Contemporary Paper Cutting. The exhibit, open through May 21st, showcases work by contemporary artists who reconsider, redefine and even subvert the centuries-old practice of paper cutting.
In the tradition of the craft, the art featured in the exhibition is impressive and intricate, but its subject matter is updated for the 21st century. Addressing deeper personal or social themes, the work touches upon complex reference points including the various cultural, economic and environmental associations imbued in the humble medium of paper.
The Currier Museum of Art is located at 150 Ash Street in Manchester, NH. For more information, please call (603) 669-6144.
Book Arts Classes
*** Masscribes is hosting a workshop with Jacqueline Sullivan, the Sumptuous Surface Collage Book on April 8 and 9, 2017. The workshop will take place at the Sportsman’s Club in Norwood, MA.
This class will be an unhurried exploration of how to develop a rich surface as pages for your books. Through a series of exercises, you’ll use simple materials – mainly paint and gesso. You’ll build layers, starting with mark making and Asemic writing. You’ll add gesso and color then cover and uncover portions of those layers. As you practice simplifying, omitting and adding text as we go, balancing visual activity and quiet, you will discover from within what leads to the best integration of our ideas and feelings. Covering, uncovering, discovering!
Your final project will be a sewn book made from one sheet of watercolor paper. The flaps and folds of this artist book make way for many creative opportunities for cut outs and collage. As you assemble your pages, you will talk about and use the elements of good design as they apply to your books.
For more information, please contact Elissa Barr or Nita Padamsee.
*** On Saturday, April 8th, the Kate Cheney Chappell 83 Center for Book Arts is hosting a workshop with Todd Pattison, The Case for Leather: A “Fairly” Simple Leather-Spine Binding.
Leather can seem a bit intimidating to work with, but in this one-day workshop a simple method will be taught for using leather as a spine covering. Incorporating a technique learned by the instructor in Switzerland in the 1980’s, a variation of a case structure will be made that allows for binding with a leather spine with a minimal amount of paring or shaping.
Covering and decoration of the boards with leather will also be demonstrated. Using the technique with cloth, paper and other materials will also be discussed and demonstrated as time allows.
For more information or to register, please visit USM’s website. If you have any questions please contact Todd Pattison.
*** On June 10 & 11, the North Bennet Street School is offering Medieval Long and Link Stitch Bindings with Bill Hanscom.
Long-and link-stitches connect the text block directly to the limp parchment cover and can be used individually or in combination to create striking exposed-sewing patterns on the spine. After examining models and images of historical bindings, participants choose from a number of templates and create two structures using traditional techniques and features such as fore-edge flaps and string-and-button closures.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBSS website.
*** Also at the North Bennet Street School is Miniature Bookbinding with James Reid-Cunningham. The class will take place from June 16 – 18.
Miniature books present difficult design and structural challenges to the bookbinder. During this course, students construct three miniature books of diminishing size, all less than three inches tall: a long stitch binding with decorated boards, a quarter leather binding, and an accordion in a wrapper with a tongue and slot enclosure. The course contrasts the utility of case binding, accordion, and non-adhesive structures for miniature books, with a concentration on flexibility and book action. We analyze materials and techniques suitable for small format books. The limitations inherent in small-scale books challenges students to do precisely executed and finely detailed work.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBSS website.
by Elissa | Mar 1, 2017 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, Lecture, MailB.A.G., Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 8, 2017, 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: Mini Leather Journals with Elissa Campbell
In this hands-on presentation, Elissa will teach you Keith Smith‘s Diagonal T’s binding, using soft leather for the cover. This three signature binding creates a lovely decorative pattern on the spine. The book also has an integrated closure that coordinates with the sewing.
Leather, paper and thread will be provided. Please bring the following with you to the workshop:
- Bone folder
- Awl
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Bookbinding or tapestry needle
Optional (for punching small holes in leather):
- Japanese screw punch
- Eyelet hole punch
- Leather hole punch
February Meeting Reflections
We packed the meeting hall that night, and spent a lovely evening running from station to station, trying out new techniques for getting images onto paper.
There were demos of packing tape image transfer, wood block printing, textural printing using ink and paint, stamping, and foam molding. Everyone dove in to experience as much as they could, and we all came away with new ideas and skills.
Thanks everyone for sharing and preparing, and we look forward to seeing your prints for exchanging at the next meeting.
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
*** Join the Book Arts Guild of Vermont for a two-part printmaking / bookmaking challenge!
Here’s how it will work:
- Create an edition of 12-16, 6″ x 6″ prints at home; paper and techniques are up to you. Please sign your work on the front and include a title if you have one.
- Bring those prints to the March meeting to exchange with other members.
- Everyone participating will give away 11-15 prints (you keep one for yourself) and receive 11-15 new prints in return.
- Make a book incorporating the 12-16, 6″ x 6″ prints.
- Completed books will be shared at the May B.A.G. meeting.
If you are unable to join us for the March meeting, please mail 11-15 of your prints with a self-addressed and stamped return envelope by March 8th to Ann Joppe-Mercure at 10 Brookwood Drive, South Burlington, VT 05403.
After the March B.A.G. meeting, Ann will mail you your exchanged prints.
*** Announcing the Book Arts Guild of Vermont’s Annual Book Arts Show!
Our show for this year will be at SEABA on Pine Street in Burlington, during the months of July and August. This venue gives us a great exhibit space and a lot of exposure to the community.
Important dates:
- Submission deadline: June 14, 2017
- Reception: First Friday, July 7, 2017
Members and friends are invited to submit up to 3 pieces.
If you need some inspiration, you may use a loosely defined theme of Correspondence as a stepping off place. All work is welcome, though, so no need to fret about the ‘theme’.
*** B.A.G. member Marcia Vogler will be teaching a workshop at the Generator, Collage Garage: Art Among Friends, on March 9, from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. The evening will start with a discussion and demonstration of techniques and materials, and then provide open work time to explore collage and visual meaning. Expect to take home 2-3 collage pieces.
For more information or to register, please visit the Generator website.
*** Axel’s Frame Shop and Gallery in Waterbury is hosting an exhibit, The Book as Art, co-curated by B.A.G. member Marilyn Gillis. Artists included in the exhibit are B.A.G. members Elissa Campbell, Marilyn Gillis, Penne Tompkins, Ann Joppe-Mercure, Rebecca Boardman, Vera Ryersbach, Judy Sgantas, and Marcia Vogler.
An artist reception will take place on March 10th from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Axel’s is located at 5 Stowe Street.
*** B.A.G. member Marilyn Gillis‘ work is featured this month at Creative Space Gallery in Vergennes, through March 12, 2017. The show, A Visual Record: Recent Work by Marilyn Gillis, includes Marilyn’s fiber art, mixed media, and book sculptures.
For more information, please visit Creative Space Gallery’s website.
*** Issue #3 of the Vermont Art Guide includes an article about the Book Arts Guild of Vermont, Making of the Book. Written by Cynthia Close, the article highlights the work of B.A.G. members Nancy Stone, Jill Abilock, and Nina Gaby.
The magazine is available for purchase online.
Book Arts News
*** The New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers is looking for volunteers for an upcoming Girl Scout event. They will be partnering with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts offering programs for Cadette scouts (age 11-14) to earn a Book Artist badge. In addition, they will run a program for younger scouts.
The event will be held on Saturday March 25, 2017 at Camp Cedar Hill in Waltham, MA. They will run a 3-hour program for Cadettes in the morning from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and then have a 2-hour program for younger girls from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. You can volunteer for just one program or make a day out of it and do both!
There will be an introduction and then five stations that the girls will rotate through which may include printing, accordion folds, a pamphlet, origami book, a scroll, decorating paper or a collaborative book, depending on the interests of the volunteers. Each rotation will last for about 30 minutes. The younger girls will have similar programming in a shorter time frame with only four rotations. If you have a book arts technique or project that you’d like to see done with the Girl Scouts please make some suggestions.
You do not need to be a member of the NEGBW to volunteer. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Todd Pattison at bookandtile@att.net.
*** On Thursday, March 9th, the North Bennet Street School is presenting a free lecture with Radha Pandey – Islamic World Papermaking.
The talk explores traditional Islamic-world papermaking history and technique, with a focus on contemporary practices in India. The Kagzi family is used as a case study to illuminate the introduction of papermaking in India and how it changed under British rule. The talk will also briefly cover how papermaking affected printing, publishing and literacy, and why it is relevant today.
Please register in advance as space is limited.
*** Now through April 30, 2017, the Kate Cheney Chappell 83 Center for Book Arts is hosting the exhibit Bookbinding and the Pursuit of the Human Touch: The Work of Gray Parrot, curated by Britta Konau.
Gray Parrot began learning the ancient craft of bookbinding in 1971, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, under Master Bookbinder Arno Werner, who trained several generations of U.S. binders. While there, Mr. Parrot absorbed Mr. Werner’s work ethic and his appreciation and knowledge of time-honored materials and techniques, which to this day have directed the course of his career. After studying fine finishing techniques at the Legatoria Artistica in Ascona, Switzerland, he opened his own bindery in 1973. Except for an 8-year interlude in Massachusetts, Mr. Parrot has worked from his home in Hancock, Maine.
During the past 43 years, Mr. Parrot has been commissioned to create edition bindings for numerous private presses, including Leonard Baskin’s Gehenna Press, Dard Hunter’s Mountain House Press, Henry Morris’ Bird & Bull press, and the Khelcom/New York press of Peter Bogardus. In addition, he has produced many fine bindings and housings for rare books, as well as modern rebindings. His work may be found worldwide in major libraries and museums, as well as in many private collections.
The Kate Cheney Chappell 83 Center for Book Arts is located in Portland, Maine. The exhibit is in the UNUM Great Reading Room on the 7th floor of the Albert Brenner Glickman Library.
*** The Currier Museum of Art is currently hosting the exhibit Deep Cuts: Contemporary Paper Cutting. The exhibit, open through May 21st, showcases work by contemporary artists who reconsider, redefine and even subvert the centuries-old practice of paper cutting.
In the tradition of the craft, the art featured in the exhibition is impressive and intricate, but its subject matter is updated for the 21st century. Addressing deeper personal or social themes, the work touches upon complex reference points including the various cultural, economic and environmental associations imbued in the humble medium of paper.
The Currier Museum of Art is located at 150 Ash Street in Manchester, NH. For more information, please call (603) 669-6144.
Book Arts Classes
*** B.A.G. member Elissa Campbell is teaching Do the Dos-à-dos at Studio Place Arts in Barre, VT on March 16 & 23 from 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
The dos-à-dos (translated from the French, “back-to-back”), is a book structure in which two separate texts are bound together so that they share a central back cover. The two books open in opposite directions. This binding offers many creative possibilities in that it can be used to physically represent the relationship between two books.
In this workshop, participants will create a 2-sided journal with a double-needle coptic binding, an intricate stitch that will be visible on each of the book spines. Not only is the coptic binding beautiful, but it also allows books to remain flat when opened.
To register, contact SPA via phone (802) 479-7069 or email.
*** Masscribes is hosting a workshop with Jacqueline Sullivan, the Sumptuous Surface Collage Book on April 8 and 9, 2017. The workshop will take place at the Sportsman’s Club in Norwood, MA.
This class will be an unhurried exploration of how to develop a rich surface as pages for your books. Through a series of exercises, you’ll use simple materials – mainly paint and gesso. You’ll build layers, starting with mark making and Asemic writing. You’ll add gesso and color then cover and uncover portions of those layers. As you practice simplifying, omitting and adding text as we go, balancing visual activity and quiet, you will discover from within what leads to the best integration of our ideas and feelings. Covering, uncovering, discovering!
Your final project will be a sewn book made from one sheet of watercolor paper. The flaps and folds of this artist book make way for many creative opportunities for cut outs and collage. As you assemble your pages, you will talk about and use the elements of good design as they apply to your books.
For more information, please contact Elissa Barr or Nita Padamsee.
*** On Saturday, April 8th, the Kate Cheney Chappell 83 Center for Book Arts is hosting a workshop with Todd Pattison, The Case for Leather: A “Fairly” Simple Leather-Spine Binding.
Leather can seem a bit intimidating to work with, but in this one-day workshop a simple method will be taught for using leather as a spine covering. Incorporating a technique learned by the instructor in Switzerland in the 1980’s, a variation of a case structure will be made that allows for binding with a leather spine with a minimal amount of paring or shaping.
Covering and decoration of the boards with leather will also be demonstrated. Using the technique with cloth, paper and other materials will also be discussed and demonstrated as time allows.
For more information or to register, please visit USM’s website. If you have any questions please contact Todd Pattison.
*** Axel’s Frame Shop and Gallery is hosting a free Folded Page Book Sculptures workshop on Saturday, March 18th from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Come learn an easy art activity that is fun and very relaxing.
Folded page book sculptures require no materials other than an old book or two – no set-up, no mess, and no clean-up. Your artistic voice shows through in the ways you fold the pages and decorate the sculpture. The finished book sculptures are small enough to decorate many spaces in your home, or they make terrific gifts.
Please bring 1 or 2 medium sized books to work on. This class is appropriate for ages 12+. Space is limited.
To register, please contact the gallery at info@AxelsGallery.com or call (802) 244-7801. Axel’s is located at 5 Stowe Street.
by Elissa | Apr 9, 2015 | bookbinding, Exhibitions, Vermont
“Luck” by Marcia Vogler
“Superhero Handbook” by Elissa Campbell
“May You Walk Gently” by Ann Joppe Mercure
“What is a Book?” by Ann Joppe Mercure
“Alliterated Alphabet for Grace and Gratitude” by Ann Joppe Mercure
“Carrousel” by Betsy Chapek
“Phancy” by Marcia Vogler
“Book Worm” by Bonnie Hooper
“Birds and Feathers” by Marilyn Gillis
“Orange Bouquet” by Marilyn Gillis
“Bloom Buzz” by Nancy Hayden
“Small Book” by Vera Ryersback
“Heart” by Barbara Harding
“Words” by Barbara Harding
“Spool Words” by Barbara Harding
“String and Things” by Nancy Hayden
“Solstice Chant” by Nancy Stone
“Vibrations: Drum Trio” by Nancy Stone
“Weekly Rituals of a Domestic Goddess” by Maryann Riker
“Diary of an Immigrant’s Daughter” by Donna Stepian
“Good Cooking Made Easy” by Amy Burns
“Variations on a Shape” by Jennifer Campbell
“The Magician’s Toolbox” by Kaylynn Sullivan Two Trees
“Tiny Monster Book” by Amy Burns
“Tiny Monster Book” by Amy Burns
“In My Mother’s Garden” by Bonnie Hooper
“The Collector” by Amy Burns
“Tribute to Ellen” by Rebecca Boardman
“Cochleate” by Rebecca Boardman
“Child’s Book of Shapes & Numbers” by Vera Ryersback
“ABECEDARIUM of TRYS (trees)” by Rebecca Boardman
“The People of Moeng College” by Dorsey Hogg
“A Quorum” by Nancy Stone
“The Map is not the Territory” by Kaylynn Sullivan Two Trees
“Shoes for M” by Marcia Vogler
“Shoes for M” by Marcia Vogler
“Summer Flowers” by Marilyn Gillis
“I Fell in Love with Orange” by Lyna Lou Nordstrom
“Open to Interpretation” by Dorsey Hogg
“Adoration” by Debra Kraemer
“Zentangle Zone” by Jill Dawson
“Paper or Plastic” by Jill Dawson
“Farewell to Robin Williams” by Jill Dawson
“Smile, Breathe and Go Slowly” by Aubre Kiladnowski
“Blue Flax” by Nancy Hayden
“Logbook of a Dreamship” by Kaylynn Sullivan Two Trees
“Songbird Haiku” by Jennifer Campbell
“Lily’s Alphabet Book of Cuddlies” by Vera Ryersback
“Untitled” by Jennifer Campbell
“Memoir Vessels” by Nina Gaby. These vessels make up three collections – “The Place When I Was a Child”, “In the Neighborhood”, and “When I Was Japanese”
by Elissa | Apr 2, 2015 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Call to artists, Exhibitions, MailB.A.G., Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 8, 2015, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Please note that this month’s meeting will be held at the SEABA Center Gallery at 404 Pine Street in Burlington. Click here to get directions using Google Maps.
Program: Book Works Exhibit and Artists’ Talk
The Book Arts Guild of Vermont‘s annual member exhibit, Book Works, is now on display during the month of April. Please join us at the SEABA Center Gallery to view the incredible work and hear the artists’ inspiration and methods.
If you have a piece or pieces in the show, we would love to have you share a brief commentary about your work. The show looks fantastic, and we have already received rave reviews from those who have previewed it.
See you at the opening on Friday, and then again for the meeting on Wednesday!
March Meeting Reflections
Our March meeting was full of inspiration, creativity and comradeship. Marcia Vogler presented a very personal journey she has taken as an artist and a friend with her Postcard a Day commitment. She created a post card every day to send to a friend challenged by cancer. Her process of creating a collage to delight her friend and writing a short note enriched the her life and the life of her friend. Marcia shared her collection of postcards now returned to the artist. We were all inspired and filled with a sense of the power of art to connect and express caring.
For the workshop we all created individual postcard using special papers and magazine pages. Marcia demonstrated and talked us through her process so we all felt confident enough to start. The challenge set forth by Marcia was to not only make a post card but to send it. As Marcia said, “who doesn’t like receiving mail?”
Thank you Marcia for sharing your artistic and spiritual journey.
Look for Marcia’s Postcards at our Book Works exhibit.
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
*** Announcing our Spring Show! Book Works, book-related works by the Book Arts Guild of Vermont
The Spring 2015 exhibit from the Book Arts Guild of Vermont is entitled Book Works, and includes work from members and friends interested in the structure and format of books. The artists redefine the normal concept of the book, using various mediums and techniques to construct or reconstruct pieces that tell a story, and can be ‘read’ in some way by the viewer. A group of books altered by folding and manipulating pages represents the outcome of the guild’s monthly meeting program where members share skills and encourage creative work. Other works represent the broad definition of the book as explored by painters, textile artists, and paper lovers.
The exhibit will take place at the SEABA Center Gallery at 404 Pine Street in Burlington during the month of April. The opening will be on First Friday Art Walk, April 3rd, and we will have a gallery talk on April 8th that will serve as our April meeting. We are thrilled to have a South End location for the show, and excited to have the opportunity to increase awareness of the book arts.
Help us get the word out! Click here to download the postcard as a jpeg file. Click here to download the postcard as a pdf file.
*** The Book Arts Guild of Vermont‘s show at SEABA is highlighted in the April edition of ART MAP BURLINGTON, a guide to art happenings in Burlington. Look for the dramatic black and white photo of Marcia Vogler’s altered book.
Book Arts News
*** The New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers is looking for volunteers for a Girl Scout Book Artist event on April 12th at Camp Rice Moody Lodge, 29 Rice Rd Reading, MA. This program will run from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
They will be partnering with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Mass. and the program is for Cadette scouts (age 11-14) to earn a Book Artist badge.
There will be an introduction and then five stations that the girls will rotate through which may include printing, accordion folds, a pamphlet, origami book, a scroll, decorating paper or a collaborative book, depending on the interests of the volunteers. Each rotation will last for about 30 minutes. If you have a book arts technique or project that you’d like to see done with the girl scouts please make some suggestions.
You do not need to be a member of the NEGBW to volunteer. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Todd Pattison at bookandtile@att.net.
*** The annual Book Arts Bazaar will be held on Sunday, April 12th from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Wishcamper Center on the University of Southern Maine’s Portland Campus. This festival with book artists, papermakers, bookbinders, printmakers, educators, and writers is dedicated to all things related to the book.
The event is sponsored by USM’s Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts.
*** Bookstock is looking for book artist vendors for their literary festival during July 24 – 26. Last year’s vendors were made up primarily of authors and publishers but they’re interested in adding more book artists this year. The festival is held in Woodstock, VT.
For more information, please contact Mitzi Wilson at Mitziw@hotmail.com or (802) 356-9957.
Book Arts Classes
*** From January 26 – 31, 2016, Daniel Essig will be teaching Wooden Books – Greek & Centipede Binding at the North Country Studio Workshops in Bennington, VT.
Easily master the centipede stitch by first understanding the structure and workings of this ornate 7th century Greek binding. Using simple hand tools to begin, we will drill, shape, and smooth our wooden book covers. Sealing the covers with milk paint will create a leathery appearance. We will adorn our books with the centipede stitch using two different colors of thread. This elegant sewing structure, combined with wooden covers, opens a wide range of possibilities for both the beginner and the advanced bookbinder.
Applications are now available and the review process begins June 1st. For more information or if you have any questions, please visit the NCSW website.
*** On May 9 & 10, 2015, Regina and Dan St. John of Chena River Marblers are teaching Boxes for Every Season and Occasion at Snow Farm in Williamsburg, MA.
Using simple tools and purchased or recycled cardboard, paper, and cloth, students will learn how to design, then make and decorate boxes and containers of all shapes and sizes. Learn about folding, scoring, creasing, and cutting, along with powerful templates, jigs, and approaches to accurate measurement without rulers. Cover the surfaces of the containers with various decorative materials and produce a unique 3-D work of art.
For more information or to register, please visit the Snow Farm website.
*** On April 25, 2015, the North Bennet Street School is offering a Secret Belgian Binding workshop with Erin Fletcher in Boston.
Students construct two variations of a non-adhesive structure known as a secret Belgian binding. This structure is simple and quick to construct. It opens flat and is perfect for blank journals, poetry or short stories.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBSS website.
