“Archetypal Illuminations” by Mary McCarthy
“The Quest” by Paul Johnson
“Chinese Opera” by Jill Timm
“Glimpse” by Julie Chen and Barb Tetenbaum
“Binding Ties” by Angela Lorenz
“Snake Talk” by Verandah Porche
“Beauty in Use” by Sandra McPherson and Claire Van Vliet
“A Pop-Up Field Guide to North American Wildflowers” by Shawn Sheehy
“A Pop-Up Field Guide to North American Wildflowers” by Shawn Sheehy
“Falling Leaves” by Jill Timm
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.
Whether you have been out enjoying the warm days of summer or busy at work on projects, the Book Arts Guild of Vermont would like to welcome you back to our monthly meetings with an exciting, interactive program on creating content for artists’ books featuring Stephanie Wolff.
Jump start your creativity and get ideas flowing as Stephanie shares her approach to content creation for her artists’ books. During her presentation, Stephanie will lead content generation exercises and encourage a group discussion on ways to overcome fear of the blank page. All you need to bring is a pen you like to write with, some scrap paper or a journal, and the desire to be inspired!
Stephanie Wolff is an artist, hand bookbinder, and book conservation technician, whose books have been exhibited widely. In 2011 she received a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Dartmouth College, focusing her studies on the history, culture, and arts of the book. In addition to working in conservation and on her own creative projects, she teaches book arts to students of all ages.
Book Arts Guild members were treated to a delightful evening of exploration and inspiration at the University of Vermont Special Collections library. Prudence Doherty, UVM librarian and BAG member, selected books for our viewing pleasure. Her selections fell into three categories; books new to the collection, books on paste paper and marbling, and books by our recent guest teacher Daniel Kelm.
After a brief, yet intriguing introduction, Prudence let us go off on our own to examine and manipulate the books. The size, structure, materials, content, message and illustration varied from book yet every book held the special magic of Book Arts.
Thank you UVM and Prudence for hosting our Book Arts Guild’s annual August meeting.
*** B.A.G. member Lorraine Reynolds teaching 3 workshops at Art is…You, a mixed-media art retreat in Stamford, CT. The retreat will take place during October 4 – 8, 2012.
Lorraine’s workshops include:
For more information or to register, please visit the event website.
*** Lorraine Reynolds also currently has work in the exhibit, American Gothic now on display through September 30th at the Vintage Inspired Lifestyle Marketplace in Burlington, VT. The exhibit bridges the distance between past and present, north and south. Mixed media work has been assembled using alternative printmaking and painting processes that speak to the viewer thorough nostalgia and memory, melding a collective past and visions of haunted tales.
For more information, please visit the Marketplace website.
*** B.A.G. members Lyna Lou Nordstrom and Elissa Campbell are opening their studios as part of the statewide Fall Open Studio Weekend sponsored by the Vermont Crafts Council.
If you want to visit fellow book artists October 6 & 7, you can find them in the following locations:
You can find maps and directions to studios on the VT Crafts Council website. You can also download a pdf of the Vermont Foliage Open Studio Tour Guide. Please note that this is a really big file – 23.7 MB.
*** Dartmouth College Library in Hanover, NH is looking for an energetic, organized, and experienced printer and book artist to manage the Book Arts Workshop, a letterpress and bookbinding studio that serves the students, faculty, and staff of Dartmouth College as well as the local community.
This is a term position at either three quarters time year round or full-time for 10-months, ending June 30, 2015. This person will report to the head of Preservation Services and will oversee the Book Arts Workshop, and managing all workshop activities including curricular support, instruction, planning and programming, supervision, equipment maintenance, and budgeting.
The successful candidate will develop Workshop programs to increase the effectiveness of the studios as a College-wide and community resource. The Special Instructor serves as a liaison to the faculty and will provide curricular support for classes involving a book arts component.
To view the complete job description (position # 1011369) and/or apply online, please visit the Dartmouth website.
*** From September 4 – January 16, 2013, 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.
*** Donna Marie Stepien is teaching a Book Crafting Class at the Artistree Community Arts Center and Gallery in Woodstock, VT on Mondays, September 17 – October 8 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Learn how to make a hard cover book with stitching using one of the three practiced bindings: Japanese stab, concertina or saddle stitch. We will also talk about bookmaking history and view handcrafted books. No experience necessary.
Materials are provided by the instructor. You may bring anything flat and lightweight: magazine/newspaper clippings, drawings, photographs, stickers, buttons, beads, ribbons to personalize your book.
For more information, please visit the Artistree website.
*** The Eliot School in Jamaica Plain, MA is offering the following book arts classes now through December 2012:
For more information, please visit the Eliot School’s website or click here to download the complete catalog.
*** Erin Fletcher is teaching Fundamentals of Bookbinding I at the North Bennet Street School in Boston, MA on Tuesdays, October 2 – December 4 from 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Students will learn the foundations of bookbinding with hands-on experience and discussion. The course will cover non-adhesive structures and case bindings, which will teach structural elements, sewing variations, covering and cutting techniques using various materials, tools and equipment. Throughout the course discussions will cover terminology, paper grain and folding, selecting proper materials and tools, and adhesives and their properties.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBSS website.
*** The Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, MA is offering Intermediate Book Repair with Donia Conn on October 25, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Building upon the skills learned in a basic book repair workshop, participants will learn to reattach a sound text block to its original case and replace damaged or missing spines. This hands-on workshop is designed for library staff members with some experience in book repair and/or supervisors of book repair units for general collections. This workshop will NOT cover techniques for the repair of research collections or materials that are rare, special, or archival.
Previous attendance at a basic book repair workshop is highly recommended because the techniques explored in this workshop build on basic skills. Tools will be provided for use in the workshop.
For more information or to register, please visit the NDCC website.
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.
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 MeetingOur 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. 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.
*** 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.
*** 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.
Next Meeting
Wednesday, September 7, 2011, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
We meet at the B.C.A. Center (formerly known as the Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts), located to the right of City Hall on Church Street in Burlington, VT.
| In the past week, we have watched with horror at the destruction that Tropical Storm Irene has inflicted on our treasured state. Our thoughts and hearts are with those affected by the storm and we hope that our members and their families are safe.
Please check in on our Facebook page and let us and others know that you’re okay. Note: The events listed in this newsletter may be located in affected areas and could therefore be inaccessible. Before traveling, please call ahead to the venue to ensure that it is open. |
Assembled without adhesives or sewing, piano hinge bindings offer a tremendous range of creative possibilities. Signatures wind around dowels to produce a beautiful woven spine with an amazing array of design possibilities. Piano hinge books also open into circular forms, inspiring flights of structural fantasy.
During the September meeting, Jill Abilock will lead a hands-on workshop in piano hinge binding basics. Participants will make a small piano hinge journal that is sure to wet your appetite to explore this wonderful book structure. Jill will also share her unique and unusual piano-hinge-bound creations.
Jill will provide the paper and dowels, just bring your enthusiasm and the following tools:
Optional:
Our August meeting at the University of Vermont’s Special Collections Department provided a relaxed atmosphere to explore artists books hand selected by Prudence Doherty, Public Services Librarian and B.A.G. member. Prudence searched the shelves and brought out a sampling of books loosely fitting into the categories of food, home and place.
Our group was a mixture of members, new members, future members, spouses and out-of-state guests. All of us were inspired by the different structures, contents and materials used to create artists books. The evening ended with a beautiful sunset that left us all with a sense of appreciation for nature and the creative spirit.
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
*** The Book Arts Guild of Vermont continues to change and grow. As part of that growth, the board is exploring new locations for our monthly meetings. We have several leads, but if you know of a space that would be low cost or free and would be appropriate to our meetings, please contact Jill via Email.
*** We received the following response from Kids to Kids International for the books and art supplies we sent earlier this year:
Dear Book Arts Guild of Vermont,
We received the box of beautifully made books, art supplies and the $25 donation sent to Kids to Kids International, and want you to know how grateful we are for all you sent. We are excited by the books your guild created. They are just wonderful and unique and will be used to inspire others to create special books as well.
Thank you so much for your continued involvement in Kids to Kids International. We will be sure to send the art supplies where they are needed.
Corinne Wynne, KTKI
*** B.A.G. member Lorraine Reynolds had two pieces chosen for inclusion in UNBOUND, a juried show that explores the idea of “the book” and all the ways artists use that format as a stepping off point. The show runs now through September 6, 2011 at the Artistree Gallery in Woodstock, VT.
*** B.A.G. members Marianna Holzer and Elissa Campbell are opening their studios as part of the state-wide Open Studio Weekend sponsored by the Vermont Crafts Council. If you want to visit fellow book artists October 1 & 2, you can find them in the following locations:
You can find maps and directions to studios on the VT Crafts Council website. You can also download a pdf of the Vermont Foliage Open Studio Tour Guide. Please note that this is a really big file – 13.5 MB.
*** Susan Bonthron is teaching a 2-day Tunnel Book class from September 17 – 18, 2011. The all-inclusive fee for the class is $160.00 and includes lunch. For more information, please contact Susan via Email for more information or to register.
*** The North Bennet Street School in Boston, MA is offering Non-adhesive bookbinding with Amy Lapidow on Saturdays, September 10 – October 8, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The course covers a historic range of sewn bindings as alternatives to traditional case bindings. Through demonstrations and exercises, students learn to construct simple pamphlets, long stitch, coptic and others as time allows. Topics include basic folding, cutting and sewing skills; matching appropriate structures to materials and intended use; paper selection; and structural opportunities for decoration.
Tuition is $675.00 For more information or to register, please call (617) 227-0155.
*** Elissa Campbell is teaching a Book Arts Open Studio at Studio Place Arts in Barre, VT on October 12, 19, and 26 from 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
This experimental workshop is like a mini retreat, where students who have taken some book arts classes in the past can explore taking their artist books to a new level. A wide range of tools and materials will be available for you to try, including collage, carved block stamps, image transfer, Dremel, and paper cutting. Different binding techniques will also be explored.
This workshop is best-suited to someone with previous book arts experience. To register, contact SPA via phone (802) 479-7069 or Email.
*** There are currently two exhibits in Vermont featuring the work of book artist Claire Van Vliet. Now throught September 26th, the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center is showing Claire Van Vliet: A Celebration of Paper, an exhibit of the artist’s pulp paintings and handmade books. The museum is located at 10 Vernon Street.
If you’re closer to Montpelier, you can visit Paper Works, an exhibit running now through the end of September at the Governor’s Gallery. The Gallery is located in the Pavilion Office Building at 109 State Street. Gallery hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday and photo identification is required for admittance.
*** The Friends of Dard Hunter is trying something new this year – they’ve created a number of smaller, more intimate conferences which draw both existing members and recruit new, potential members from the local area who otherwise might find it too expensive or inconvenient to travel to a distant conference.
The Northeast Regional Conference will be held in Pittsfield, MA in October. The preconference will take place from October 18 – 19, 2011 and will feature papermaking at the Crane Museum of Papermaking using some historic moulds, carving linoleum blocks for steam-roller prints and creating books for a local book bomb. All the activities at Crane are free.
The conference will take place from October 20 – 22, 2011 and is designed to be less formal and less structured than regular annual meetings. One main focus of the meeting is to broaden the awareness of the paper and book arts among area educators, as well as to broaden exposure of the Friends of Dard Hunter.
To view the conference schedule, please visit the Friends of Dard Hunter website.
*** The CIAO Gallery, a non-profit artist cooperative gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is calling for artwork for the Rocky Mountain Art Book Collection Exhibition. Participants will receive a blank sketch pad to do whatever they please artistically during several months. All mediums are welcome. Notebooks must arrive at the gallery for submission by 5:00 p.m., December 1, 2011.
The participation fee is $25.00. The exhibition will run from December 15, 2011 – January 15, 2012. Download the prospectus for more information. If you have any questions, please contact Michele E. Walters at (307) 733-7833 or via Email at ciaogallery@yahoo.com.
*** The Shelburne Museum will host the exhibit Paperwork in 3D, featuring the work of 25 contemporary artists who transform flat sheets of paper into amazing three-dimensional art. Featured artists include book artists Tom Allen, Brian Dettmer, Sam Ita, and Matthew Reinhart.
Paperwork in 3D explores a variety of themes and techniques including: the Japanese art of origami, cut paper, pop-up books and graphic novels, the mathematics of paper engineering, sculpture, and fashion (cross-referencing the exhibit In Fashion in Webb Gallery). Site specific installations include lighted sculpture in the Round Barn silo by Vermont artist Riki Moss, and rain forest animal and plant sculpture in Kalkin House, created by Emma Hardy from Colorado.
"Common Threads" by Candace Hicks
"Mapping My World" by Laura Davidson
"Home on the Range" by Alicia McKim
"Meatball Math" by Alice Austin
"Love Re-Turned" by Lois Morrison
"Out West" by Carol Blinn
"Succession" by Karen Hanmer
"The Big Dig" by Laura Davidson
"Gooseberry Creek" by Leonard Seastone
