by Elissa | Jun 5, 2013 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, Lecture, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, July 10 2013, 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: Artist Talk and Hands-on Activity with Erin Sweeney
Join us in July when book artist, printmaker, and installation artist Erin Sweeney presents her work and practice, which currently explores, among other themes, the notion of home.
Her studio, Lovely In The Home Press, is in Peterborough, NH, the town that playwright Thornton Wilder used as inspiration for his Grover’s Corners in the play Our Town. Erin has a love/hate relationship with her small town, as many people do, and much of her work is centered around this relationship.
In addition to sharing her inspiring work, Erin will lead us in a hands-on exploration of the magic of one-sheet folded books, demonstrating how they can be used as building blocks to make sculptural work, tell longer stories, and bring your viewer into your pieces in unexpected ways.
Erin will supply the paper, but asks that everyone bring the following tools:
- Scissors
- Bone folder
- Pencil
- X-acto knife
- Cutting mat
Reflections on June’s Exhibit Opening
The opening reception for the Book Arts Guild of Vermont show, There’s No Place Like Home, was an exciting and inspiring evening. The gallery was abuzz with members of the guild as well as interested observers, enjoying our show as well as the wonderful show, Tell us a Tale, in the main galleries at Studio Place Arts in Barre.
We shared details about the construction, materials, problems, and surprising outcomes of our pieces with the appreciative audience, enjoyed some great snacks, and connected with old and new friends.
The show, set up by Sue Higby of SPA, looked amazing and filled the gallery with energy. Thanks to all the artists who participated- what a talented group we are. And thanks to SPA for hosting the show.
Our exhibit is open now through July 6, 2013.
You can view images from the exhibit and the opening on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
*** Are you looking for an opportunity to participate in the Burlington Art Hop but don’t know how? Do you have work that you think could sell at an artists’ market but maybe you don’t have enough inventory to have your own table?
Here is a great opportunity to help represent the Book Arts Guild of Vermont and participate in the Art Hop at the same time – join us in a group table at the Art Hop Artist Market Extravaganza on September 7, 2013!
Participation is limited to the first 10 members responding by August 1st. Please be aware that you must agree to our guidelines before committing to participation – please download the Art Hop exhibition sheet and review the terms before agreeing to participate.
*** Congrats to B.A.G. member Carolyn Shattuck for her recent feature on the Center for Book Arts blog. CBA intern Kate Burns had the opportunity to visit Carolyn during this spring’s Open Studio Weekend.
Carolyn spoke about her bookmaking and printing processes as well as her inspirations while allowing Kate and her father, Dave, who was visiting the east coast from Montana, to nose around her workspace and take some pictures.
*** B.A.G. member Nancy Stone will exhibit her handmade books in the exhibit Drawn to Music. Nancy’s work will include Line Notes, a window installation of seven translucent accordion books traced from her sketches of performing musicians; Vibrations, a suite of six triptych-books of watercolor paintings developed from Line Notes; and Ecclesiastes III, a suite of diverse pop-up, white-on-white books based on “A time for war; a time for peace”, etc.
The show runs from June 4, 2013 – August 29, 2013 at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Burlington, VT. The opening is on Friday June 7, 2013 from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. with an artists’ talk at 6:30 p.m. Summer hours are Tuesday – Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 pm. Jazz, folk and classical musical events will correlate with the exhibit.
*** B.A.G. member Elissa Campbell is teaching Book Arts Open Studio, at Studio Place Arts in Barre, VT on July 8, 15, & 22, 2013 from 4:30 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. Enjoy the creative environment of working with other artists – it’s like a book arts play date!
In this 3-part workshop, the use of both standard and unconventional materials will be demonstrated, along with creative ways to apply them to the book arts. 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.
To register, contact SPA via phone (802) 479-7069 or Email.
*** Elizabeth Rideout‘s workshop Bookbinding Intensive: Simplified Binding With Leather Relief Cover, scheduled for June 22 – 23, 2013, has been postponed until further notice. We will let you know when the workshop has been rescheduled.
Book Arts News
*** The New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers members Stacie Dolin and Amy Lapidow’s book, Book Art Studio Handbook: Techniques and Methods for Binding Books, Creating Albums, Making Boxes and Enclosures, and More provides the inspiration or the text block for an online exhibition now available for viewing.
The exhibit features the work of 12 NEGBW members, including McKey Berkman, Brittany Fay, Samuel Feinstein, Karen Hanmer, Barbara Hebard & students, Dana Kull, Amy Lapidow, Anne McLain, John Nove, Todd Pattison, and Janine Wong.
Book Arts Classes
*** On August 9-11, 2013, Velma Bolyard will teach the traditional Japanese art of shifu, a spun and woven paper textile, both a quiet and meditative art at Long Ridge Farm in Westmoreland, NH.
You’ll learn all aspects of the process, from paper to finished small weavings. Beginning with a large sheet of lokta or kozo paper the process moves through preparing and spinning paper into thread or yarn, wet or dry for comparison, to ultimately weaving the threads on a simple loom that each student creates from repurposed materials.
During free moments, a bouquet of simple book structures will be taught, one of which can showcase each student’s workshop samples and thoughts. For more information or to register, please visit the Long Ridge Farm website.
*** Carol Barton will be teaching Book Arts: Paper Engineering and Sculptural Binding at the North Country Studio Workshops from January 28, 2014 – February 2, 2014. This is an ideal session for book artists, teachers, graphic designers, and anyone who likes to play with paper.
Discover the magic of the sculptural book through exploration of three-dimensional and pop-up forms. Learn how to use book structures to help convey your message. Participants will construct a series of pop-ups from simple to more complex glued structures, along with an accordion book, a carousel book, and a tunnel book.
Registration for 2014 opened on June 15, 2013.
*** The New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers is hosting two workshops in June with Paul Johnson in Maine (one workshop will be repeated):
- Spirit House – A Three Dimensional Pop-Up Model: In this workshop, you will make a 3D pop-up spirit house from paper. There are no folds – the whole structure (comprising over thirty separate parts) is made from hinges and dovetails joints and will fold down flat.
- Book as Architecture: In this workshop, you will make a pop-up gazebo in which there are no folds and therefore no paper ‘fatigue’. All sections are fastened together using a range of paper hinges, locks, and dovetail joints. Sections can be modified and redesigned as the model develops – you simply take out one section and replace it with another.
For more information, please download the registration form(s) below or contact Todd Pattison via Email: bookandtile@att.net.
*** Richard Horton is teaching Handmade Photo Album Structures and Strategies on July 27 – 28, 2013 at White Square Books in Easthampton, MA. The purpose of the workshop is to teach you to design albums that are beautiful, safe for real photos, and easy to look through, with pages that lie flat.
You will take with you from the course a finished model of a 10-leaf album with its paper cover and box. You will take a small stiff-leaved sewed codex, and you’ll take at least 2 large leaf models demonstrating multiple mounts on both sides of the page.
For an expanded course description and list of what to bring, please contact Richard at albumsandsuch@gmail.com.
*** Daniel Kelm is offering The Leather Intensive at his studio, The Wide Awake Garage, in Easthampton, MA from July 21 – 26, 2013. During this six-day intensive each participant will produce a full-leather binding using techniques traditional to English and French construction.
Variations in structure and the characteristics of materials will be discussed extensively. Endsheet configuration, text sewing, rounding and backing, hand-sewn endbanding, spine lining, leather paring (both with knife and manual paring machine), covering, and leather joint application will be explored.
For more details, please visit Daniel’s website.
*** Bill Hanscom is teaching Album Structures at the Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science in Boston on Saturday, June 29, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. In this workshop you will explore the construction and mechanics of a variety of album structures from the traditional to the intriguingly unconventional.
You will learn several structures, including a Simple Board Book Album, the Storage Book, Pocket Album, Spider Book, Multi-leaf Accordion, and an Accordion Album.
For more information or to register, please visit the Simmons GSLIS website.
by Elissa | May 2, 2013 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, Lecture, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 8, 2013, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
The May 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 May we will not be meeting as usual on the second 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. 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!
* Please bring a pencil, not a pen, if you plan to take notes.
Reflections on April’s Meeting
April’s B.A.G. meeting was full of rich chocolate treats and rich inspiration for committing to making art. April is edible book celebration time and we had delicious treats including Lord of the Ring Dings and the Invisible Man.
As good as the food was, Marcia Vogler‘s sharing of her postcard a day initiative was the real inspiration of the evening. Marcia has been making collaged postcards with messages and sending one a day to friends while they’re going through challenging times.
Her postcards were exquisite and the whole undertaking beautiful on so many different levels. Marcia shared her process and we all had time to create postcards of our own. It was a very enjoyable evening and one that will resonate within our hearts and our stomachs too.
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
 *** B.A.G.’s 2013 spring exhibit, There’s No Place Like Home, will be hosted by Studio Place Arts in Barre, VT. The show will take place at the same time as an exhibit on children’s literature in the Main Floor Gallery.
Members are encouraged to submit work for this exciting show. This is a great opportunity to get your work out there, whether you are a first time exhibitor or a seasoned artist. The theme is very accessible, and brings up many references that are unique to each person.
Beyond the reference to the Wizard of Oz, the idea of ‘home’ can suggest family, rooms, objects, memories, and dreams, just to mention a few. Start now with some brainstorming and word association techniques presented by Stephanie Wolff at the September meeting, and generate content for your book.You can download the entry form here. If you would like to bring your work to the May 8th meeting instead of mailing it, please email the entry form and your accompanying artist statement to Marcia to indicate that you will be bringing it then.
The exhibit will be in SPA’s Third Floor Gallery from June 4 – July 6, 2013. The opening will be on Thursday June 6, 2013 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. (please note that this is a date change). |
*** On May 25 & 26 (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 2013 Spring Vermont Open Studio Tour Guide. Please note that this is a really big file.
*** B.A.G. member Nancy Stone will exhibit her handmade books in the exhibit Drawn to Music. Nancy’s work will include Line Notes, a window installation of seven translucent accordion books traced from her sketches of performing musicians; Vibrations, a suite of six triptych-books of watercolor paintings developed from Line Notes; and Ecclesiastes III, a suite of diverse pop-up, white-on-white books based on “A time for war; a time for peace”, etc.
The show runs from June 4, 2013 – August 29, 2013 at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Burlington, VT. The opening is on Friday June 7, 2013 from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. with an artists’ talk at 6:30 p.m. Summer hours are Tuesday – Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 pm. Jazz, folk and classical musical events will correlate with the exhibit.
*** B.A.G. Chair Elizabeth Rideout will be teaching Bookbinding Intensive: Simplified Binding With Leather Relief Cover on June 22 & 23, 2013, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at The Bindery Place, Shelburne Pond Studios in Shelburne.
Discover the joy of working with leather as you create a relief pattern in leather for the front cover of this book! Using professional sewing, cutting and pasting techniques, you will create a text block and encase it an elegant binding. In addition to showcasing your leather relief cover, this binding style offers the opportunity to create well-crafted books with a variety of cover possibilities.
For more information please contact Jill Abilock via Email at SixLoonsStudio@gmail.com or call (802) 238-0883. There are only 10 places in the workshop and it is filling up fast, so download the registration form and send it in soon!
*** B.A.G. member Elissa Campbell is teaching Leather Pocket Journals – The Sequel, at Studio Place Arts in Barre, VT on June 4 & 11, 2013 from 4:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Some say that a sequel is never as good as the original – but not in this case!
In Leather Pocket Journals Part II, you’ll learn 5 bindings that use only leather, paper, and thread – no glue needed! For each binding, you’ll sew 3 sections of folded pages into covers cut from one piece of leather. These bindings are very flexible and allow the books to open completely flat, making them perfect for use as sketchbooks or journals.
Each sewing technique creates a different decorative sewing pattern on the spine and we’ll try out different closure methods. No previous experience required – this is a great class for a beginner. You can even bring in your own leather to customize your book.
To register, contact SPA via phone (802) 479-7069 or Email.
Book Arts News
*** ArtisTree Gallery and Pentangle Arts Council, in conjunction with the Bookstock Literary Festival, are looking for submissions for their upcoming exhibit, Unbound Vol III: Art Using the Book as a Material/Format. The show will be juried by book artist Erin Sweeney, owner of Lovely In The Home Press in Peterborough, NH
The broad theme of UNBOUND: VOL III 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 these ideas of “the book” and all the ways artists use its format as a stepping off point or as a material to explore new ideas.
This call for submission 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. Submissions must be postmarked by mail or Emailed by June 15, 2013. For more information, please visit the ArtisTree Gallery’s website.
*** On May 9, 2013 at 6:00 p.m., The New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers will be sponsoring a talk by Amy Lapidow and Stacie Dolin on their experience publishing their new book, the Book Arts Studio Handbook.
The longtime North Bennet Street School bookbinding workshop instructors have put together projects; techniques; and tools from information gleaned from their teaching experiences.
The talk will take place in the Radcliffe Room of the Schlesinger Library at Harvard University.
Book Arts Classes
*** Bill Hanscom will be offering a Books in Motion workshop on May 18, 2013, from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science in Boston.
Create books that burst open, tumble, spin, sway and dance! During this workshop we will explore the possibilities of movable parts within books. These elegant mechanical devices can stand on their own, in combination, or be used to enhance a variety of other book structures. We will explore the Flag Book, Blossom Book, Woven Flexagon, Exploding Map Fold Book, Jacob’s Ladder, Volvelles, and basic Pop-up construction.
Required tools: bone folder, utility knife, 12″ steel ruler, 12 x 18″ self-healing cutting mat, small brush for glue and pencil.
For more information or to register, please send an Email to gslisce@simmons.edu or call (617) 521-2803. The workshop will be held at 300 The Fenway.
*** Carol Barton will be teaching Book Arts: Paper Engineering and Sculptural Binding at the North Country Studio Workshops from January 28, 2014 – February 2, 2014. This is an ideal session for book artists, teachers, graphic designers, and anyone who likes to play with paper.
Discover the magic of the sculptural book through exploration of three-dimensional and pop-up forms. Learn how to use book structures to help convey your message. Participants will construct a series of pop-ups from simple to more complex glued structures, along with an accordion book, a carousel book, and a tunnel book.
Registration for 2014 opens June 15, 2013, so be sure to mark the date on your calendar!
*** The New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers is also hosting two workshops in June with Paul Johnson in Maine (one workshop will be repeated):
- Spirit House – A Three Dimensional Pop-Up Model: In this workshop, you will make a 3D pop-up spirit house from paper. There are no folds – the whole structure (comprising over thirty separate parts) is made from hinges and dovetails joints and will fold down flat.
- Book as Architecture: In this workshop, you will make a pop-up gazebo in which there are no folds and therefore no paper ‘fatigue’. All sections are fastened together using a range of paper hinges, locks, and dovetail joints. Sections can be modified and redesigned as the model develops – you simply take out one section and replace it with another.
For more information, please download the registration form(s) below or contact Todd Pattison via Email: bookandtile@att.net.
by Elissa | Apr 4, 2013 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Exhibitions, Lecture, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 10, 2013, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
DATE CHANGE: PLEASE NOTE THAT WE NOW MEET ON THE SECOND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH.
There will be no change in location – 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: Edible Books and Postcard-a-Day with Marcia Vogler
For our April meeting, Marcia Vogler is serving up a double dose of creative fun. For the first part of the meeting, we’ll celebrate the International Edible Books Festival right here in Vermont. Simply combine your creative and culinary talents and bring a piece of edible art related to books.
Your creation can pun a title (The Brothers Karamatzoh, Grape Expectations); refer to a quote, scene, character or author (To brie or not to brie, Curd Vonnegut); look like a book or book form, or be a functional book made out of edible materials (Japanese sushi nori, Pop Tarts, etc.).
Of course, you are welcome to attend the meeting whether you bring edible book art to share or come to enjoy the creations, but here are some ideas to get your creative (and gastric) juices flowing:
- S’more and Peace
- Alice in Wonderbread
- The Bun Also Rises
- The Rosetta Scone
- Lord of the Pies
- Twelve Angry Gingerbread Men
We will visit each entry and try to guess the title before the artist reveals it! You may want to bring a camera and a notepad to record the humorous creations with their titles! Then, we’ll chow down on the truly edible creations. For more inspiration, visit the International Edible Books Festival website or Google “edible books”.
During the second part of the meeting, we’ll make someone else’s day special (and keep the USPS in business!) by sending a ‘Postcard a Day.’ Marcia will share her inspiration for a daily practice of collage and written word, and how it has helped her to stay in touch with both herself and an ailing friend. A simple collage can be made quickly in an abstract manner, or as a representational piece.
Using painted papers, magazine tears, used calendar pages, or simply paper scraps, we will put together mail art to be shared with others. Marcia has sent an original postcard almost everyday since August 2011, to friends receiving chemotherapy and/ or radiation treatments. She continues because it has become an important part of her day. Examples of her work can be found here and here.
Please bring:
- Glue Stick
- X-Acto Knife
- Scissors
- Cutting mat
- Collage materials
- Paints, inks, and rubber stamps and anything else you would like to use to embellish your card(s)
Reflections on March’s Meeting
For many book artists, text is a difficult aspect to handle. In our March meeting, Donna Stepien presented a unique and fascinating view of the power of text and letters.
Beginning with an overview of applying mindfulness as a tool to find meaning in our work, Donna led us through some history of typography and principles of graphic design. She then shared the extraordinary work of students in her college-level typography class. Each student designed and constructed a book using only the words of a chosen poem to create visual and emotional impact.
We were all impressed with the level of sophistication in the work, and came away with ideas for incorporating text in a more mindful manner in our own work.
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
*** B.A.G.’s 2013 spring exhibit, There’s No Place Like Home, will be hosted by Studio Place Arts in Barre, VT. The show will take place at the same time as an exhibit on children’s literature in the Main Floor Gallery.
Members are encouraged to submit work for this exciting show. This is a great opportunity to get your work out there, whether you are a first time exhibitor or a seasoned artist. The theme is very accessible, and brings up many references that are unique to each person.
Beyond the reference to the Wizard of Oz, the idea of ‘home’ can suggest family, rooms, objects, memories, and dreams, just to mention a few. Start now with some brainstorming and word association techniques presented by Stephanie Wolff at the September meeting, and generate content for your book.
The exhibit will be in SPA’s Third Floor Gallery from June 4 – July 6, 2013. The deadline for submissions is May 1, 2013. You can download the entry form here. Forms will also be available at the April meeting.
Book Arts News
*** A Book Arts Bazaar, presented by the Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts in conjunction with Maine Reads and the Maine Festival of the Book, will take place on April 7th, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the University of Southern Maine. The Bazaar will feature book artists, papermakers, bookbinders, printmakers, educators, writers, and all things related to the book.
The Wishcamper Center is located at 34 Bedford Street on the University of Southern Maine’s Portland Campus. For more information, please contact Rebecca Goodale via Email or phone: (207) 228-8014.
*** In conjunction with the release of the Book Arts Studio Handbook by Stacie Dolin and Amy Lapidow, The New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers is arranging an online exhibit of bindings on or inspired by the book. The exhibit will be posted on the New England chapter website.
The entry deadline is May 1, 2013. Participants will have to submit a jpeg of their binding along with description information. If you are interested in participating in the exhibit or need more information, please Email bookandtile@att.net.
*** The New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers has released their calendar of events for the first half of 2013. Other events may be in the works, but they wanted to distribute information so you can save the dates for any programs you are interested in.
Events will be posted on the NEGBW blog and further information will be included there. If you’d like, you can subscribe to the blog and receive notifications of new posts by Email. On the right side of the blog’s home page, fill out your Email address under “Email Subscription” and click on the “Sign Me Up!” button.
Book Arts Classes
*** Martha Kearsley will be offering a Drop-spine Box (aka Clamshell Box) workshop on Saturday, April 20, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the University of Southern Maine.
The drop-spine box is a remarkably useful structure and can be easily adapted from its original purpose of housing books to create elegant and expressive portfolios. Owing to time constraints, students will build a drop-spine box from pre-measured and cut materials, but will also be provided with the skills, models and information to design and create their own boxes.
For more information or to register, please call (207) 780-5900. The workshop will be held at the Wishcamper Center Multi-Purpose Room at 34 Bedford Street on the University of Southern Maine’s Portland Campus.
*** The New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers presents Making Bone Tools and Objects with Jim Croft on Saturday, April 20, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the North Bennet Street School.
Participants will learn how to shape and polish elk and deer bone using various hand tools. Bone may be shaped into tools, small sculptures or both. Bone carving will also be demonstrated. Raw bone will be available in many shapes and sizes, everything from usable scraps to large pieces. Jim will teach sharpening if anyone wants. Bring tools you would like to show and light work gloves.
A $20.00 materials fee will cover the use of bone-working tools such as rasps, files, sandpaper and drill bits in addition to either one large bone or several smaller pieces. Additional bones may be purchased on an individual basis if desired by participants.
For more information, please download the registration form or contact Todd Pattison via Email: bookandtile@att.net.
*** The New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers is also hosting two workshops in June with Paul Johnson in Maine (one workshop will be repeated):
- Spirit House – A Three Dimensional Pop-Up Model: In this workshop, you will make a 3D pop-up spirit house from paper. There are no folds – the whole structure (comprising over thirty separate parts) is made from hinges and dovetails joints and will fold down flat.
- Book as Architecture: In this workshop, you will make a pop-up gazebo in which there are no folds and therefore no paper ‘fatigue’. All sections are fastened together using a range of paper hinges, locks, and dovetail joints. Sections can be modified and redesigned as the model develops – you simply take out one section and replace it with another.
For more information, please download the registration form(s) below or contact Todd Pattison via Email: bookandtile@att.net.
by Elissa | May 12, 2012 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Call to artists, Exhibitions, Lecture, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 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: Paper Engineering with Robin Cooper Collins
Please join us in May when Robin Cooper Collins shares her expertise in pop-up and movable books.
During the first part of the meeting, Robin will present From a Sows Ear to a Silk Purse, a talk she gave at the Movable Book Society conference in Portland, OR. The talk focuses on movable books that came across her work bench as complete train wrecks, and how they were brought back to life. She will also offer a glimpse at several unique and unusual books.
After the talk, everyone will have the opportunity to build a plate using one of the more unusual mechanisms she has encountered. The base papers will be provided but, but you will need to bring:
- Scissors
- Glue (White glue, PVA, and Elmers, etc. are fine, but not glue stick, because we will be gluing wood to paper.)
- Embellishments (decorative papers, paints, pencils, etc., as well as decorative cutting tools)
Robin Cooper Collins’ hand bookbinding practice is focused on the restoration and conservation of antiquarian children’s books. Her specialty is the restoration of pop-up and movables from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Reflections on April’s Meeting
Deborah Howe gave a fascinating presentation at our April meeting. She chronicled her investigation and work on the conservation of Dartmouth’s 15th century manuscript called the Brut Chronicle. This legendary and historical chronicle of England is valued as a working text and will be used for research.
Deborah led us thorough her investigation with slides and a working model that she created to bind the text. The final decision for conserving this manuscript came as a bit of a surprise to our group as a simple cover was chosen over the historical binding that Deborah reproduced and we greatly admired. We all gained new insight and appreciation for the work of a conservator and the choices made for academic conservation.
Thank you Deborah for traveling up to Burlington and sharing your presentation with us.
B.A.G. News
*** The Book Arts Guild of Vermont is pleased to announce that book artist Daniel Kelm will be coming to Vermont to offer The Book Restructured: Wire Edge Binding, a two-day workshop from 7/28/12 – 7/29/12.
Book artists produce a truly remarkable range of books – some diverging wildly from what we recognize as traditional book form. Wire edge binding, which employs a thin metal wire along the hinging edge of each page, was developed by master bookbinder, artist, and innovator Daniel Kelm to meet the challenge of creating a nontraditional book that opens exceptionally well and allows for unusual shapes.
During this two-day intensive workshop, which includes two projects, you will master basic wire edge skills for producing highly functional bindings of both traditional and unusual shapes. The first project – a simple codex of six identical page panels – teaches you the basics of integrating metal wire into a paperboard construction. The second project – an accordion with triangular pages that fold to form a tetrahedron – teaches you how to make books of various geometric shapes.
All experience levels welcome!
Dates: July 28 – 29, 2012 (Saturday – Sunday)
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (including lunch break)
Location: The Bindery Place, Shelburne Pond Studios, Shelburne, VT
Cost (all-inclusive!):
– Paid by 5/16/12: $195.00 (members), $210.00 (non-members)
– Paid after 5/16/12: $210.00 (members), $225.00 (non-members)
Space is limited and B.A.G. members are getting a head start on registering, so sign up as soon as possible! Click here to download the registration form.
For further information about the workshop, please contact Jill Abilock at (802) 238-0883 or SixLoonsStudio@gmail.com.
*** The May/June exhibition at the Creative Space Gallery in Vergennes, VT includes work from our 2012 spring exhibit, Shaping Pages. Featured work includes handmade books by B.A.G. members Jill Abilock, Janet Ballantyne, Eloise Beil, Elissa Campbell, Elizabeth Rideout, Maryann Riker, Nancy Stone, Annie Watson, and Cynthia Weiss.
There will be a reception with the artists on Friday June 2nd from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. You can also visit during gallery hours on Thursday – Sunday, now through June 24th.
*** B.A.G. members Carolyn Shattuck, Meta Strick, Ken Leslie, Marianna Holzer, Elizabeth Rideout, Jill Abilock, and Elissa Campbell are opening their studios as part of the state-wide Open Studio Weekend sponsored by the Vermont Crafts Council. The Creative Space Gallery is hosting books from our Shaping Pages exhibit during the event, so if you missed it in Burlington, you now have another chance to see it.
If you want to visit fellow book artists on May 26 – 27 (Memorial Day weekend), you can find them in the following locations:
- Carolyn: Rutland, studio #88
- Creative Space Gallery: Vergennes, studio #125
- Jill: Shelburne, studio #130
- Elizabeth: Shelburne, studio #130
- Marianna: Hinesburg, studio #135
- Meta: Fairfield, studio #172
- Ken: Hardwick, studio #186
- Elissa: Montpelier, studio #211
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 2012 Spring Vermont Open Studio Tour Guide. Please note that this is a really big file – 13.5 M
Book Arts News
*** Chemically Altered: Historic Paper Marbling, a lecture by Gretchen and Garrett Dixon from The Marbler’s Apprentice, will take place on May 14, 2012 at the North Bennet Street School in Boston, MA. The lecture, sponsored by the New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers is free and open to the public.
There will be discussion of the history, patterns, and fabrication techniques for chemically-altered patterns of marbled paper – Stormont, Shell, Broken, Romantic, Schroetel, and Tiger Eye. These patterns all involve the use of chemical additives to the watercolor paint in order to achieve their effect. These patterns were popular from the end of the 18th century through the 19th century.
For directions, please visit the North Bennet Street School’s website.
*** ArtisTree Gallery and Pentangle Arts Council, in conjunction with the Bookstock Festival, are looking for submissions for their upcoming exhibit, Unbound Vol II: Art using the book as a material/format. The show will be 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 2nd annual juried show looks to explore these ideas of “the book” and all the ways artists use its format as a stepping off point or as a material to explore new ideas.
The exhibit is open to all 2D and 3D, installation, and assemblage artists working in New England and New York. Submissions must be postmarked by mail or Emailed by June 9, 2012. For more information, please visit the ArtisTree Gallery’s website.
Book Arts Classes
*** From 8/3/12 – 8/5/12, Velma Bolyard will be teaching Pulp Clouds: Hand Papermaking at the Long Ridge Farm in Westmoreland, NH. In this workshop, you’ll gather plants, cook pulp, form and dry sheets of your own papers.
Expect to make strong, useable, and beautiful waterleaf (un-sized) sheets. You’ll make a book from your papers, binding sheets into sample books utilizing structures that allow you to explore bookbinding as well. Each participant may expect to make a portfolio of sheets of various sizes from at least five different plants.
The fee for the workshop is $500.00 with a limited materials list. For more information, please contact Long Ridge Farm.
*** The Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA is offering a Shockingly Good Book Arts Course with Sarah Smith from June 4 – June 8, 2012. This course is designed to teach you the basics of two traditional techniques that are enjoying a modern resurgence: bookbinding and letterpress.
Along with mastering the art of setting metal and wood type, students will also have the opportunity to convert their own imagery into a printable format by creating polymer plates. Additionally, learn to sew, fold and glue some simple binding structures to bring images, text and three-dimensional ideas together. By the end of the course, you will have produced bound and printed models as well as a simple artist book of your own.
The fee for the workshop is $795.00 and you can register online. For more information, please contact either Kathleen Burke or Chelsea Sams.
*** The North Bennet Street School is offering a Bookbinding Intensive with Stacie Dolin from June 25 – July 27, 2012. The five-week program meets Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
This class is designed for individuals interested in an intensive, hands-on bookbinding experience and is suitable for book artists and novice binders wishing to learn or enhance fundamental bookbinding skills. Explore a variety of book structures and binding techniques and the process for determining what materials and structures to use for a given project.
Field trips and other specific topics are part of the curriculum and will be based on student interests. The tuition includes a materials fee for paper, board, and other basic supplies; students are expected to provide some materials and all hand tools.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBBS’s website.
by Elissa | Apr 16, 2012 | B.A.G. Meetings, bookbinding, Call to artists, Exhibitions, MailB.A.G., Member News, Vermont, Workshops
Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 18, 2012, 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: Book Conservation and Repair with Deborah Howe
Please join us at our April meeting when Deborah Howe, the collections conservator at Dartmouth College Library, provides us with a rare in-depth look at the repair and handling of precious, ancient manuscripts. Through a slide presentation, Deborah will talk about a conservation treatment done on a 15th century manuscript called the Brut Chronicle, which was purchased by Dartmouth.
As it was received, the manuscript came in a tacket binding which was deteriorating and therefore was no longer protecting the manuscript. The treatment involved investigation and decision making on many levels, and Deborah’s talk will explore the actual treatment, what transpires to make choices about the treatment, and how those choices fit within the context of an academic institution.
This presentation will offer an exciting an opportunity to learn quite a bit about a very important subject!
Deborah Howe is the Collections Conservator at Dartmouth College Library. Previously she headed the conservation lab at Northwestern University Library for over 10 years. She has taught classes at Columbia Center for Paper and Book, the Newberry Library and currently teaches bookbinding classes at the Book Arts Workshop at Dartmouth. She is a long standing member of the Guild of Book Workers and on the board of directors of the Morgan Conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio.
Reflections on March’s Meeting
Our March Book Arts Guild meeting was attended by a group of fun loving creative book arts enthusiasts. Jill Abilock orchestrated our Build-a-Book Round Robin workshop. First Jill introduced us to a multitude of book designs. When we were beginning to get overwhelmed with the infinite possibilities of book structures, Jill let us loose. We worked in a rotating manner with materials and “in process” book designs that were passed to us.
At the end of the evening our original materials were passed back to us as a “book”! The books were all unique in their design and materials. We delighted over the how the collaborative process made books beyond our own individual imaginations. What a great way to get our creative juices flowing. Thanks Jill!
You can view images from the meeting on the B.A.G. blog.
B.A.G. News
"There Will Be" by Ann Joppe-Mercure
*** Our 2012 spring exhibit, Shaping Pages: An Exhibit of Artist Books & Fine Bindings is on display now through April 28th at the S.P.A.C.E Gallery in Burlington.
You can view images from the exhibit on the B.A.G. website. Be sure to check out our review in Seven Days.
*** Save the date! We are pleased to announce that book artist Daniel Kelm will be coming to Vermont to offer a Wire-Edge Binding workshop, a two-day workshop from 7/28/12 – 7/29/12. We know that this workshop will be amazing, so start saving up now!
Cost, location and other information about the workshop will be coming soon. For more information, please contact Jill Abilock.
*** B.A.G.’s Chair, Elizabeth Rideout, recently wrote an article for Dartmouth’s Preservation Services blog – Toning Book Cloth and Basic Color Mixing. A common use for this type of technique is to use a color-matched piece of muslin to replace a broken spine or hinge. Check out the blog post for tips and great visuals!
*** B.A.G. members Carolyn Shattuck, Meta Strick, Ken Leslie, Marianna Holzer, Elizabeth Rideout, Jill Abilock, 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 on May 26 – 27 (Memorial Day weekend), you can find them in the following locations:
- Carolyn: Rutland, studio #88
- Jill: Shelburne, studio #130
- Elizabeth: Shelburne, studio #130
- Marianna: Hinesburg, studio #135
- Meta: Fairfield, studio #172
- Ken: Hardwick, studio #186
- Elissa: Montpelier, studio #211
You can find maps and directions to studios on the VT Crafts Council website. You can also download a pdf of the 2012 Spring Vermont Open Studio Tour Guide. Please note that this is a really big file – 13.5 MB.
Book Arts News
*** The exhibition Paste Papers of the Pioneer Valley is running now through the end of May at the Mortimer Rare Book Room at Smith College. A reception will be held on Thursday, April 26 from 4:00 p.m. – 6: 00 p.m. Carol Blinn will be giving a paste paper-making demo at which you’ll be able to make your own paste papers.
For more information, please visit the Rare Book Room’s website.
*** Unbound: Speculations on the Future of the Book, a symposium exploring the future potential of the book, will take place on May 3 – 4, 2012 at the Bartos Theater at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA.
The symposium showcases practices by writers and artists in and outside of MIT, putting them in conversation with scholars and thinkers from across the disciplines who are framing discourse about this technology’s possible futures, promises, and challenges.
Keynote speakers include James Reid-Cunningham (Associate Director for Digital Programs and Preservation of the Boston Athenaeum, also a bookbinder and book artist) and Bob Stein (founder and president of the Institute for the Future of the Book.
The event is free and you can register online. For more information, please contact Amaranth Borsuk or Gretchen Henderson.
*** ArtisTree Gallery and Pentangle Arts Council, in conjunction with the Bookstock Festival, are looking for submissions for their upcoming exhibit, Unbound Vol II: Art using the book as a material/format. The show will be 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 2nd annual juried show looks to explore these ideas of “the book” and all the ways artists use its format as a stepping off point or as a material to explore new ideas.
The exhibit is open to all 2D and 3D, installation, and assemblage artists working in New England and New York. Submissions must be postmarked by mail or Emailed by June 9, 2012. For more information, please visit the ArtisTree Gallery’s website.
Book Arts Classes
*** Susan Bonthron is teaching a Tunnel Book class on May 19th from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. All materials are included except those you may want to incorporate in your tunnel book, such as photographs, postcards, etc. The tunnel is a book with content, so I do urge you to think about what you want to commemorate/play with/include in it.
The fee for the class is $90.00 and includes lunch. For more information, please contact Susan via Email.
*** The North Bennet Street School is offering a Bookbinding Intensive with Stacie Dolin from June 25 – July 27, 2012. The five-week program meets Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
This class is designed for individuals interested in an intensive, hands-on bookbinding experience and is suitable for book artists and novice binders wishing to learn or enhance fundamental bookbinding skills. Explore a variety of book structures and binding techniques and the process for determining what materials and structures to use for a given project.
Field trips and other specific topics are part of the curriculum and will be based on student interests. The tuition includes a materials fee for paper, board, and other basic supplies; students are expected to provide some materials and all hand tools.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBBS’s website.
*** The North Bennet Street School is also offering a Springback Bookbinding workshop with Amy Lapidow from June 8 – 10, 2012. The workshop meets from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The spring-back binding is a structure originally developed in Britain for ledger books or anything that needed writing across the gutter. This flat spine is achieved using a rigid spine and lever system to snap the book open. In this class we will make a more portable version of this historic structure. This is an advanced beginner class.
For more information or to register, please visit the NBBS’s website.
