A Sampling of past Book Arts Events from 2005

Arts and Crafts Printing:

The Work of The Arts & Crafts Press

a lecture by Bruce Smith

Thursday June 30, 2005 7:00 pm
Maps/Special Collections Classroom
Suzzallo Library Basement

Since 1996 when The Arts and Crafts Press was founded in Berkeley, California, Bruce Smith and Yoshiko Yamamoto have been producing books, chapbooks, note cards, block prints and a magazine inspired by the turn-of-the-last-century Arts and Crafts movement, all of it done by letterpress. Since 2001 they have been working across the Sound from Seattle in Kitsap County.

Bruce will talk about the progression of their work through the years and the historical influences on their design. He will also talk about the pleasures and perils of running a small press today, both from a business as well as a craft perspective. He will bring examples of the work of the Press to share.

Check out their website for a preview http://www.artsandcraftspress.com

Movable Magic:
A Suitcase Full of Pop-Up Books
a talk by Paul Johnson

Thursday, May 12, 7-9pm at University of Washington Libraries
Maps/Special Collections Classroom
Allen Library North Basement

Watch Paul Johnson pull a library's worth of his pop-up books from a suitcase. He'll talk about the endless power of the book as an aesthetic, architectural form and its special fascination for children of all ages. Everyone will make a miniature pop-up book to take away.

Paul Johnson is internationally recognized for his pioneering work in developing literacy through the book arts and as a book and paper artist. Author of A Book of One's Own, Literacy Through the Book Arts, and Words and Pictures Together, he ran the Book Art Project from Manchester Metropolitan University from 1986 to 1997. His work is in the collections of the Cooper-Hewett Museum in New York, the National Gallery, the Library of Congress, the University of California at Berkeley and Yale University, among other institutions. He exhibits widely and is on the UK Craft Council's select list of British craftspeople.

Why I Love Books

artist’s talk by Charles Hobson

Thursday, January 27, 2005, 7:00 pm
Maps/Special Collections Classroom
Suzzallo Library Basement, Room B69
University of Washington

This lecture accompanies Why I Love Books, an exhibition of twenty-four artist’s books spanning the career of San Francisco based artist Charles Hobson. He is an artist who has worked with images and words for nearly twenty years and has been a member of the faculty at the San Francisco Art Institute since 1990. His work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the New York Public Library, the Whitney Museum, the National Gallery and the Getty Center, among others.

Coming to the book as an art form after publishing a small volume of writing by a friend who died, Hobson’s work frequently follows historical or literary themes. It includes such works as Leonardo Knows Baseball (Leonardo’s drawing lessons illustrated by baseball players); Dancing with Amelia (Amelia Earhart’s wedding day letter to her soon-to-be-husband); and Parisian Encounters (The story of eight famous couples who met in Paris). This exhibition was originated by the Bolinas Museum. Its presence at the University of Washington Libraries and this lecture are thanks to a generous grant from the Book Club of California.

The Why I Love Books exhibit is on view through February 25, 2005

Suzzallo Library Room 102
and
Special Collections Lobby, Allen Library South Basement
University of Washington

the Book Arts Guild and University of Washington Libraries present

SHOW YOUR STUFF & ANNUAL MEETING
Come view, present and discuss your work, the work of other Book Arts Guild members and works of members in The Book Arts Collection

Tuesday, February 22, 2005 at 7:00-9:00 PM, Maps/Special Collections Classroom, Suzzallo Library, Basement, UW CAMPUS, Seattle

In the past the BAG Board hosted an event so members can bring their past and current projects to discuss successes, challenges and failures. We are again marrying our ANNUAL MEETING [where the new BAG Board is approved and there is a brief business meeting] and the opportunity for members to provide an informal look at creative work. This gathering is designed to see what other book artists [in the broadest definition of that term] are doing, get advice on problems, and share disasters to prevent your colleagues from experiencing the same outcomes and to hear about projects underway. This program is flexible-- just bring examples of your work. Because last time we had so many people, we would like you to limit your comments about your work to 10 minutes or less depending on how many people we have. Don’t be shy. The evening will be a success ONLY if YOU bring something to share. Work by members already in the Book Arts Collection will also be shown so you can discuss work without having to cart it in to the meeting. Call or email Sandra Kroupa if you want something specific from the Collection available for the evening. 206-543-1929, skroupa@u.washington.edu.

WHAT’S NEW IN THE
BOOK ARTS COLLECTION?
hosted by Sandra Kroupa,
Book Arts & Rare Book Curator

Thursday, March 31, 2005 7-9pm
Maps/Special Collections Classroom
Allen Library North Basement

Periodically, Book Arts Guild members are invited to a special evening event to see material recently acquired for the Book Arts Collection. This visit will focus on new items added in the last two years in a variety of areas of interest: medieval manuscripts, early printed books, historical children’s books, modern fine printing, papermaking, illustration, typography and that lovely catch-all, artists’ books. Most of the items will be modern work and created outside the Pacific Northwest area—to give you a chance to see pieces you will not have seen before. Many items will be available for direct handling. Some pieces will be presented by Sandra who will then allow supervised handling.

West Coast Paper Company & the Book Arts Guild invite members to a special tour of the

BILL THORNILEY COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE TYPE

Thursday September 22, 2005 7-9 pm

Noted Seattle printer Bill Thorniley, The Pastime Printer, was also famous for
his large and diverse type collection. Few such collections remain and there are
fewer in the Northwest which are available to those interested in typography,
typographic history & the history of printing. Luckily, a number of years ago
this collection was acquired by West Coast Paper Company to preserve the Collection intact and keep it accessible. Since then, the Thorniley Collection has been enhanced with additional type, historic presses and bookbinding equipment. The remarkable John DeNure & partner Jane Le Cuyer enthusiastically continue as the Collection curators.

BAG members are invited to tour the facility, located at West Coast's offices in
Kent.An added attraction will be a printing demonstration on an iron handpress, by
its restorers & printing aficionados Carl Montford & Juliet Shen

Refreshments will be provided.

Circuit Riders for Book Arts:
Vamp & Tramp

A lecture by
Bill & Vicky Stewart

THURSDAY, October 6, 2005, 7:00 PM
Maps/Special Collections Classroom
Suzzallo Library Basement, Room B69
University of Washington

Vicky and Bill Stewart, a corporate VP and a lapsed English teacher, ten years ago launched Vamp & Tramp, Booksellers, selling 20th-century literary and mystery first editions. They are based in Birmingham, Alabama. Today they travel the country for 11 months of the year representing over 100 contemporary fine presses and book artists. They claim serendipity as the sole agent of their change. They will present their case Thursday evening. The Stewarts recently purchased long-time book arts book dealer Califia Books and now represent many of the major names in the field, including some of our own Book Arts Guild members. You can see some of their extensive stock at the Antiquarian Book Fair in Seattle, October 8-9, 2005 and at their website: http://www.vampandtramp.com.

October 22 & 23, 2005 9am-5pm University of Washington Art Building

Master bookbinder Paul Delrue shares his unique approach to making and decorating beautiful albums for photographs or other material. This is essentially two workshops in one. On the first day, Paul will guide students through the construction of a very elegant, and deceptively simple album. The Delrue album is inspired by the classic Victorian model, but has been refined and simplified by Paul over the years to suit the modern book artist. It has card pages, with stubs to allow for the inclusion of photographs, and requires no sewing, trimming or pressing. It is gently rounded, but not backed, and has an attractive canvas cover which cases in with great ease. It can therefore be made at home with no equipment. On the second day, leaving Victoria behind, Paul will show students how to make their albums their own. By applying a collage of printed matter, decorated papers and fragments of photographs, a complex and pleasing design will be built up, drawing on Paul’s many years of artistic album making, and the creativity of the whole group. We will finish by embellishing the binding with simple decorative tooling in black and real gold, where Paul will show how liberating it is to throw away the straight lines and make fluid, expressive marks with traditional finishing tools. This workshop, part technical binding from the master, part creative exploration with the artist, will inspire you to create your own truly intimate albums. This class is open to all. Participants will be asked to bring a collection of papers and images to help decorate their album covers.

Paul C. Delrue bound his first book in 1959, and then apprenticed at University College, London, where he spent ten years. He has been in private practice since 1971, enthusiastically working on many styles of binding, but always coming back to his love of design. So far he has completed about 300 special bindings. He has won many bookbinding prizes, and in 1990 he was the only person ever to win the three major prizes in the National Bookbinding Competition. He has also won the bronze medals at the Prix Paul Bonet, but his most cherished award was at the age of 18, for best apprentice. He is a Fellow of Designer Bookbinders, and an Honorary Fellow of the Society of Bookbinders.

Paul will also lecture for BAG on Friday, October 21:

The Book Arts Guild and UW School of Art Department of Printmaking present

My Way with Leather -- an Artistic Discovery
the Bindings of Paul C. Delrue

Friday October 21, 2005 7 p.m. (note this change of date)
Art Building, Room 317
University of Washington Seattle campus

Paul Delrue has been bookbinding since 1959, and in that time has bound more
than three hundred Design Bindings -- an extraordinary output which makes him
one of the most prolific bookbinders working today. He is a respected teacher
and lecturer, and is a Fellow of both the Society of Bookbinders and Designer
Bookbinders.

Paul's work is remarkable for its variety of styles, both traditional and
innovative. He has been responsible for inventing or devising several unique
techniques of decoration for bookbinding, and he will share many of these in
this lecture, concentrating on his most exciting innovation, known as Lacunose binding.

Paul will discuss his own personal approach to his art and his craft, his
changing ways of working over the years, and his hopes for the future as his
artistic bindings continue to evolve. Paul will also have on display some
recent bindings, which use his famous Lacunose technique, and his latest
bookbinding invention, his bandage, or "Tudor" style.

All Shook Up:
Playful Books by Karen Hanmer

THURSDAY, November 3, 2005, 7:00 PM
Maps/Special Collections Classroom
Suzzallo Library Basement, Room B69
University of Washington

Karen Hanmer's intimate, playful artworks present vignettes from personal and cultural memory that allow viewers to connect personally to her pieces. She often incorporates archival photographs and text into flag books—a form that lets her fragment and layer images to mirror the experience of memory. Her books are meant to be handled; the intimate scale, choice of materials, and the posture and gesture required to look through each piece combine to evoke the reverence of looking through a photo album, diary, or the belongings of a loved one. However, her works often take the forms of games or puzzles, and many include tongue-in-cheek text.

She exhibits widely, and her work is included in collections ranging from Tate Britain and the Denver Public Library to Syracuse University and Graceland [and the University of Washington]. Recent and upcoming solo exhibition venues include The Center for Book Arts (NYC), Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (MI), Illinois Wesleyan University, Rosewood Arts Centre (OH), and University of the West of England, Bristol. Recent group exhibition venues include Art Centre Silkeborg Bad in Denmark, the Wichita Art Museum, Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts, and traveling exhibitions sponsored by the Guild of Bookworkers, the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists' Guild, and Ireland’s Wexford Arts Centre.

Hanmer holds a degree in Economics from Northwestern University. She has studied at the Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts and with several Chicago photographers and bookbinders. She is an officer of Chicago Hand Bookbinders and Guild of Bookworkers, Midwest Chapter. She lectures and teaches workshops on book arts and digital printing. A complete catalog of her work is available online at www.karenhanmer.com.

Metamorphosis:

Book Binder--Book Restorer--Book Conservator to Book Artist

by Terry Rutherford

Thursday, November 17, 2005 7:00 pm
Maps Special Collections Classroom
Suzzallo Library Room B69
University of Washington Libraries

Terry Rutherford will talk about her journey through the listed professions and how her educational path influences the choices she makes as a book artist.

Her talk will be illustrated with slides of work from her various book related careers. She will talk about her educational choices, why she made them and how they worked for her.
She will discuss her work as a design binder and as a book artist, describing the differences between the two.

Terry Rutherford has worked as a bookbinder, book restorer and book conservator in private practice since 1986. She studied bookbinding in the UK and book conservation at the Centro del bel libro in Ascona, Switzerland. She studied parchment manuscript restoration and worked as a book conservator in Switzerland in 1994 and 1995. She studied fine binding and alternative book structures at the Centro del bel libro in 2001. Her artists books were included in “The Passionate Book” 2004, Crafthouse Gallery, Vancouver, “The Art of the Book ’03”, a travelling CBBAG exhibition, Bookworks 2002 at ECAID, and are in private and public collections in Canada and the USA.

the Book Arts Guild & University of Washington Libraries present

A Holiday Paper Ornament Show & Tell

Thursday, December 8, 2005 7-9 pm
Maps/Special Collections Classroom
Suzzallo Library Basement, Room B69

Enjoy the holiday season with an informal gathering to
share designs for paper ornaments. The event will use BAG’s popular show & tell format. Members are invited to bring any examples of holiday decorations, keepsakes, boxes, etc. that they have made. Please share pieces whose construction can be easily demonstrated, and if possible, please bring extra copies of instructions to share with others.

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