Instructor Spotlight: Karen Gorst

 

This spring we're pleased to offer two workshops with long-time Center for Book Arts instructor Karen Gorst. Karen Gorst has been working as a Calligrapher and Illuminator for more than 20 years. A co-founder of the Gabriel Guild and former President of  the Society of Scribes, she is a visiting instructor and lecturer at many institutions, including the Pierpont Morgan Library, the Penland School of Crafts, the Craft Students League, the Cloisters and Wellesley College. Her amazing in-depth knowledge of paper, ink and Medieval and Renaissance art techniques was featured recently in the Scriptorium, part of the recent Three Faiths exhibition at the New York Public Library. (You can see images from the exhibition on her website, here.) We took a trip to the library this winter to see the exhibition and have a guided tour with Karen and were blown away at the depth and breadth of the information she gathered together in one room. 

We're looking forward to two workshops this spring with Karen: the first, Adhesives, Size and Varnishes: A Cooking Class is coming up on May 7th. Get out your pots and pans! This workshop focuses on making traditional adhesives from scratch and how to use them. Experiment with hide glue, bone glue, starch, paste, garlic glue and more. We will not be using eye of gnute but we will use fish eyes! Whether you are a survivalist at heart, or are simply interested in the origin of things, this is a day to remember. 

Karen will also be teaching Copperplate Calligraphy and Beyond, starting May 2nd and running for five Monday nights. Students will learn the fundamentals of using the pointed pen for writing copperplate calligraphy. This beautiful style, used in the Declaration of Independence, is now used for weddings, logos, and White House Invitations. Beginners will learn the basic letter shapes and fundamentals of spacing. Those who have previously learned Copperplate will refine their lettershapes, spacing and focus on the practical aspects of using copperplate for one-of-a-kind pieces and for reproduction. Students who have already learned copperplate and wish to continue with different lettering style may choose of one of ten pointed pen or broad edged pen lettering styles.

Students interested in the art of illumination and the practice of calligraphy should really take some time looking through her website: http://www.gorststudio.com/  which contains many short clips, lessons, images and other materials.

Benjamin Reynaert

Fallen, 2010

One of the best aspects of working at the Center is the lively community of artists working in our studios. There's a mix of experience and backgrounds, with volunteers new to the Center working alongside experienced bookmakers, poets working on chapbook projects, artists thinking through new techniques, and avid letterpress printers finishing off some job work. This past fall we were lucky to welcome several new artists to the Center, as part of the Van Lier/ Stein Scholarship program. Katie Baldwin, Benjamin Reynaert, Sarah McDermott and Kimberly McClure have been with us since September, using the space and taking classes to develop new bodies of work in the book format. I asked one of our current Van Lier scholars, Benjamin Reynaert, to talk a little about his experience at the Center. Ben originally studied architecture at The Rhode Island School of Design. Upon graduating he interned in the bindery at Bloodroot Press in Ann Arbor MI and has since taught bookbinding, papermaking and book arts related workshops at a variety of universities, libraries and institutions in New York and southeastern Michigan. He is on faculty at Hollander's School of Book and Paper Arts where he co-founded their Artist Residency Program in 2008. Ben says: 

The Van Lier/Stein Scholarship has been an incredible opportunity for me as I continue my work in the book arts. The scholarship has allowed me to take many classes where I have either sought out to learn specific new skills or where I have wanted to re-learn some of the basics from a different instructor’s perspective. It’s always great to learn something new when you least expect it! Through the Center, I have also had the opportunity to teach which has been an important aspect to my career.

I have been able to devote more time to develop my work and experiment with new ideas in letterpress printing and binding. I’m having a great time being involved here and look forward to seeing you around! For more info about what I’ve been doing, please go here: benjaminreynaert.carbonmade.com

I'm looking forward to the fall, when we'll be featuring more work from all four artists in our gallery space. To learn more about the program, (and to apply for next year! Postmark deadline is May 2.) see here.

Now updated: Our Collections Program Online Archive!

For the past two years, The Center for Book Arts has been working on creating a Collections Program that catalogues our diverse holdings of Fine Art, Reference, and Archival materials. Our Archives are now available to the public via our easy-to-navigate website (accessible here). You can search through over 2000 of our various works by using refined subject paths for people, organizations, object types, and places, located in the left-hand toolbar. 

           The Fine Art Collection includes works that challenge the notions and boundaries of book arts and related media (i.e. papermaking and prints); contemporary interpretations of the book and related media as art objects; and examples of traditional bookmaking practices. By far our largest collection to be cataloged thus far, the Fine Arts Collection holds intriguing, accessible, and interdisciplinary works. One such work that typifies the unique combination of technique and media ingenuity is John Risseeuw’s 1973 work “A Suite of Typographic Edibles”:

This work was originally letterpress printed, embossed, and silk screened on seven unbound, round sheets of handmade paper; serving as a letter to the viewer.

Another work that shines light on the diverse nature of our Fine Arts Collection is “Annunciation” by Rachel Zucker, winner of our 2002 Poetry Chapbook Collection. Represented from our archive is a CBA copy 2; Number 68 in an Edition of 100, signed by the poet:

This Chapbook is Pamphlet bound; hand stitched binding; tan specked wrappers with printed illustration and tipped in title/author panel on front cover and boasts the collaborative talents of the poet, designer Roni Gross, and illustrator  Peter Schell. The text was set in Perpetua, a face designed by Eric Gill and letterpress printed from polymer plates and printed on Magnani with an insert of Khadi Himalayan, and Indian jute paper covers with assistance from interns at the Center for Book Arts. This piece is exemplary of the community that The Center of Book Arts is able to foster.

 In our Reference Collection you’ll find an accurately captured (and zoom-in-able) bevy of instructional manuals and reference books; exhibition catalogues; materials such as models, maquettes and engraving blocks created for teaching purposes or as stages of production of the Center's publications; artist member files; and studio equipment, type specimens and type. Topics and specimens are displayed in a wide range of languages and styles, proclaiming their provenance, school of thought, and year of conception.

Rare materials from international exhibitions, such as  Erika Lakat and Gyula Fülop’s catalogue from the 1994 2nd International Artists’ Book Exhibition, are displayed along with their dates and contents.

Our Archives Collection includes materials and ephemera that document the history of the Center's programmatic and administrative operations such as exhibitions, classes, literary and publication programs and promotional materials.

This summer we invite you to examine and visit our holdings up close. Our exhibition: Multiple, Limited, Unique: Highlights from the Permanent Collection of the Center for Book Art runs from July 6th - September 12th and is organized by Alexander Campos, Executive Director, Jen Larson, Collections Specialist, and the Collections Committee.

We invite you to take advantage of the accessibility of all three of our archives and visit the Collections Program Website often as we continually update each section with new works and found works. By making these works and archives available to you, we hope to open up a dialogue about the importance of book arts. Our archived items have particular value to scholars and artists. With that in mind: If you are interested in viewing particular holdings, The Center for Book Arts collections are open by appointment and welcomes qualified researchers, artists, curators, educators, and students. To make an appointment, please call the Center: (212) 481-0295, or email: info@centerforbookarts.org

-Rebecca Kish 

Van Lier/ Stein Family Scholarship Application Deadline May 2.

The application deadline for this year's Edward and Sally Van Lier/Stein Family Scholarship Fund for Advanced Studies in Book Arts is coming up on May 2. We'll be awarding three scholarships to young artists who have demonstrated a commitment to the artistic endeavors in the book arts. The purpose of this program is to provide opportunities to emerging artists committed to developing careers in the book arts field, and to further the growth of this artistic profession.

The award includes a cash stipend plus a materials budget and 24 hour access to the Center’s printing and binding facilities for a full year. Artists also receive a tuition waiver for courses throughout the year, planned in conjunction with the staff. Experienced printers and bookbinders will be available to advise the artists on issues of materials and techniques as they arise. Scholars will be required to complete an artist project by the end of the scholarship period, with an exhibition in our gallery space in the fall of 2012.

This year's scholars Katie Baldwin, Kimberly McClure (pictured above), Sarah McDermott, and Benjamin Reynaert have been working in the studios since September, and we're eagerly looking forward to seeing the final results of their work. They've all been great additions to the daily life here at the Center, and they've all benefited from the time and support provided to develop a new body of work.

Artists are invited to submit applications postmarked by May 2, 2011.
Application guidelines are available here.

Opening Reception Friday Night April 15

Join us this Friday night, April 15th from 6 to 8 pm for the Opening Reception for our three spring exhibitions:

Main Gallery: With Food in Mind
Organized by Nicole Caruth, Independent Curator and Critic

With Food in Mind looks at artists' use of food as subject matter or medium in book arts, print, and digital media. The exhibition is inspired by the current food climate (i.e. how food is cultivated, distributed, consumed, and discussed today) and includes over 40 works that span the last twenty years.

Featuring work by: Nava Atlas, Carissa Carman, Atom Cianfarani, Conflict Kitchen, The Counter Kitchen, Critical Art Ensemble, John DePol, Mindell Dubansky, EIDIA, Joy Garnett, Martí Guixé, Heather Hart, Barbara Henry, Gretchen Hooker, Marisa Jahn, Susan Johanknecht, K Yoland, Robin Kahn, Isabelle Lumpkin, Emily Martin, Scott McCarney, Katharine Meynell, Aleksandra Mir, Elaine Tin Nyo, Hugh Pocock, Susan Roma, Leah Rosenberg, John Ross, Steve Shada, Mara Scrupe, Maya Suess,Tattfoo Tan, Robert The, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Noa Treister.

Also on view:
Featured Artist Projects:
Barbara Page: Book Marks
The centerpiece of this project is a card catalog library file which records the artist’s reading history over the past half-century. The Center’s Featured Artist Project Series provides a critical forum for artists working primarily in the medium of book arts to showcase a recent or cohesive body of work or create a site-specific installation.

2010 Artists-in-Residence Workspace Program
Works by Tal Halpern, Wayne Hodge, Katarina Jerinic, Jennie Jones, and Angie Waller.
Every year the Center for Book Arts invites, through a competitive process, five emerging artists working in a variety of media, from video to performance art, to participate in a year-long residency studying bookmaking techniques. Works on view were produced over the course of last year during their residency at the Center.

Reception is free to the public.

Boxes for Books

Once you've started making books, the natural question to ask next is, how to protect the precious fruits of your labors? It's a harsh, dirty world out there. Luckily, there's a class coming up in a matter of weeks that can help you out. The week of May 2-6 Laurel Parker will share with us all she knows about Boxes for Books.

Learn a variety of box styles for storing books, prints, and other precious items. The "boite simple" is a very simplified book box, without squares. We'll learn how to make a single-bottom, and a double-bottom version with stepped joints. We'll also make a lined slipcase, a clamshell box, and time permitting, a riser for very thin books or prints, pockets, and walls with a cut out. We'll use a variety of materials and discuss archival conservation materials, binder mechanisms, insets, and titling.

Complete registration details are available here.

Laurel Parker is a bookbinder and boxmaker, living and working in France. She has a diploma from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and a BFA from Tufts University. She is currently teaching workshops at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Rennes, France. You can enjoy learning more about Laurel here.

Japanese Natural Colorants for Paper

We're super excited about this workshop: Japanese Natural Colorants for Paper, coming up next month on May 14-15, Saturday and Sunday. Artist, dyer, and papermaker Tatiana Ginsberg studied at the University of Iowa Center for the Book before spending two years in Japan on a Fulbright research grant investigating traditional naturally dyed Japanese papers. Studying at one of the oldest dye studios in Kyoto, she learned the art of dyeing paper in brilliant colors for temple festivals, sutra copying, and other uses.
The focus of her study, the Japanese tradition of kusakizome-gami, naturally dyed paper, extends back over a millennium. The bright and subtle colors derived from plant materials are safe and pleasant to work with and harmonize well with natural fibers. Historically used not only for their beauty but also practical purposes ranging from insect repellents to waterproofing, they have numerous applications for book arts. Join us for the weekend and learn to prepare dyestuffs from a number of plant materials; how to size and treat papers; how to dip, brush, resist dye, and understand the effects of different mordants. She's a fabulous teacher and we're very much looking forward to the class.

Tatiana's own work integrates traditional techniques with contemporary forms, encompassing installation, prints, books, and drawing. You can learn more about her work and see images here.

Collagraphs with Maria Pisano

Book artist Maria Pisano joins us this spring for a four-day immersion in the realm of the collagraph: a collage printmaking process where you apply a variety of materials (fabric, paint, glue, textured mediums, paper, etc.) to a piece of cardboard or wood to form a low relief. The plate is inked and can be printed on an intaglio press. It's an incredibly flexible technique, letting you layer texture and pattern together. Maria will talk about different methods of both making plates and printing a collagraph plate: both intaglio and relief will be explored. The use of inks, brayers, colors, papers, etc. will also be covered, along with the many variations of prints one plate can yield. By using printmaking and bookbinding techniques, the students will investigate how these methods can be used to enhance their own unique personal artistic expressions, by working with sequence, narrative and the exploration of the book as an evolving form.

The class runs for two Fridays, April 29th and May 6th, and one weekend, May 14 and 15, 10 am to 4pm each day-plenty of time to work on your plates and develop your imagery. You can register online here.

Maria Pisano is the director of MGP Studio Arts Gallery. She publishes her books under the Memory Press imprint, and you can see examples of her books, including her collagraph work, here.

This week! Annual Benefit and Auction on Friday

We’re counting down the days to the Center’s Annual Benefit and Silent Auction coming up on Friday, April 8, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. That's this week! This year, the theme is “Signs of Life,” inspired by a Victorian naturalist’s desk, and the event will include live music, hors d’oeurves, and fragrant, botanical cocktails. Our esteemed honorees are Carolyn Chadwick, Bookbinder, Boxmaker, and Educator; Daniel Kelm, Founder of the Garage Annex School and Wide Awake Garage; and Steven Steinberg, Proprietor, New York Central Art Supply.


The silent auction features work by accomplished contemporary artists, including Yoko Inoue, Victoria Burge, Delphi Basilicato, Béatrice Coron, Barbara Henry, Angie Waller, Catya Plate, and Bryan Baker. You can preview the auction on our website here and make bids even if you can't attend the event.

Tickets start at $100, which includes one raffle ticket. The raffle prize is a limited edition diptych print by Shani Peters (below). You can buy tickets over the phone by calling 212-481-0295, or online here. All funds raised go towards general operating expenses, and help us continue to bring excellent book arts programming to the public.

Eat, Drink, Print, Box!

We're eagerly looking forward to an exciting two-part workshop coming up this spring. Presented in conjunction with our delicious spring main gallery exhibition, With Food in Mind, organized by Nicole Caruth, we're happy to welcome two masters in the field, Barbara Mauriello and Barbara Henry, who will share their talents with us over two separate weekends:

Eat, Drink, Print, Box-Part I will focus on the recipe box, as designed by Barbara Mauriello. In 2 days we’ll make 2 boxes, playful in both their structures and their materials. One box is a brilliant mix of patterned papers pasted over boards; its triangular flap, and the button-and-loop closure, make it an easy convert into a pocketbook. The second box, covered in cloth, unfolds like a portfolio. Both boxes are sized for recipe cards, but both can also become containers for photos, prints, letters, books -- you will learn how to cut out boards to create an edition for future projects.

You can fill your new Recipe Boxes with recipe cards produced and swapped in Eat, Drink, Print, Box-Part II in our printshop May 7-8 with Barbara Henry. Bring a favorite recipe to fill your Recipe Box. You will learn to set it in type and print an edition (to keep & to swap) either on the Vandercook proof press or the Center's platen presses. Add decorative flourishes in pochoir or linocut.


Barbara Mauriello is a book artist who has a bookbinding studio in Hoboken, NJ. She makes artists' books, teaches bookbinding and boxmaking, and collaborates with visual artists and writers in producing limited editions of their work in the book format. She is a visiting instructor at the International Center of Photography, the Newark Museum, the Paper and Book Intensive, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and the Penland School of Crafts, and is a frequent guest lecturer at the School of Visual Arts. You can learn more about her work here.

Barbara Henry is the proprietor of Harsimus Press in Jersey City, NJ, a master printer and printing historian. She prints special projects for the Center for Book Arts. She was Curator of Bowne & Co., Stationers from 1985 until 2004, and her work is in many libraries and special collections. She and fellow printer Roni Gross published The Vandercookbook in 2009, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Vandercook Proof Press. This collaborative publication featured the work of master printers from around the country.

Part I: April 30-May 1, Saturday and Sunday, 10 am to 4pm
Barbara Mauriello $245 members/ $260 non-members

Part II: May 7-8, Saturday and Sunday, 10 am to 4pm
Barbara Henry $245 members/ $260 non-members

Call 212-481-0295 to get a special discount for taking both parts of the course.
Registration information for all spring courses is here.



(Image above is from Scott McCarney's A Selection of Cards from the Collection of Lela McCarney, 2007, one of the fabulous works included in our spring show.)