Hello Bookmakers,
The calendar tells us it is spring, but a look out my window tells me “Not Yet”! After a long
winter and long “not spring yet”, we are all making plans for our summer adventures. Hopefully
your summer plans include several bookmaking adventures.
If you want your adventure to include learning a new skill, we have several upcoming classes. Or
perhaps you are thinking about attending the Tiny Book Party in May or entering a piece in one
of our upcoming shows. There are three to choose from – The Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum Project, The UA Museum of the North Exhibition, and the 2024 Two Street Gallery Guest Artist opportunity - continue reading the newsletter for details. Please think about making a book for the May/June book challenge – the theme is Jewelry. I am calling out Oralee Nudson and Laurel Herbeck to make something beautiful. Both have created some lovely items in the past. There are so many Spring/Summer adventures to choose from.
A few reminders: come visit the NBG studio on Wednesdays from 12-2pm. There is lots
happening on Wednesday in our small space. We have an Instagram account - take photos of
your artist books and send them to Trista Crass and she will post them for us. Our social media presence depends on us posting photos.
Please review the calendar at the end of the newsletter!
Corlis Taylor
NBG President
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May Program Meeting
Concertina Pamphlet Stitch Variations
with Laurel Roos Herbeck
Sunday, May 21, 1-3pm
on Zoom
This month we return to “The Mighty Pamphlet Stitch” series to explore a few of the decorative possibilities using this versatile stitch in concertina structures. We will demonstrate ways you can
personalize concertina/accordion fold books with stitched-on elements in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. Decorative papers can also be used to develop theme or content.
Materials
Basic Book Arts tools:
Rulers
Steel edges (optional)
Awl
Bone folder and scoring tool
Exacto-type knife and small scissors
Pencil
Sewing needle (embroidery or darning size)
Waxed linen: 15” for basic structure, 40” for optional accordion.
Paper
Basic structure (folio only)
• 5.5” (H) x 8.5” (W) card weight paper for folio (models use
Canson Mi Tientes, available at Paper Birches and other paper
suppliers or use card stock))
• 2” (H) x 6”(W)- (2) for flaps
• 2” (H) x 7.5”(W)- (2) for flaps
Optional Accordion structure:
• 5.5”(H) x 24” (W) card wight paper for accordion fold (model
uses Canson)
• 2”(H) x 6” (W)-(6) papers for flaps (decorative paper or solid)
• 2”(H) x 7.5”(W)- (6) papers for flaps (solid color Canson)
• Images of your choice (optional)
Download the Concertina Pamphlet Stitch Variations handout here.
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NBG BOOK CHALLENGE
2023 Challenge Themes
May/June - Jewelry
July/August - Wood
September/October - Architecture
November/December - Winter
The NBG Challenge is an opportunity for guild members to find inspiration through interpretation of the theme in whatever way speaks to them. Once finished, email pictures of your artist book to Ashley to be added to the NBG website. The intriguing texture of Connie Strick's response to the March/April theme of "Fiber" is shown below. To view previous book challenge entries, visit the NBG website by clicking the button below. |
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Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum | Northwoods Book Arts Guild
Contemporary Meets Vintage:
Book Artists Respond
Northwoods Book Arts Guild is excited to announce a collaboration with the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum (FAAM). NBG members are invited to create artist books in response to the Museum’s antique car and vintage fashion collection. The possibilities are unlimited — where does your imagination go? Grill patterns, head ornaments or engine components of cars? Or perhaps the textiles, embellishments, or elegant lines of fashions?
The project will culminate in June 2024 at the Museum with an exhibition and other programming that focuses on the creative intersections of automobiles, fashion, and artist books.
There is much more to know about this exciting project!
You are invited to attend a meeting at the Museum
for more information:
Introductory Meeting
Fountainhead Antique Car Museum
212 Wedgewood Drive
Thursday, May 4, 5:30-6:30pm
Parking available in front of Museum entrance
Introduction to the Museum and its collections
Learn about the NBG/FAAM collaboration
Timeline and guidelines
Questions answered
Sign-up to participate
A follow-on meeting for those who have signed up or
intend to participate in the project
will focus on details of the collaboration:
Orientation Meeting
Fountainhead Antique Car Museum
212 Wedgewood Drive
Friday, May 12, 5:30-6:30pm
Parking available in front of Museum entrance
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Northwoods Book Arts Guild Workshops
COPTIC BINDING I
*** Rescheduled ***
Saturday, May 6 10am - 4pm
Members $90 Guests $110
Materials fee: $25
2 Spots Remaining
Using basic precut materials, participants will create a Coptic-bound model book using a simple board attachment and Keith Smith’s 2-Needle Coptic Sewing I pattern. Folding the multi-sectioned text block, adding guards, piercing the holes, and drilling the cover boards will be covered, but emphasis will be on sewing the book. Special attention will be given to the subtleties of learning this binding: rhythm, tension, and regularity of motion. This class is designed for motivated participants who want to include Coptic binding in their regular practice; they may be new to Coptic binding, or need a review. No pre-requisite necessary.
COPTIC BINDING II
*** Rescheduled ***
Friday, May 19 6-8:30pm
Saturday, May 20 10am - 4pm
Members $125 Guests $150
Materials fee: $20
2 Spots Remaining
Working with a pre-determined size and using pre-cut cover boards, this class will focus on preparing book boards for Coptic binding: making a piercing jig and drilling template, piercing and drilling holes, creating a title-plate inset, covering the boards with book cloth, and adding paste-downs. We will bind the book using an advanced, more intricate board attachment.
*Participants will be expected to bring to class a pre-cut and folded text block with minimum of 8 sections, guards, end papers (fly-leaves and paste downs), and book cloth of their choice. Papers should be selected according to the intended use of the finished book (writing, sketching, painting, etc.).
Pre-requisite: Basic knowledge of Coptic sewing.
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Northwoods Book Arts Guild
2nd Annual
TINY BOOK PARTY
("tiny book” - a book that measures no more than 3 inches in any direction)
A drop-in social gathering of friends, old and new!
Saturday, May 13
1-4pm drop in anytime
*New Location: 1504 Gillam Way, near Mary Siah Recreation Center
$5 suggested donation
no RSVP required
Celebrate our love of bookmaking
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Create a book of Dingbats (see photo), pre-printed in the NBG Letterpress Shop
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Make other Tiny Books - materials, diagrams, and guidance provided
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Bring tools, materials to share (optional)
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Display of Tiny Books made by NBG members (bring yours!)
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Northwoods Book Arts Guild Workshop
POCKET BOOKS
with Margo Klass
Sunday, May 28 10am - 4pm
Members $90 Guests $120
Materials fee: $15
The Pocket Book is part artist book and part desk organizer – an elegant place to collect small notes, quotes, and other important bits of paper scattered about your desk. Each page of this pamphlet-bound book will be individually designed incorporating several kinds of origami and folded pockets. A varied selection of decorative papers, and whimsical images will be provided to give each page personality (and you can bring some of your own images if you wish!). This workshop is appropriate for beginning bookmakers. Tools will be provided if you don’t have your own.
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Northwoods Book Arts Guild Workshop
METALWORKING FOR BOOK BINDERS
with Oralee Nudson
Saturday, June 10 10am - 4pm
Members $90 Guests $120
Materials fee: $100
6 Spots Available
Elevate your book covers with custom made metal embellishments! Working with thin gauge brass and copper, we will design, cut, stamp, finish, and form decorative elements and metal edges. Participants will take home a kit of tools enabling them to continue creating embellishments beyond class.
The materials fee for the take home kit covers:
Wooden doming block
Sanding sticks
Drill bits
Metal shears
2 sheets (6"x 12") each of copper and brass
Copper and brass tacks
Locally handmade wooden mallet
Participants will bring:
Hearing protection
Fine or ultra fine point Sharpie
Scissors
Sketching paper and pencil/pen
Willingness to hammer, drill holes, and handle metal with sharp edges
Optional tools:
(bring if you have them)
Dremmel tool with colletes or adjustable keyless chuck
Brass hammer
Steel bench block
Steel metal stamps
Metalforming sand/shot bag (aka bench pillow)
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Art-o-Mat Project Update
"Artie" has been recently re-stocked with Charlotte Babb's popular "Dragon Eye Notebooks" and several new artists including vibrant lino prints by Barb McLean and the lovely hand painted and folded watercolor "Fly Away" butterfly shown above by Sally Southgate. We would love to see local artists featured in the machine! Visit www.artomat.org for details.
Find Artie at the UAF Summer Sessions office for the month of May, room 216 in the Eielson Building. This artist friendly space is open Monday - Friday, 8am to 5pm with the exception of occasional overlapping meetings. Email, call ahead (907-474-7021), or drop by and learn about the many classes and activities scheduled for the 2023 summer season.
Our next Jacob's Ladder work session is scheduled for Sunday May 7, 12-2:30pm. We will wrap book board and foam, and assemble ladders. Please stop by and join us to refresh your board wrapping skills and practice forming the intriguing Jacob's Ladder hinge.
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Northwoods Press Chapbooks & Haiku Book
on display at UAF Rasmuson Library
Northwoods Book Arts Guild nurtures the letterpress tradition with their letterpress shop, Northwoods Press. Under the leadership of Bruce Campbell, two Kelsey hand presses (1890 and 1972) and a Golding Pearl foot-treadle printing press(1910) have been refurbished to beautiful working condition. With over fifty cases of type, in dozens of typefaces, there are myriad possibilities available to interested NBG artists.
The Chapbook Letterpress Project successfully published four chapbooks created by NBG members under the auspices of Northwoods Press. Some chapbooks were printed with handset type, others with polymer plates. Authors printed multiple copies of each title, binding each book by hand. The chapbooks on display are Ancestors’ Echoes by Nancy Hausle-Johnson, The Daily Blab by Margo Klass and Frank Soos, Talking to Raven by Mary Maisch, and Fielding Lake Perspectives I by Rebecca Morse.
Also included in this exhibit is an accordion book of original haiku by NBG members entitled Letterpress Haiku. Each haiku was handset and printed in a different font. Contributing writers are Bruce Campbell, VeraAnn Campbell, Vanessa DeWolf, Sophia Thayer, and Caroline Wolff.
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NORTHWOODS BOOK ARTS GUILD
CALENDAR
NBG Open Studio &
Boreal Book Arts Showcase Hours
Wednesdays, 12-2pm
Art-o-Mat Project
Jacob's Ladder Work Session
Sunday May 7, 12-2:30pm
Horn Book Project
Project Intake May 10, 12-2pm
First Showing May 13, Tiny Book Party
NBG Workshop
Coptic Binding I
May 6, 10am-4pm
NBG 2nd Annual Tiny Book Party
Saturday, May 13, 1-4pm
NBG Workshop
Coptic Binding II
May 19, 6-8:30pm &
May 20, 10am-4pm
NBG Program Meeting
Sunday May 21, 1-3pm
On Zoom
NBG Workshop
Pocket Books
Sunday May 28, 10am-4pm
NBG Workshop
Metalworking for Book Binders
Saturday June 10, 10am-4pm
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Learn about and support Northwoods Book Arts Guild!
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