An Amazing Year!

Many thanks to Create Here and the MakeWork program for an incredible opportunity during the past year.

With my grant, I have outfitted my studio with a fabulous board shear and book press that have taken my art to a new level. I've studied with master bookbinder Dea Sasso and advanced my book making skills dramatically. I have completed my first edition of handmade leather-bound books which will be part of the Small Book Exchange at BookWorks in Asheville, NC. I will be part of Chattanooga's first book arts exhibition at the Jewish Cultural Center that opens later this summer. And I have started the Chattanooga Book Arts Collaborative, a group of over 30 interested individuals that meets monthly to learn and share new book binding techniques and skills.

There is no doubt that my MakeWork grant was the catalyst for all of these accomplishments. I look forward to the future of my own growth as an artist and to the development of an active and vital book arts community in Chattanooga. Thank you!

More good things to report....

• The May meeting of the Chattanooga Book Arts Collaborative featured Mandy Wilson with a demonstration of visual journaling techniques.  Mandy inspired the group to "fill the pages" with collages and Humument (an altered book technique to highlight text).  Upcoming topics will include sculptural books and using transfers in books.  A book exchange among members of CBAC is also planned for later this year.
• The Jewish Cultural Center will be the site of Chattanooga's first book arts exhibition!  In Other Words will  be an invitational exhibit that will focus on artist-made books and artists using narrative.  Several of my pieces will be in the show, along with works by other local and regional artists.  The exhibition will run from August 22 - October 6.  I am assisting in the organization of the exhibit by identifying artists.  Because of my MakeWork grant, there is now a community of book artists in Louisville... and we are ready to start exhibiting our work here!
• My work is continuing on the small book edition in collaboration with Dea Sasso and Maryann Jennings.  This process is an amazing experience, and I am learning about editioning, working with leather bindings, leather tooling, hot stamping, foreedge painting, and much much more.  The edition will be part of the Small Book Exchange at Bookworks in Asheville NC.

April update

There has been a lot going on for the Chattanooga Book Arts Collaborative....


The March CBAC meeting featured Laura Candler leading a demonstration of the Secret Belgian Binding.

This was a new book form for most of the group, and the creations were varied and interesting...

In mid-April, nationally-known book artists Peter and Donna Thomas visited Chattanooga for an afternoon workshop and an evening lecture about the book arts.  These events were publicized in advance in an article in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.  The CoLab conference room and the Create Here meeting room were the perfect venues for these events. Eleven people attended the workshop and made nested accordion pop up books...

Peter and Donna also showed their own handmade miniature books...

and Peter treated the group to 

the performance of several songs on his truly unique ukulele book...

At the April CBAC meeting, Ellen Simak taught the group how to make the Jacob's Ladder form.  Based on a classic toy, this hinged book enables the artist to tell a story by having separate cards filled with images or words that travel from side to side within the book.

The Chattanooga Book Arts Collaborative continues to meet at Create Here on the third Sunday of every month.  Programs are posted in advance at www.chattanoogabookarts.blogspot.com.  CBAC is open to the public and to anyone interested in book making, from novice to experienced.  Over 60 people are on the email list, and attendance has averaged around 15-20 people each month; there are a number of "regulars!"  At each meeting, many group members bring examples of their own creations that were inspired by previous demonstrations.  There is great variety of work, and we are all learning from each other!

On the personal side, I have had the opportunity again to spend time in Dea Sasso's bindery in Asheville.  Dea is an amazing teacher, and I am honored to be working with Dea and poet Maryann Jennings to create an edition of books for the Parallax project at BookWorks.  We will design, produce and bind an edition of 20-30 small books that will be part of the annual raffle fundraiser for BookWorks in September.

I also attended a BookWorks Co-op meeting and participated in a book exchange with other Co-op members.  At this meeting, I was able to meet others involved in the book arts and to make connections that may provide opportunities (such as book exchanges) for CBAC in the future.  In early April, I also traveled with another CBAC member to Knoxville to see the exhibition of handmade books made by members of the Knoxville Book Arts Guild.  Perhaps a book art exhibition is in Chattanooga's future (more on this later)!

Finally, because my board shear had developed a crack on its tabletop, an opportunity was created to upgrade the shear.  Last month, Bindery Tools delivered a newly rebuilt board shear that is equipped with a back gauge AND a spring gauge, allowing me to accomplish a variety of precise cuts needed for book and box making.  With my board shear (purchased with my MakeWork grant funds!), I have been able to provide kits and pre-cut book board for CBAC projects.  I am also evaluating opportunities for opening my studio to CBAC members on selected days, so that others will also be able to use this amazing equipment.

I continue to be grateful to Create Here for my MakeWork grant that has opened new doors and empowered me in ways that I never even dreamed possible.  Thank you, Create Here for the support and for making space available for the monthly CBAC meetings and special events!

February-March news

The second meeting of the Chattanooga Book Arts Collaborative (CBAC) was held on February 20 at Create Here. Seventeen people attended, some repeating from the first meeting, and others attending for the first time. The list of interested individuals now tops 50 names. Several group members showed some of their own book arts work, which helped to inspire the rest of the group and illustrate the wide variety of materials, binding techniques, purposes, and content available in the book form.

At the February CBAC meeting, we were joined by Jane Muller, an artist and elementary educator from Columbia, SC. Jane showed and described a rich and inspiring variety of her own book creations, as well as examples of her students’ work.

“Content” is of great importance in Jane’s work, and this focus was an excellent contrast to the concentration on “form” that followed in the meeting. Two folded forms (the “male/female” and “folded hugs”) were demonstrated to the group, and each participant was able to make his or her own version of these forms. Examples of some of the "male/female" forms made during the meeting are shown below:

 

The next meeting of CBAC will be Sunday, March 20.

For details, go to http://www.chattanoogabookarts.blogspot.com/

On a personal note, several things have happened since my last blog entry. I have prepared a written “artist plan,” outlining the goals and actions that will guide my work in the coming months. The plan focuses on finding inspiration for my own work; building my skills and expertise; having access to tools, equipment, and materials; and continuing to build CBAC. I will be upgrading my board shear, the original purchase of which was made possible by my MakeWork grant. The new shear will arrive later in March, and it will have a spring gauge, in addition to a back gauge, making it easier for me to cut greater quantities of book board to exact specifications, including narrow strips of board used for book spines and box dividers.

I have joined the Asheville BookWorks Co-op and will be traveling to Asheville more regularly to attend Co-op meetings. Book making resources are shared through the Co-op’s Yahoo Group, and this information and the connections through the Co-op will help me build my skills and expertise. I plan to participate in the small book exchange at BookWorks this fall. I will also be studying more with book artist Dea Sasso later this month.

January was a busy month!

The first meeting of the Chattanooga Book Arts Collaborative (CBAC) was held on January 16th. Twenty two people attended and made long-stitch books. Some were experienced bookmakers; others were trying the craft for the first time. This was a great turnout, and the next meeting on February 20th promises to be interesting, as well. Details about the upcoming CBAC meeting are found at: http://www.chattanoogabookarts.blogspot.com/

      

Thanks to writer Rebecca Miller, CBAC got great exposure with an article in the Community News section of the Chattanooga Times Free Press on January 26, 2011. The article is at http://community2.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jan/26/new-collaborative-covers-book-art/
Several more interested individuals have been in touch as a result of the article.



I worked on a couple commissions, one a journal for a friend who is traveling to Iona, the other a photo album in a clamshell box for an auction in Seattle.

 



And in late January, I was able to study with bookbinder Dea Sasso for three days in her bindery in Asheville NC. The experience was an amazing education about materials, equipment, book restoration, and clamshell box making. I expect that this will be the first of many visits to Dea’s bindery.

The word is out about CBAC

We are expecting at least 20 people (maybe more like 30, if everyone I've heard from attends) for the first meeting of the Chattanooga Book Arts Collaborative on January 16!  There will be plenty of people coming for their first try at book-making, and there will be a number of people who have enjoyed book arts for some time.  For those who have been making books for a while, we're asking that they bring samples of their work.  This means we'll have a mini-exhibition that hopefully will inspire everyone who attends. 

If you're reading this blog and are interested in the book arts, please check out http://www.chattanoogabookarts.blogspot.com/ and let me know if you're interested in attending.

Chattanooga Book Arts Collaborative meetings will begin on January 16, 2011

It's official!  The Chattanooga Book Arts Collaborative (CBAC) will have its first meeting on Sunday, January 16th, from 2:00-5:00 p.m. at Create Here.  CBAC will meet on the third Sunday of each month.  At each meeting, there will be a free workshop/demonstration.  On January 16th, I will be demonstrating long-stitch binding, a versatile binding that can be used in a variety of applications.  All levels, from novice to professional, are invited to be a part of Chattanooga's new book arts community.

For more details, visit http://www.chattanoogabookarts.blogspot.com/.