2018 Workshops
View past Book Arts Program workshops
Relicensure points for educators are available from the Utah State Board of Education for all workshops. For more information: Email or 801-585-9191.
April
Paper Plates & Oil Paints: Low-tech Litho
Allyn Hart
April 28
Saturday, 1:00 – 5:00
Book Arts Studio, J. Willard Marriott Library
$60, register here
Come with paper plates and leave with a feast of colorful prints! Paper lithography is an immediate way to create delicious monoprints. In this workshop, participants learn to prep and print from black & white toner images (photocopies). Though a straightforward process that is readily accomplished at home, paper litho takes some practice to master. With a tried and true recipe and technical tips for cooking up successful prints, head chef Hart opens her creative kitchen to printers of all skill levels. Finished prints are housed in a simple book structure and/or saved as ingredients for another creative dish!
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Allyn Hart has been an artist since childhood. She holds a BFA and MFA in Fine Arts and has taught at the University of Utah in Drawing, Design, Sculpture and Art Appreciation. She uses printmaking, sewing, drawing, and painting to produce intricate monoprints, just one of the art forms that make up her extensive portfolio.
May
DROP-IN SESSION
Papermaking: Make a Sheet, Take a Sheet
May 12
Saturday, 1:00 – 5:00
Free and no registration necessary—just drop by!
Join us any time between 1 & 5 in the Book Arts Studio on the 4th floor of the Marriott Library. Drop-in Sessions are informal opportunities to stop by, get your hands dirty, see our community makerspace, and try a new technique. Bring a friend to explore one of the many facets of book arts. Free to the public and no experience necessary. Must be 16+.
Book Repair for At-home Curators
Christopher McAfee
May 16, May 23, May 30, June 13, June 20
Wednesdays, 5:30 – 8:30
Book Arts Studio, J. Willard Marriott Library, Level 4
$244, register through continue.utah.edu/lifelong
This course hones foundational skills in book conservation and then moves beyond the basics. Topics of discussion include reasons for performing, or not performing, conservation treatments, how to determine the best treatment options for specific damaged books while also considering the ethics of performing those treatments. As students perform conservation treatments, they learn about appropriate conservation materials, adhesives used by conservators, and the tools of the trade. Students leave with a minimum of two treatments, a basic kit of conservation tools, and the skills needed to complete repairs at home.
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Instructor Christopher McAfee received a BFA in printmaking in 1993 from Brigham Young University (BYU) where he was first introduced to bookbinding. In 1995, he received an MFA in bookbinding from the University of Alabama where he developed an interest in book conservation. He has since worked as a conservator of books, documents, and photographs for BYU and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Archives. He is currently Head Conservator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at BYU.
Artist Lecture
Daniel E. Kelm
Thursday, May 31, 5:30 pm
Rare Book Classroom (inside the Book Arts Studio), J. Willard Marriott Library
FREE and open to the public
June
The Book Restructured: Wire-Edge Binding
Daniel E. Kelm
June 1 & 2
Friday & Saturday, 10:00 – 5:00
Book Arts Studio, J. Willard Marriott Library, Level 4
$215, register here
The range of books being produced today by artists is truly remarkable. Some diverge wildly from traditional book forms, others play with slight variations. Nontraditional books (e.g., books with thick pages, or books that are sculptural) may require the use of a material or movement not possible with conventional structures. Wire-edge hinging grew out of just such a challenge. This binding configuration utilizes a thin metal wire along the hinging edge of each page. The metal wire is exposed at regular intervals, creating knotting stations where thread attaches one page to the next. The result is a binding that opens exceptionally well and provides the option of producing unusual shapes. This workshop presents various wire-edge structures useful for books, enclosures, and articulated sculpture. Participants produce both a simple codex and an accordion model that forms a tetrahedron. All levels of experience are welcome.
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Daniel E. Kelm is a book artist who enjoys expanding the concept of the book. He is known for his innovative structures as well as his traditional work. In the mid-1980s, Daniel invented a style of bookbinding called wire-edge binding in order to explore the nature of the book as articulated sculpture. His expression as an artist emerges from the integration of work in science and the arts. Alchemy is a common theme in his bookwork. Daniel received formal training in chemistry and taught at the University of Minnesota and is known for his extensive knowledge of materials. Daniel teaches widely, and founded the Garage Annex School for Book Arts (GAS) in 1990. Most recently, with long-time collaborator Timothy Ely, Daniel co-delivered a lecture on The Alchemy of the Handmade Book at the Getty Center as a complement to the exhibition The Alchemy of Color in Medieval Manuscripts. Examples of Kelm's use of wire edge binding can be seen at danielkelm.com.
Letterpress Printing: Text + Image
Crane Giamo
June 14 – August 2
Thursdays, 5:30 – 8:30
Book Arts Studio, J. Willard Marriott Library, Level 4
$340, register through continue.utah.edu/lifelong
Get a handle on what it takes to crank out an edition of gorgeous letterpress prints. This active, eight-week class introduces the fundamentals of letterpress, from paper selection and cutting to mixing ink and printing. Guided by the instructor, participants design and produce four individual projects using a variety of relief techniques and matrices including metal and wood type, zinc cuts, linoleum blocks, pressure prints, photopolymer plates, and collagraphs.
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Crane Giamo bio here
Bookmaking: Materials + Structure
Allison Milham
June 19 – July 17
Tuesdays, 5:30 – 8:30
Book Arts Studio, J. Willard Marriott Library, Level 4
$254, register through continue.utah.edu/lifelong
This fast-paced, five-week bookmaking venture is an introduction to binding fundamentals. Class participants learn to craft several book structures, including folded forms, non-adhesive bindings, case bindings, and enclosures. Students have the option of binding blank books or incorporating content of their own design. Topics of discussion include studio practices, the selection and utility of various materials, the role of the handmade book, and ways to generate content, but the primary emphasis is on craft.
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Allison Milham bio here
Gallery Talk with Peter and Donna Thomas
Thursday, June 21, 5:30 pm
Level 1 lobby, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah
FREE and open to the public
Photopolymer Intaglio Printing
Mare Blocker
June 29 & 30
Friday & Saturday, 10:00 – 5:00
Book Arts Studio, J. Willard Marriott Library
$205, register here
Throughout this two-day printmaking exploration, Blocker unveils methods for making images on transparencies and presents strategies for photopolymer intaglio printing and registration. Using black or tonal artwork on clear transparencies, participants expose and develop light-sensitive photopolymer plates. By hand-wiping the plates, participants create original intaglio prints using an etching press. This method is suitable for recreating an impression of a photographic image, rather than a highly detailed version, and is ideal for those who want to reduce toxic materials in their studios. Discussion topics include ink, paper, and dampening choices.
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Mare Blocker has been making limited edition and unique books and prints, since 1977 and established the MKimberly Press in 1984 when she bought her first Vandercook 219. Her work can be found in over 85 public collections and museums including the Museum of Women in the Arts, The Victoria and Albert, The University of Washington Special Collections, and The Library of Congress. Blocker is the President of the Book Arts Guild, a regional organization for book artists and enthusiasts. Blocker grew up in the Space Needle's shadow in the Fun Forest, where her artist grandfather sold his screen-printed ephemeral works and paintings. Her first job, at five, was painting trees in her grandfather's landscapes. Blocker has an MFA from the University of Idaho and teaches at Pacific Lutheran University.
July
Annual Educators' Intensive
Book Arts: Full STEAM Ahead
Annie Boyer, Jazmin Gallegos & Allison Milham
July 12 & 13
Thursday & Friday, 9:00 – 4:00
Book Arts Studio, J. Willard Marriott Library, Level 4
Free spots for educators are limited; please register here
Looking for the opportunity to add an A to STEM? Or maybe some STEM to art teaching? Book Arts is a natural fit for any curriculum, combining kinesthetic learning with the joy of having made something of one's own. A book is a flexible receptacle, a place to make one's mark, a purveyor of thought, and is proven to last longer in a backpack than a worksheet. Join us in exploring opportunities to fulfill science core standards with easy to find materials and no formal art training necessary. By providing straightforward instructions and model lesson plans, this workshop gives educators all the tools to implement book arts teaching into classrooms. Though lesson plans focus on science, the book forms are readily adapted to any subject— all K-12 teachers are encouraged to attend and share ideas. Let's get creative with our interactive foldables!
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Annie Boyer bio here / Jazmin Gallegos bio here / Allison Milham bio here
Leather Binding Fundamentals
Allison Milham & Emily Tipps
July 28
Saturday, 9:00 – 5:00
Book Arts Studio, J. Willard Marriott Library
$125, register here
Begin the day with a pre-sewn text block and leave with the skills to complete a quarter-leather case binding! This workshop focuses on basic leather edge-paring with a knife and fundamental skills for working with paste and leather. Participants have the opportunity to play with blind tooling on sample maquettes and to pare leather scraps on a Scharf-fix. Depending on individual work flow, some participants may complete the binding during the workshop and others may complete the work at home with provided materials, handouts, and a day of practice.
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Allison Milham bio here / Emily Tipps bio here
August
Bound to Travel: Mini Leather Journals
Louona Tanner
Saturday, August 18
1:00 – 5:00
Book Arts Studio, J. Willard Marriott Library
$60, register here
Hitch up your horse for a bit and join us for a half-day, journal making hoe-down! Saddle-up to the long-stitch with expert instruction using ruggedly beautiful materials. Each participant leaves with a 4" x 3.5" blank book and the know-how to wrangle hides into book form when ridin' solo.
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Louona Tanner is a calligrapher, book artist, and educator. She has taught bookbinding with The Leonardo, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Utah Arts Council, Great Salt Lake Book Festival, and the Utah Calligraphic Artists Association. Louona taught books with Youth City Artways for eight years prior to its closing. She served as the Book Arts Program's K-12 Education Specialist for twelve years, taking the history of the book into Utah schools and teaching educators how to apply book forms across the curriculum.
September
Let's Get Digital on the Letterpress
Crane Giamo, Marnie Powers-Torrey & Amy Thompson
September 7 & 8
Friday, 4:00 – 8:00 & Saturday, 9:00–5:00
Book Arts Studio, J. Willard Marriott Library, Level 4
$155, register here
Skip the typesetting, bypass the carving, and get digital with current design software and photopolymer plates to letterpress print digitally designed text, illustrations, or halftone images. Come with a text or image and spend the first part of the day in a Marriott Library computer lab learning to create the digital files required for conversion into film negatives. Then, in the afternoon, use these negatives to make a photopolymer plate to print on the letterpress. Meld old and new technologies and depart with a group portfolio of print samples. All levels are welcome— instructors help participants match skill level with appropriate project plans.
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Crane Giamo bio here / Marnie Powers-Torrey bio here / Amy Thompson bio here
October
Book as Archive & Enclosure
Alicia Bailey
Cosponsored by the Rocky Mountain Chapter
of the Guild of Book Workers
October 26 & 27
Friday & Saturday, 10:00 – 5:00
Book Arts Studio, J. Willard Marriott Library
$185, register here
Regarding bookwork as interactive sculptural objects, Bailey has developed various ways of adapting traditional binding and structures to create books designed to hold dimensional objects. In this workshop, participants create two books to showcase and house both dimensional objects and flat artifacts. With great flexibility at the spine and sturdy, rigid pages, these books work well when handled or displayed as traditional book forms or as sculptural objects. Bring personal images and artifacts to build enclosures that are sculptural narratives or archives of memory.
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Alicia Bailey is a studio artist working across multiple disciplines. She has focused on book arts, box constructions and assemblage since the mid-nineties, producing artists' books, sculptural books and limited-edition books that incorporate a broad range of methods and materials. She is particularly interested in box and bookworks that include elements beyond surface printed images and text; that move beyond traditional book forms and embrace presentation flexibility, innovative page folding tactics, rigid-page construction and use of alternative materials. Her work has been featured in dozens of solo and group exhibits throughout the world and is held in numerous public, private, and special collections. An archive of her work in the book arts is under development at Penrose Special Collections, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado.
December
Annual PRINTappreciation & Open House
December 6
Thursday, 4:00 – 8:00
Free and open to the public—just drop by!
Come help the Book Arts Program celebrate 2018 and look forward to 2019! Warm up with some paper folding and make a couple of books with provided materials. Print a free letterpress card with the option to print an edition of three for $10. Enjoy light refreshments at the opening reception of the annual student exhibition Booking A Brouhaha. Shop for some printed goods for those on your holiday list. It's one-stop book arts fun—we hope to see you there!
News
Check out our upcoming workshop:
Paper Plates & Oil Paints: Low-tech Litho
Register here!
Studio Hours
Spring 2018 Semester
January 9 – May 2
- Monday – Wednesday:
10:00 am – 9:00 pm - Thursday:
1:00 pm – 9:00 pm - Friday & Saturday:
10:00 am – 6:00 pm - Sunday: CLOSED
Click here for complete hours including studio closures and holidays.