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Greetings Book Artists,
We just finished a warm February with many beautiful sunny days! We also had several classes and workshops in February with more planned for March. I want to remind everyone that all of the advertised classes and workshops are open to everyone. It doesn’t matter if you plan to make a book for the upcoming show or not. If a class or workshop is of interest to you and you have the time, please sign up. Guild members receive a discount on the class fee as part of your member benefits.
This month we have a Program Meeting: Sunday, March 16, 1-3pm on Zoom. Chris Greenfield-Pastro will facilitate Book Artists in Conversation---Foldable Structures. I'll be presenting on Integrating fabric and Texture in Book Structures. And Margo Klass & Ree Nancarrow will present a Brief Tour of Cave Paper after their visit to Cave Paper in Tucson AZ. On Saturday March 22, I'll provide more detailed information on using fabrics and textures in your books. There are many possibilities. See the information in the newsletter for details.
PROGRAM MEETING: Sunday, March 16, 1-3pm, Zoom Link will be sent out in March, keep an eye on your inbox for it.
Please remember to renew your membership for 2025. I want everyone to be able to take advantage of our many member benefits. Open Studio is one benefit and continues to happen every Wednesday from noon - 3pm and also on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month from noon - 3pm.
Until next time - Happy Bookmaking!
Corlis Taylor
NBG President
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BOOKS AS ART 4
An Exhibition of Artist Books by NBG Members
Bear Gallery
Fairbanks Arts Association
June 6 - 28, 2025
Northwoods Book Arts Guild will mount its fourth major exhibition since its founding in 2011. During the month of June 2025 the Fairbanks Arts Association will host BOOKS AS ART 4 in the Bear Gallery. Featuring artist books created by NBG members, the exhibition will demonstrate how a book can be reimagined, reinterpreted, and reinvented through artists' eyes. All NBG members are invited to participate.
Learn all about the exhibition by clicking the button below:
Submission requirements
Special Projects
Timeline
and much more
- Recommend printing out the pdf
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NBG Special BAA4 Program
Let’s Go - Inspiration, Workshops, Collaboration
Learn all about working and learning together
the button below has the updated list
including Margo's rescheduled Asemic Writing Workshop
Workshops
Program Meetings
Open Studio Sessions
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The List of the Let's Go Program
INSPIRATION on Zoom
Program Meetings
--- Sunday, March 16, 2025, 1-3pm - ZOOM
Foldable Structures - Book Artists in conversation - Chris Greenfield Pastro
Integrating Fabric & Texture in Book Structures - Corlis Taylor
A Brief Tour of Cave Paper, after a visit in Tucson, AZ - Margo Klass & Ree Nancarrow
---Sunday, April 20, 2025, 1-3pm - ZOOM
Using Embellishments in Bookmaking - Ashley Thayer & Margo Klass
WORKSHOPS at NBG Studio--- in-person
Short in-person workshops at NBG Studio
---Saturday, March 8, 10am - 2pm - NBG Studio
Introduction to Asemic Writing - Margo Klass
---Saturday, March 22, 10am - 2pm - NBG Studio
Integrating Fabric & Texture in Book Structures - Corlis Taylor
COLLABORATION at NBG Studio
Working together as community to strategize, consult, and work on BAA4
Expanded Open Studio Hours: January - May
Wednesdays 12-3pm
Second & Fourth Sundays 12-3pm
(March 9 & 23, April 13 & 27, May 11 & 25)
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NBG Let's Go Workshop - in-person at NBG Studio
Introduction to Asemic Writing
with Margo Klass
Saturday, March 8, 10am - 2pm
Members $80, Guests $100
Materials fee: $10
Workshop limited to 10 participants!
ONLY ONE SPOT REMAINS!
Asemic writing consists of gestural lines and forms that look like writing, but are not based on any writing system; asemic writing is unreadable. Its lines and forms are fluid, energetic, and often elegant; they are as unique to an individual as one’s handwriting.
In this workshop we will explore asemic writing through exercises that will help us discover our own gestural movements and preferred methods of mark making. We’ll experiment with a range of tools that can be used to produce asemic writing, and test various papers. Throughout the workshop we will discuss how asemic writing can be used in our personal work, whether as message, formal content, or embellishment.
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NBG Let's Go Workshop - in-person at NBG Studio
Integrating Fabric & Texture into Book Structures
with Corlis Taylor
Saturday, March 22, 10am - 2pm
Members $80, Guests $100
Materials fee: $10
Workshop limited to 10 participants
Working with various fabrics such as cotton and silk, threads/yarns and birch bark can be a creative way to include texture in book structures. We will focus on how to turn fabric into book cloth and the use of fabric and threads as pages within a book. I will demonstrate the use of other fibers as well such as silk, threads and other objects.
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Northwoods Book Arts Guild
ABC Challenge
Inspired by Robert Bolick’s ABC book collection, NBG members are invited to make their own alphabet-themed books. Any structure/format/medium related to book arts is welcome! This will be a slow paced, stress-free project that will culminate as a display in the
BOOKS AS ART 4 exhibition at the Bear Gallery taking place in June 2025.
To check out Robert’s blog, visit http://books-on-books.com
LAST ABC MEETING: Sunday, MARCH 30, 4pm ---Zoom
Zoom Link will be emailed to those on Ashley's list. If you aren't sure if you're on her list, click the link below to email her.
DEADLINES
Wednesday, April 2, 2025, 12-3pm - LETTERS FOR LETTER QUILT
(3.5" X 3.5" dimensions of letter squares)
Wednesday, April 16, 2025, 12-3pm - BOOKS FOR THE ABC CHALLENGE
Intake for both deadlines will be at NBG Open Studio, or by arrangement with Ashley.
As these deadlines approach email Ashley Thayer for more information or with questions related to the ABC Challenge.
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*NEW ACTIVITY* NBG Demo Sundays
Gelli Plate Play Date
with Mary Maisch
12-3:00pm, Sunday, March 9, 2025 at NBG Studio
Space is limited. $5-$10 donation for materials
Bring your own Gelli plates, brayers, paints or inks, stencils, stamps, papers, waste paper, etc. We can share techniques, tips, tools and foibles! We will play!
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NBG Book Club
Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit
Sunday April 6, noon, in-person
at House of the Rising Bun (3525 College Rd.)
Monday April 7, 6:30pm, on Zoom (Email: Vanessa for Link)
You are welcome to come to one or the other or both
Vanessa DeWolf will again host a second book for our Book Club. This book was selected because a number of us are concerned about the future and wanted to find a way to be hopeful in these very divided and difficult times. Also, for some of us the creative act is one that inherently questions our world and perhaps conversations from this book will inspire us to make relevant and vital books too. Even if you only read a bit of the book, you are welcome to join us in this conversation, socializing and discussion.
No need to register, you can just show up. If you've only read some of the book, it's fine to join us. We will do some reading aloud. This will be a great time to be in conversation about content for the books we make. For those joining via Zoom, send Vanessa an email to get the link.
Where to get the book? There are two copies in the NBG library. It's also available as an e-book at the Fairbanks Public Library. It's available online in many forms (audiobook, used copies, etc). If you need any help getting the book email Vanessa
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ART-O-MAT
ALASKA HAIKU PROJECT
STAY TUNED FOR WORK DATES IN APRIL. We welcome all the help to get our Haiku books ready for all that is coming up. It's a great way to be in community and to hone your bookmaking skills. If you want to participate, please contact: Sherrill Peterson
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*NEW* NBG Member Artist Spotlight
Teresa Hall
NBG Member: 2022 to present
Minding my NPs, Qs and Rs lately (n+p+q+r) ^3 has been stacking up quite nicely. These are photos of my home studio and my ongoing construction of 64 boxes. I'm creating an ABC book inspired by my personal relationship with the National Parks and the animals that live in them. These two have captured my heart: Wolf 907F, of Yellowstone National Park, affectionately known as "Queen of the Wolves" died Christmas day in 2024 and Bear 399, of Grand Teton National Park who reared 22 cubs and lived to be 28yrs old was struck by a car on Highway 26/89 south of Jackson, Wyoming on October 22, 2024. I'm compelled by the beauty and my own explorations of the National Parks, my compassion for these creatures, and my life in mathematics (as a teacher and more) to make box-books for our ABC Challenge. Can't wait to finish all the boxes and stack-em up for the ABC Challenge.
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NBG Letterpress Studio
REPORT: Recent Experiments with Bruce Campbell
Sunday, February 23, 2025
New NBG Member Campbell Webb & Vanessa DeWolf set-type & printed with Bruce Campbell on Pearl #3. We used Goudy Oldstyle, 12pt and Southern Ink, Dense Black, on various papers. We set type on composing sticks in the warm studio on that chilly Sunday. Working with a few small phrases we printed. For more information about the Letterpress & printing experiments, email: Bruce Campbell
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LET'S GO WORKSHOP HIGHLIGHTS: These are the working hands of instructor book artists, Connie Stricks and Susan Campbell, from the weekend of workshops in February. In Form & Color as Content, Connie's class, we worked with stamps and other materials, focusing on a few basic shapes. Text as Content, Susan's class, we made a nested accordion structure well-suited for text and then made cut-out and found poetry. Below are examples of the work we made from Lois Henderson and Vanessa DeWolf. | |
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Variations on a Book Structure
The Layered Accordion
UAF Rasmuson Library
A mini exhibition of layered accordion artist books has been installed in the display case at UAF’s Rasmuson Library. The collection demonstrates how a wide variety of works can be created from a single structure. The layered accordion consists of two interwoven accordions, one of them long with windows cut out of its central panels, and the second one twice as long, narrower in height, and without windows. The two accordions are interwoven and sewn together in the valley folds using a simple pamphlet stitch. An unadorned model is included in the display.
In the hands of NBG artists this small structure becomes elegant and even complex through the artists’ addition of content and personal choices of materials, colors, and images.
Thank you to the following artists whose work is included in the display:
Linda Adamson, Chris Greenfield-Pastro, Laurel Herbeck, Margo Klass, Sherrill Peterson, and Connie Stricks.
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The Northwoods Set Book Project now has a dedicated page on the Northwoods Book Arts Guild website. Watch the Set Book artists present their individual creative processes and read Set Book poet Christopher Lee Miles' stunning analysis of "making art" here! The Northwoods Set Book Project is currently on exhibition in the Rose Berry Gallery of the UAF Museum of the North. | |
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NBG Outreach
Books at Co-Op Market Grocery & Deli
Saturday, March 1, 10-4pm
A great opportunity to share what NBG does with the general public. We'll be selling books from the Boreal Showcase, as well as catalogs from past exhibitions. We'll be encouraging new membership & sharing information about our upcoming BOOKS AS ART 4 exhibition
in the Bear Gallery. Come visit Vanessa DeWolf & Yumi Kawaguchi!
For more information email Yumi.
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NORTHWOODS BOOK ARTS GUILD
CALENDAR
NBG Open Studio &
Boreal Book Arts Showcase Hours
note extended hours JANUARY - MAY
Wednesdays, 12-3pm
Second Sundays, 12-3pm
(Mar 9, April 13, May 11)
Fourth Sundays, 12-3pm
(Mar 23, April 27, May 25)
NBG Activity
Coptic Binders Meet Up
Thursday, March 13, 2-4pm
Thursday, April 10, 2-4pm
ABC CHALLENGE
FINAL MEETUP: Sunday, March 30, 4pm ZOOM
Zoom Link will be sent by email in March.
DEADLINES:
Wednesday, APRIL 2 - Letter for Letter Quilt
Wednesday, APRIL 16 - ABC BOOKS
Make sure to email Ashley with questions.
SPECIAL NBG BAA4 Activity
Let's Go!
PROGRAM MEETINGS ON ZOOM
---Sunday March 16, 2025, 1-3pm - ZOOM--
ZOOM LINK WILL BE SENT IN MARCH, CHECK YOUR IN-BOX!
Foldable Structures - Book Artists in Conversation
Integrating Fabric & Texture
---Sunday, April 20, 2025, 1-3pm - ZOOM
Using Embellishments in Bookmaking - Ashley Thayer & Margo Klass
WORKSHOPS IN-PERSON AT NBG STUDIO
---Saturday, March 8, 10am - 2pm - NBG Studio
Introduction to Asemic Writing - Margo Klass
---Saturday, March 22, 10am - 2pm - NBG Studio
Integration Fabric & Texture in Book Structures - Corlis Taylor
COLLABORATION - MENTORSHIP - IN-PERSON AT NBG STUDIO
---OPEN STUDIOS: JANUARY - MAY
Wednesdays ,12-3pm (expanded hours)
Second & Fourth Sundays, 12-3pm
NBG Book Club
Sunday, April 6, noon -in-person
at House of the Rising Bun (3525 College Road)
Monday, April 7, 6:30pm ZOOM
Art-O-Mat Locations:
- March at The Folk School
- April at UAF
- June at The Bear Gallery
University of Alaska Museum of the North
The Northwoods Set Book Project
In the Rose Berry Gallery, ongoing.
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