Dear NBG Community,
In last month’s letter, I mentioned anticipation for spring’s arrival and the dynamic changes we all knew were on their way. One month later, we are drenched in light, our days punctuated by water running, dripping, accumulating. Swans, geese, and ducks have returned and thousands of songbirds are winging their way north, soon to arrive. I am always amazed by the exuberance of our northern spring. I am similarly amazed by the exuberance of NBG members.
The April debut of Boreal Book Arts Showcase was a success. It’s wonderful to have a place for members to sell their handcrafted books and book art related items. Stop by the studio any Wednesday, 12-2pm, to peruse the offerings.
The Letterpress Shop has been busy with students setting type and printing as part of our new series of letterpress classes. It’s great to feel the students’ energy, see our restored Kelsey presses inked and printing lovely cards.
If you’d like to infuse some vibrancy into your bookmaking pallet, two color-filled classes are being offered, in-person, this month: Gelli Plate Printing and Garden Collage Art Cards. All the details and sign-up information is listed below.
I’m really looking forward to The Tiny Book Party on May 14, 2-5pm. This unique drop-in event for members and guests will be held at the Tanana Valley Fairground. This is not a class, but a self-guided experience focused on creating tiny books. There will be a selection of papers, materials, instruction sheets, and models available. Please bring your basic bookmaking tools and any papers you’d like to use and/or share. We encourage you to bring a friend who might like to experience the creative world of bookmaking for the first time. NBG board members will be there with tools and encouragement to guide you as you have fun creating some tiny books.
I hope to see you at our May 22 Program Meeting on Zoom. Laurel Herbeck will present the triangle accordion fold, a structure that has many applications for books, sculptures, and pop-ups. Scroll down for details about the meeting and a pdf of the instructions you’ll need. I hope to see you there.
With warmest regards,
Susan Campbell
NBG President
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NBG BOOK CHALLENGE
May-June theme:
Tiny
Email a photo of your completed work and a brief description to Ashley Thayer.
Participants will be featured on our website.
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WORKSHOP
Gelli Printing & Panorama Foldable
with Mary Baarlaer Maisch
RESCHEDULED!
Monday & Tuesday, May 9 and 10, 10am to 3pm
Members $150 Guests $200
Workshop limited to 6 participants
3 SPACES AVAILABLE
Play with your own Gelli plates, stencils, stamps, string, leaves, and other pattern-making materials as you cover papers with layers of acrylic painted monoprints. As a follow on to the previous week’s Program Meeting, we will make two Panorama foldable structures utilizing your printed papers. Your remaining papers can be used later to make one of a kind artist books, folios, notecards, collages, or gift boxes. This workshop is suitable for beginning to advanced level book artists and printmakers.
Instructor will provide a limited amount of mixed media and watercolor papers, deli papers, fresh plant materials, and film for cutting custom stencils, at no extra charge.
PARTICIPANTS SUPPLY ALL MATERIALS, including a Gelli plate. A detailed list will be sent upon registration. There are some Gelli plates available for students to use. Please contact the instructor if you're interested in borrowing a plate for this class.
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WORKSHOP
Garden Collage Art Cards
with Katie Sanders
Friday, May 13 - 1pm to 4pm
Members $45 Guests $60
Materials fee: $5
Workshop limited to 8 participants
Make payment at the Studio with cash or by check to NBG. Early enrollment is appreciated. The Studio is open from 12-2:00 every Wednesday.
Make your own artful collaged greeting cards in celebration of the upcoming spring gardening season! Katie will demonstrate techniques of collage using scissors, x-acto knives, torn paper, glue sticks, and acrylic medium. Katie likes to use gelli-printed papers, maps, book pages, music sheets, gift wrap, magazine clippings - scraps of any available papers. She will supply many papers, but you are invited to bring some of your own to add to the pile of choices!
INSTRUCTOR WILL SUPPLY:
Variety of papers
Glue sticks
Gloss acrylic gel medium
8” x 10” Canson mixed media sheets to use as cards
Brushes
Masking tape
PLEASE BRING:
Face mask (Use TBD by consensus)
Scissors
X-acto knife
Old, short-bristled flat brush
Variety of paper scraps
Blank cards and envelopes (Optional)
NOTE: Please email the instructor to indicate your preference regarding the wearing of masks by class participants. If one person feels more comfortable with masks on, all will wear masks. To allow plenty of personal space, this class is limited to eight participants.
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Tiny Book Party
Saturday, May 14, 2-5pm
Spinners and Weavers Guild Studio, in the Lions Building
Tanana Valley Fairgrounds, 1800 College Road
$5 donation for members and guests
No RSVP Needed
This will be an in-person, drop-in event that celebrates bookmaking.
Plan on coming anytime between 2 - 5pm to make tiny books
(defined as books that measure no more than 3 inches on all sides).
Bring your tools, your ideas, papers and other materials to share.
NBG will offer a selection of tools, papers, materials, how-to diagrams,
and lots of encouragement and guidance!
The Tiny Book Party will take place in Davis Hall (aka the Lion's Club building or the Bingo Hall), the yellow building directly across from Badger Hall at the Fairgrounds. Badger Hall is where the Weavers and Spinners Guild hosts a booth every year.
Directions: If you enter the Fairgrounds at College and Aurora, make a right turn just past the parking lot. The parking lot will be blocked off and the entrance will lead you to a parking area near the bridge by Badger Hall (across from the Borealis building). You can park there and walk across the bridge to Davis Hall, or you can drive around behind the agricultural building at the other end of the fairgrounds and circle back to park in front of Davis Hall.
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Program Meeting
Sunday May 22, 1-3pm
On Zoom
Look for Zoom link on Friday, May 20
Triangle Accordion Book
with Laurel Herbeck
In this program we will present a simple book structure that has many applications for books, sculptures, pop-ups and more. Using one strip of paper, we will score, fold, cut, and embellish a book in the shape of a triangle. Come and have some Spring fun. Everything you need is in the linked handout below! Use whatever paper you have on hand or pick up some in the studio the week before the meeting.
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FOBA 2022
Friday - Tuesday, July 15 - 19, 2022
Registration opens Monday, April 4, 2022 at 8:00am
All registration will be online!
The 15th Focus on Book Arts conference offers five full days of workshops for beginning as well as advanced book artists. You can come for just one workshop or for the entire conference; a range of class lengths lets you tailor an experience just for you.
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Thin Lines, Dots, and Geometric Shapes Create a Minimal Typographic Collection
Designer Adam G. is known for utilizing his signature black and red to define the minimal illustrations coming out of the Santa Monica-based studio TRÜF Creative. Curved components and thin lines leading to perfectly round dots form his interpretation of the 36 Days of Type project, an ongoing endeavor that asks creatives to imagine their own renditions of the alphabet and numeral system.
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Wearable Book Bracelet Features
Rembrandt’s Drawings of Hands
Lined with gilt edges and secured with a gold clasp, a book bracelet by the Amsterdam-based duo of Lyske Gais and Lia Duinker packs a vast art historical collection within the span of a wrist.
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NORTHWOODS BOOK ARTS GUILD
CALENDAR
NBG Open Studio & Boreal Book Arts Showcase Hours
Wednesdays, noon-2pm
Workshop
Introduction to Letterpress
Saturday, May 7, 1-4pm
Workshop (RESCHEDULED)
Gelli Printing and Panorama Foldable
Monday & Tuesday, May 9-10 - 10am to 3pm
Garden Collage Art Cards
Friday, May 13, 1-4pm
Tiny Book Party
Saturday, May 14, 2-5pm
NBG Program Meeting
Sunday, May 22, 1-3pm
UAF Summer Sessions Workshop
Pochoir Basics
June 3, 6-8:30, June 4 and 5, 10am-4pm
Workshop
Flag Book
Saturday, June 19, 10am-4pm
Workshops
Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival
Basic Book Arts
July 25 - 29
Workshop
Eco-Dying
August 20
Workshop
Chinese Sewing Box
September 10-11
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Learn about and support Northwoods Book Arts Guild!
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