Newsletter
NOVEMBER 2022
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Dear NBG Community,
What a difference a month can make. Thirty days ago, I was walking in a golden leaf-strewn forest. Today, I pull on mukluks, mittens, and a down jacket to venture out into a world transformed by snow. As artists, I think we are poignantly aware of visual changes, how autumn’s array of reds and golds has shifted to a world of white, punctuated by the darkness of spruce and the bare branches of birch. Looking closer, we are offered more⏤ the cerulean winter sky shifting to lavender at dusk, moonlight’s pearly blush, the crimson plumage of pine grosbeaks perched on our bird feeders, the flicker and flare of firelight.
As you turn toward winter activities, projects, and gatherings, please consider adding a new Guild event to your calendar: NBG’s first "First Friday" on December 2, 5:00-8:00 pm. Enjoy displays highlighting our varied activities (classes, outreach, and exhibitions), visit our letterpress studio to print a vintage holiday gift tag on the Pearl Press with Bruce Campbell, and shop for hand-crafted gifts in our Boreal Book Arts Showcase. If you’d like to sell your hand-crafted items at this event, we are eager for contributions. Please bring them to the studio during any Open Studio (12-2pm Wednesdays, November 9, 16, 30). If those times don’t work for you, please send a message via the Contact button below this note to make other arrangements. Scroll down to read details about our first First Friday event.
I am thrilled to report that last month’s annual meeting was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who attended. Your support for NBG matters. As a non-profit arts organization run by volunteers, our ability to thrive depends on the support of our members through board service, committee participation, and memberships. You may join or renew your membership for 2023 at our First Friday event or online at nwbookarts.org. (NBG receives our 501c3 status as a nonprofit organization through the North Star Community Foundation and we are grateful for their support. When you renew online, you will be linked to their website for payment.)
I am writing to you as the November sun rises, a bit later than yesterday, snow sifting onto the grosbeaks at the bird feeder, my attention shifting toward winter and the ways it alters life at 64° North. I hope this new season opens opportunities for creative contemplation and companionship for all of us. I look forward to seeing you next month at NBG’s First Friday Event, to share a fun evening with fellow book artists.
With warmest regards,
Susan Campbell
NBG President
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NBG BOOK CHALLENGE
November-December theme:
Landscape
Email a photo of your completed work and a brief description to Ashley Thayer.
Participants will be featured on our website. Below is Chris Greenfield Pastro’s
“Demeter and Askalabos” created for the September/October Challenge theme "Mythical".
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NBG's Art-o-Mat Machine
The NBG Art-o-Mat Machine (pictured above) has begun its journey from North Carolina to Alaska. Stay tuned for notice of its arrival soon!
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Art-o-Mat Prototype Round Up
Saturday November 19, 1-3pm
In Person and on Zoom
at the NBG Studio
Following an energizing and idea generating session in October, NBG members are invited to develop a prototype for NBG's first series of Art-o-Mat art. Prototype designs can focus on an interesting structure, eye-catching content, or both. In this Prototype Round Up meeting, we will share our prototypes, expand on ideas, and finalize a design for our first prototype submission.
When designing your prototype(s), keep in mind dimensions are limited to the box size vended in Art-o-Mat machines. See the image above for maximum measurements. Be creative and see you on the 19th!
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NBG First Friday Event
December 2, 5-8pm
At the NBG Studio
3550 Airport Way, Caribou Building, Suite 205
(Parking & Entrance in Rear off Geraghty Avenue)
We are excited to announce our first First Friday event to be held in our Caribou Building studio! We’re developing a series of displays that represent some of our varied activities: classes, outreach, letterpress, and exhibitions. Bruce Campbell will be in the letterpress studio to help you print a vintage holiday gift tag on the Pearl Press. We will be refreshing our
Boreal Book Arts Showcase, the Guild’s cooperative location for members to sell their handcrafted work, and would like to include pieces from as many members as possible. If you are an NBG member and have handmade books, cards, boxes, broadsides, LP items, and book arts accessories you would like to sell in the Showcase, please bring them to the NBG studio during Open Studio hours, Noon—2pm, Wednesdays, November 9, 16, 30. Items must be received by November 30th to be included in our December 2 First Friday Event.
(If you have questions, please email the contact below.)
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NBG Board of Directors
Have you ever wondered how you could be more involved in the Northwoods Book Arts Guild, Alaska’s farthest north book arts organization? Consider applying to join our board! We are a dedicated group of 11 volunteers who are committed to NBG’s mission which is focused on “actively learning about and creating artist books in Fairbanks, Alaska, while promoting all aspects of book arts through education, participation in exhibitions, and community outreach.” Each board member has a “seat” on the Board and also serves on various committees. We are seeking a board member to serve in the role of secretary. The secretary is responsible for taking minutes at the monthly meetings and then emailing them to board members. We are also interested in creating an NBG presence on social media platforms and would love to hear from anyone who has the skill and desire to join the Communication & Technology committee.
The NBG Board meets as a full group once a month, for 2 hours, on Zoom with eight other committees meeting separately as needed. Other committees include: Communication & Technology, Membership, Education & Planning, Letterpress, Exhibitions, Development, Studio & Library, and Outreach. New officers and committee members will be seated beginning January 2023. If you have questions or are interested in becoming more involved in NBG please contact our current president, Susan Campbell, and let her know. To continue to be a dynamic organization we need the support of dynamic members. Thank you for considering this opportunity!
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Professional Development Series
As an awardee of the 2022 Rasmuson Foundation Project Award, NBG members are invited to participate in a Professional Development Series offered by the Rasmuson Foundation and Anchorage Museum. See the topics below for past and upcoming presentations.
Artist Statements and Project Narratives
Gain guidance, support, and inspiration in writing about your work. Learn about best practices in artist statements and project statements from experts in the field through examples. Suggestions about how to start and revise these documents will be discussed with prompts and resources offered.
Presenters: Heather Lende, Alaska Poet Laureate, and
Hollis Mickey, Chief Learning and Access Officer Anchorage Museum, artist
CVs, Resumes, Portfolios
Learn about the similarities and differences between resumes and CVs and when and how to use both. See examples and hear discussion of typical pitfalls. Learn about how to build a compelling portfolio of images and work samples for any application.
Presenter: Jessica Tomlinson, Director of Artists at Work, Maine College of Art & Design
Former IAA Panelist Panel
On Crowdcast December 6 at 12:15PM
In this general session open to the public, including artists considering applying for 2023 awards, hear from former IAA panelists about the application process. Panelists will reflect on what makes a strong application and discuss strategies for presenting work for panel review for IAA and similar opportunities such as funding, residences, and fellowships. While designed for those who might be applying for the 2023 awards, this session also will provide supportive strategies for composing portfolios and statements for external reviewers.
The former panelists in conversation include:
Michael Hammond, former Director of the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, Anne Finger, educator, writer of creative nonfiction and fiction, and an activist for the disabled community, and Sharon Van Starkenburg, visual artist
Open to the public- so share this link with your friends, publicity forthcoming
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NORTHWOODS BOOK ARTS GUILD
CALENDAR
NBG Open Studio & Boreal Book Arts Showcase Hours
Wednesdays, noon-2pm
(closed November 23 and December 21)
Art-o-Mat Prototype Round Up Meeting
Saturday, November 19, 1-3pm
(NBG Studio and on Zoom)
Horn Book Project
Ongoing through May 2023
NBG First Friday Studio Event
Friday, December 2, 5-8:00pm
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Learn about and support Northwoods Book Arts Guild!
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