A Letter from the Chair

April 21, 2011

Dear Southeast Guild of Book Workers Members:

I have recently taken the position of Binding Instructor and Studio Coordinator at the University of Utah Book Arts Program and relocated to Salt Lake City, so it is with regret that I resign as Chair of the Southeast Chapter. It has been a pleasure serving as Chair, but it is no longer practical for me to work in this capacity as I am many miles away from my sweet home Alabama.

The board has nominated Bridget Elmer (Southeast Chapter member of Asheville, North Carolina) to serve as interim Chair until our elections in 2012—and she has graciously agreed. Additionally, our treasurer Kerri Harding has moved to Arizona, so Mary McManus is serving in her place until the next election. I will continue to work with Bridget, Mary, and the other Southeast board members to facilitate a smooth transition during this time. I am confident that the chapter will continue to thrive in their competent hands, fueled by the enthusiasm and energy of our membership. Here is a little bit about our interim Chair and Treasurer:

Bridget Elmer has studied bookbinding, letterpress printing, and printmaking at the Cooper Union, Center for Book Arts, Penland School of Crafts, Asheville BookWorks, and the California Rare Book School. She received her MFA in the Book Arts from the University of Alabama, and she will soon graduate with her second Masters in Library and Information Studies. Bridget recently served as the Resident Artist at the Small Craft Advisory Press at Florida State University, where she completed her creative thesis project and taught undergraduate courses in Book Structures. She also served as Visiting Art Professor at The Press at Colorado College in the summer of 2010. In addition to her ongoing work as the proprietor of Flatbed Splendor, Bridget is a co-founder of Impractical Labor in Service of the Speculative Arts (ILSSA), an organization for those who make experimental or conceptual work with obsolete technology. Bridget currently serves as an Instructor at Asheville BookWorks and as the Program Assistant at the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. For more information about Bridget's work, you can visit her website at http://www.flatbedsplendor.com/.

Mary McManus is a graduate student at The University of Alabama pursuing an MFA in Book Arts who enjoys all the processes associated with book making, from collaboration with artists and writers to letterpress printing, from bookbinding to papermaking. Her outside interests include hanging out with her corgi, Sadie, reading, horseback riding, watching movies and gardening. She hopes to incorporate some of those interests into her upcoming thesis project, a book that will examine the relationship between humans and horses. She is excited to work with Guild officers and members in the coming year.

Finally, I want to thank you for your support during my tenure as Chair. I have learned a lot, and it has been gratifying to work with such skilled and interesting people. I enjoyed meeting many of you at the Standards Seminar in Tucson, in workshops, and at other Southeast GBW events. Even though I make my new home out west, I will maintain my membership in the Southeast Chapter, and keep a fond eye on what’s going on in the region. Please feel free to get in touch with me any time at emily.tipps(at)utah(dot)edu, and remember that you can always reach Southeast Chapter board members at southeastguild(at)gmail(dot)com.

Best Regards,

Emily Tipps

Savannah College of Art and Design: Atlanta’s 4th Annual Artist’s Book Symposium

Attention Southeast Guild Members!

Join scholars, artists, and students at SCAD Atlanta for a symposium devoted to the study of artists’ books March 31st and April 1st, 2011.

Thursday March 31st:

6 pm: Reception
6:30 pm: Artist’s talk by German artist Anton Würth (http://www.antonwuerth.de/)

Friday April 1st:

3:30 pm: Reception
4 pm: Panel discussion: Business Strategies of Professional Artists - with Carolee Campbell, Anton Würth, and Brian Dettmer
5 pm: Juror Brian Dettmer Announces Student Artist’s Book Competition Awards
5:30 pm: Artist’s Process Talk by Brian Dettmer (http://briandettmer.com/)
6 pm: Carolee Campbell: Ninja Press: 25 Years & Counting (http://www.ninjapressbooks.com/history.html)

The symposium is free and open to the public; for information email mmurphy@scad.edu. All events take place in Trois Gallery on the 4th floor in the ACA Library of SCAD Atlanta.

ACA Library of SCAD
SCAD Atlanta
1600 Peachtree St. NW
Atlanta, GA 30309

SERCA (Southeast Regional Conservation Association) Pest Management workshop at Emory

14^th Annual SERCA Meeting

Atlanta, Georgia

March 18-20, 2011

You only have another week to sign up for the SERCA annual meeting to be held in Atlanta March 18-20. Please register soon.

To register, contact:

Ann Frellsen
Collections Conservator
Emory University Libraries
Atlanta, GA 30322
404.727.0307

Questions? ann.frellsen@emory.edu / 404-727-0307 (day) / 404-373-4694 (evening) or

Matt Johnson: mjohnsonbooks@gmail.com / 336-972-7542 (cell)

The Southeast Regional Conservation Association is pleased to present this workshop for conservators from many specialties and allied professionals. Pat Kelley of Insects, Ltd. will lead the program on pest identification, abatement and control. He will also address potential hazards caused by infestations and eradication methods. The meeting will be held on the campus of Emory University at the R.W. Woodruff Library and will include a tour of The Wren’s Nest, home of Uncle Remus author Joel Chandler Harris. This annual gathering will also provide opportunities to network and socialize with your colleagues in one of the South’s most dynamic cities.

Location, Directions, and Accommodations

The conference will be held in the Jones Room of the Robert W. Woodruff Memorial Library. It is located on Emory’s main campus, a few miles from downtown Atlanta in the Druid Hills neighborhood, between the Virginia Highlands neighborhood and the small city of Decatur.

The address is: Robert W. Woodruff Memorial Library

540 Asbury Circle

Atlanta, GA 30322

An interactive map of Emory University’s campus http://emap.fmd.emory.edu/website/campus/index.htm

On the left side click Library, then 1980-ROBERT W. WOODRUFF LIBRARY

General driving directions-- NOTE: The main campus entrance is closed due to road construction

From Interstate 20 Eastbound

Take exit 60-A, the Moreland Avenue exit. Turn right on Moreland and follow it approximately 3 miles. Moreland will change to Briarcliff Road once it crosses Ponce de Leon Avenue. Continue straight on Briarcliff approximately 2 miles to North Decatur Road. Turn right and follow North Decatur one mile to the Clifton Road intersection.

Parking: Turn left at the Clifton Road light, then take an immediate left at the next light onto Fishburne Drive. Go down the hill (veering left). At the stop sign turn left, then left again at the next stop sign. The Fishburne parking deck is immediately on your right. Visitor parking is on the ground level. On weekends only, go up to top entrance for free parking.

Further information can be found at: http://www.emory.edu/home/about/visiting/directions.html

Accommodations

A number of hotels offer special rates to Emory University and alumni community members; please inquire when making reservations.

Walking distance

University Inn / 1767 North Decatur Road, 404.634.7327 or toll-free 800.654.8591

1- 5 miles from campus

Bed and Breakfast Atlanta / 1801 Piedmont Ave., 404.875.0525

Courtyard by Marriott / 1236 Executive Park Drive, 404.728.0708 or toll-free 800.321.2211

Emory Conference Center Hotel and Emory Inn / 1615 Clifton Road NE, 404.712.6000 or toll-free 800.933.6679 (Emory University rates available)

Doubletree Atlanta / 2061 North Druid Hills Road, 404.321.4174 or 800.222.TREE

Hampton Inn / 1975 North Druid Hills Road, 404.320.6600

Hampton Inn / 3400 Northlake Parkway, 770.493.1966

Holiday Inn Express / 2183 North Decatur Road, 404.320.0888

Holiday Inn / 130 Clairmont Avenue, 404.371.0204 or toll-free 800.HOLIDAY

Hotel Indigo / 683 Peachtree Street NE, 404.874.9200

Intercontential Buckhead / 3315 Peachtree Road NE, 404.946.9000

J.W. Marriott / 3300 Lenox Road NE, 404.262.3344 or toll-free 800.228.9290

The Four Seasons / 75 14th Street NE, 404.881.9898 or toll-free 800.332.3442

Residence Inn by Marriott / 2960 Piedmont Road NE, 404.239.0677 or toll free 800.331.3131

The Ritz-Carlton / 3434 Peachtree Road NE, 404.237.2700 or toll-free 800.241.3333

Sheraton Buckhead / 3405 Lenox Road NE, 404.261.9250 or toll-free 800.325.3535

Spring workshops!

The Southeast Guild of Book Workers is pleased to announce two spring workshops at the Woodruff Library, Emory University, Decatur GA.

Lacing and Tacking Workshop with Chela Metzger

April 2 and April 3, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

$120 for guild members/$140 for non-members.

This workshop is appropriate for adults of all skill levels. Maximum enrollment is 15.

Lacing and tacketing are medieval techniques for attaching pages to a cover, and for reinforcing covers. They are non-adhesive techniques and offer many options for interesting structure and decoration using leather and parchment. This workshop will encourage students to try a variety of lacing and tacketing options, resulting in at least one completed binding. Time permitting there will be the option to construct various button and loop closures types. It is open to those with a wide range of experience, from beginners to those with more experience.

Chela Metzger started her official association with books by working as a library assistant at the age of 9. She graduated from Simmons College as a card-carrying librarian in 1990, and began her more intimate association with the craft of bookbinding at the North Bennet Street School in 1991, working 2 years with Mark Esser. She followed that with an internship in rare-book conservation at the Library of Congress in 1993, and began her paid conservation career as a project conservator at the Huntington Library in 1994. She began teaching book conservation to visiting Latin American interns in 1999, and moved into full-time lecturer work in 2001 at the University of Texas at Austin. In 2011 she began as Conservator of Library Collections at the Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library in Winterthur, DE.

Flag Books: Interplay of Image and Text with Karen Hanmer

June 11 and 12, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

$120 for guild members/$140 for non-members.

This workshop is appropriate for adults of all skill levels. Maximum enrollment is 15.

In this two-day workshop, students will make two different styles of flag book. The foundation of Hedi Kyle’s deceptively small and simple book “flag book” structure is an accordion folded spine. Flaps attached to both sides of each of the spine’s “mountain” folds allow the artist to fragment and layer a number of complementary or contrasting images and narratives. When the flag book spine is pulled fully open, the fragmented images on the flaps come together to create a large, panoramic image. This transformation is accompanied by a delightful flapping sound. The spine and covers provide opportunities for additional imagery. The class will discuss the effects of different spine and page dimensions, direction of motion, and which images will be most successful for different book styles. Students will learn a tidy, non-adhesive method of covering boards and use a jig to facilitate quicker, more precise assembly. While this is not a computer class, digital printing and setting up Photoshop templates for pages, covers and spines will be demonstrated.

Karen Hanmer’s work layers text and image to intertwine cultural and personal memory. The intimate scale and gestures of exploration employed to travel through each piece evoke looking through an album, diary, or the belongings of a loved one. The work is often playful in structure or content, and may include social commentary.

Hanmer’s work is included in collections ranging from Tate Britain and the Library of Congress to Syracuse University and Graceland. She won the 2009 DeGolyer Jury Prize for Binding. Hanmer curated the Guild of Book Workers Marking Time exhibition, and serves on the editorial board of The Bonefolder. A complete catalog of her work is available online at www.karenhanmer.com.

How to register for a workshop:

To register, email ann.frellsen@emory.edu with your name, address and telephone number. Then, mail a check for the full tuition made out to The Guild of Book Workers to Ann Frellsen, 221 Chelsea Drive Decatur, GA 30030. Your space in the class is only guaranteed upon receipt of full payment, and is on a first come, first serve basis.

Sponsored by The Southeast Guild of Book Workers and Emory University.

Flag Books: Interplay of Image and Text with Karen Hanmer

Nov 20-21 2010, 9-4 p.m.
Woodruff Library, Emory University, Decatur GASponsored by The Southeast Guild of Book Works and Emory University$135 tuition
Enrollment total: 15. This workshop is appropriate for adults of all skill levels.

In this two day workshop, students will make two different styles of flag book. The foundation of Hedi Kyle's deceptively small and simple "flag book" structure is an accordion folded spine. Flaps attached to both sides of each of the spine’s “mountain” folds allow the artist to fragment and layer a number of complementary or contrasting images and narratives. When the flag book spine is pulled fully open, the fragmented images on the flaps come together to create a large, panoramic image. This transformation is accompanied by a delightful flapping sound. The spine and covers provide opportunities for additional imagery. The class will discuss the effects of different spine and page dimensions, direction of motion, and which images will be most successful for different book styles. Students will learn a tidy, non-adhesive method of covering boards and use a jig to facilitate quicker, more precise assembly. Students will experiment with complementary and contrasting text and images. While this is not a computer class, digital printing and setting up Photoshop templates for pages, covers and spines will be demonstrated.

How to register:
To register, email ann.frellsen@emory.edu with your name, address and telephone. Then, mail a check for the full tuition made out to The Guild of Book Workers to
Ann Frellsen
221 Chelsea Drive
Decatur, GA 30030

Your space in the class is only guaranteed upon receipt of full payment, and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Make checks out to The Guild of Book Workers.

We look forward to seeing you in this class!

Bookbinding Tool making workshop with Randy J. Arnold

A few spaces still remaining - sign up today!

Southeast Guild member Randy J. Arnold will be teaching a tool making workshop October 20 – 21st

during the Friends of Dard Hunter conference.

The workshop will be located on the campus of the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Participants should leave with three simple but essential tools crafted during the workshop.

Registration is now open.

For more information, please visit the Friends of Dard Hunter.

Tool Making

Using simple tools such as a bone folder or a nipping press is essential for bookbinding. Learning to design and build these tools can have a great impact on the ease and quality of the work produced. The class will include an introduction to hand tools: saws, rasps, hand drills, chisels, and sandpaper; how to build a simple jig that will help us create the book binding tools; making a wooden “bone” folder custom shaped to your hand; building a simple nipping press; and building a punching cradle that will be functional and beautiful. I will bring my personal tools to share with the class. For those interested in purchasing hand tools for the class, or bringing their own tools, we will be using a crosscut carcass saw, a hand drill, various rasps, and assorted chisels (or carving knives). This workshop is intended as a connection between the worlds of bookbinding and woodworking, and to take some of the mystery out of woodworking, ultimately empowering the bookbinder with the necessary skills to create any tool they might need. The building process will focus primarily on hand tool use, and no experience with woodworking is required.

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Randy J. Arnold is a luthier living in Northport, Alabama, and the third generation in his family to work with wood. In addition to musical instruments, Randy also creates handcrafted bookbinders’ tools. Randy works in the wood shop that his grandfather built in the early 1940’s, using many of his grandfather’s tools.

www.randyarnold.wordpress.com

Call for Reviews

The Southeast GBW is seeking a volunteer to submit a review of the Twinrocker Exhibition for posting to a new blog the national organization is starting. The review could be from 200-800 words, and preferably would include a few photos of the displays as well. (Details about the exhibition are in the previous post on this blog.)

This is a great way to share this important exhibition with book workers across the country who won't be able to attend. If you are attending the exhibition, would like to get published, and are willing to write a casual review, please respond to southeastguild@gmail.com.

Thanks for your help!

Emily Tipps, Chair SEGBW