Greetings PSBA members! Hope your Winter is going well!

Colette Fu, A Pop-Up Book of Lilies, Roses, Iris, Pansies, Columbine, Love-in-a-Mist, Larkspur and Other Flowers in a Glass Vase on Table Top, Flanked by a Rose and a Carnation

Greetings from Your PSBA President

As President of the PSBA board I am writing with a grateful heart. We have had many, many membership renewals and generous donations from you every day since our annual January letter was sent. It is encouraging to the board of directors to receive your response—a real shot of energy. Thank-you!

 We are very excited about our annual Members’ Zoom meeting on February 11th, and you will see more about that as you read on. Please register and attend if you can; it is going to be fun. We have a great speaker, and it  will be wonderful  to see one another. And, of course, the board has been working to create the 2024 members’ show, classes and programs.

Yours,

Sally Alger

Reminder to Register for the Virtual Annual Meeting February 11, 2024

Sunday, February 11, 1:00pm- 3:00pm via Zoom. Register here.  

The annual meeting features the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, D.C. and the current artists' book exhibition Holding Ground with guest curator Lynora Williams, former director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Lynora will share insights into the exhibition, the artists' books, and many of the participating artists will join the conversation. Following the presentation is the annual business meeting with updates about membership, outreach, programs and the 2024 exhibition! Event is free.

Upcoming Events

The World through Abby's Eyes: This exhibit is currently on display though April 30, 2024, at Collins Library, University of Puget Sound. It features a number of PSBA artists who have created bespoke books that focus on themes associated with the Tacoma artist Abby Williams Hill.

To celebrate the artists and recognize International Women's Day, the Library will host an event on Friday, March 8 in the Tahoma Room, Thomas Hall at the University of Puget Sound from 2:00 to 4:00 pm.  Light refreshments will be served. All PSBA members are invited to attend.  

Click here for more information on the exhibit.

A Book of Your Own (in-person events held at libraries in Whatcom County):

• Saturday, February 10, 2024, 2:00pm - 4:00pm, Lynden Meeting Room, Lynden. Register here.
• Saturday, March 23, 2024, 11:00am-1:00pm, Ferndale Meeting Room, Ferndale. Register here.
• Saturday, March 30, 2024, 1:00pm-3:00pm, Everson. Register here.
• Saturday, April 27, 2024, 1:00pm-3:00pm, Deming Meeting Room, Deming. Register here.

Have you ever wanted to make your very own book? PSBA is sponsoring a free workshop for adults. Book artist Fran McReynolds will guide you in learning the basic skills to make books without paste or glue. Learn the pamphlet stitch and simple folding techniques to create three small books as you use basic book arts tools and learn terminology. All levels of experience are welcome in this beginner course. Supplies are included. Space is limited.

Feel the Love of Book Arts! Valentine Making Open Studio: Tuesday, February 13, 10am-2pm, BARN (Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network) in collaboration with PSBA.

This event is co-hosted by PSBA member Jane Carlin and BARN member Amy Goldthwaite. It is a great opportunity to come together and enjoy time making Valentines to distribute to organizations in our community or to a special someone in your life. Sweet treats will be provided.

Event is free and no registration is necessary.

Questions: Email Jane at jcarlin@pugetsound.edu.

Lunchtime ZOOM Conversation with Islam Aly: February 15, 12:00-1:00PM.

The first lunchtime ZOOM conversation of 2024 is with nationally recognized book artist Islam Aly.  Islam will share his work and discuss his recent experience at the Tokyo Art Book Fair and Codex.  We are in for a treat!

Event is free but registration is required. Register here.

13th Annual PSBA Members’ Exhibition June 4, 2024–August 1, 2024: Submissions open Thursday, February 15. Visit the exhibition website to view the Call for Entries and Submission Guidelines.

Annual Membership Renewal Reminder

The annual membership renewal email was sent out to members in early January. Instructions for renewing memberships are also available online. 

Save the Date: Focus on Books Arts Conference June 26-30 in Monmouth, OR

FOBA's 2024 Conference is in Monmouth, Oregon June 26-30, 2024, and this year's theme is "interaction."

While you're waiting for the full FOBA 2024 Catalog release in early February, you can learn more about the exciting new classes and read short descriptions on our website. Workshop registration will open online in early March 2024.

PSBA Outreach extends to Port Angeles and Whatcom County!

• Congratulations to Jan Dove who invited the artists in the 2023 PSBA annual exhibition to exhibit their work at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center from February 9, 2024 to March 24, 2024. The exhibit, Strong Together, An Artist Book Collaborative features the work of 22 PSBA members. Dove writes in the exhibition statement, “Artists interweaved the common threads discovered through conversations – with each other, with their audience, with the universe – into unique mixed media collaborative book works. Their work speaks to the creativity that unfolds when we invite others to the table.” In addition to the exhibit, Gina Pisello will be teaching an art book binding workshop at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center on Thursday, February 22 from 5-7 pm.  For more information, visit https://pafac.org/. ;
• Congratulations to Fran McReynolds who is teaching four introductory book arts workshops at Whatcom County Libraries. Fran contacted her local library to see if they were interested in an exhibit or workshops. They are very excited and the February workshop is almost full. She is also organizing a small book arts support group in Bellingham and hopes it will grow with new members from the workshops. For more information about the workshops, email fsmcreynolds@gmail.com.

                                     

Member News

• Congratulations to Sha Towers! Sha is a PBSA members from out of state - Texas in fact. He was recently recognized at the College Book Artist of the month.  Read about Sha here.
• Nature and the Book: An Exhibition of the Puget Sound Book Artists. Congratulations to all the participating artists that were part of this exhibition that closed on January 30th. Coordinated and curated by Lou Cabeen, Lucia Harrison, Deborah Greenwood and Jane Carlin, it is hoped that the exhibition may travel to additional locations.
• Thanks to Robyn Johnson and Peter Newland for sharing portions of their outstanding artists' book collection at the Salon on January 28th. It was great to see a room full of members to enjoy the beauty and artistry of the books. Thanks also to Jessie Wing, our Program Coordinator, for managing this event! A great way to end the month.

New to PSBA? New to Books Arts?

A benefit of joining PSBA is to participate in our annual book arts exhibition. This year’s theme is “Time Travel.” PSBA encourages all members at all skill levels – beginner to advanced --to enter an artist book, zine, post card, or broadside into the exhibit. By doing this you will have a deadline, learn how to enter an exhibit (write a statement, photograph your work etc.) and over time you will be amazed at how your ideas and skills develop. Are you too busy? Try linking the theme to something you are already doing. For example, working with family photos? Perfect theme for time travel. Studying an art movement in school? Time Travel. Activist or volunteer? What’s the history of your cause and imagine its future. Need help coming up with an idea? Encountering a problem? Contact the exhibition committee at psba.exhibition@pugetsoundbookartists.org. The full prospectus for submitting artist books and postcards can be found at https://pugetsoundbookartists.wildapricot.org/Prospectus.

 

Call for Member News

Are you planning a special event or workshop? Have you recently presented your work at a Conference or event? Is your work included in an exhibition?

If you would like to share information, please send your submission to Julia.stringfellow@cwu.edu by Monday, February 26. Subject line should read: PSBA Member News. The March newsletter will be sent out to the membership early that month.

Call to Share Upcoming Events

Do you have an upcoming event that you are holding or participating in? Let us know! Email psba.public.relations@pugetsoundbookartists.org to add it to the calendar.

Sincerely,

Your PSBA Board

Meet the Board members on the Contact Us webpage.