Greetings PSBA members!
Hope you will join us for the 13th Annual Members’ Exhibition and Events!
Image courtesy of Kat Gower, Drifting Shifting Place and Time.
Greetings from Your PSBA President
Dear Friends,
PSBA participated in the Wayzgoose festival the first weekend in May, and it was really a good time. The hundreds of people who passed our table seemed to think so. We made many friends and raised over $900! I hope you all got to be there. It was great to see the many different uses being made of printmaking media and to try a few ourselves. Kids and adults both seemed to enjoy making a small book at our table. I have to thank the members who volunteered to help at our table; they were certainly kept busy. They were:
Carlie Schultz
Belinda Hill
Tori Bell
Becky Frehse
Kim Izenman
Debbi Greenwood
Lucia Harrison
and, of course, Peter Newland and Robyn Johnson
And thanks to our volunteers who represented PSBA at the Seattle Art Book Fair: LeeAnne Campos, Esther Ervin and Debra Revere. Details from this great event are shared below.
Sincerely,
Sally Alger, PSBA President
Upcoming Events
13th Annual PSBA Members’ Exhibition June 4, 2024–August 1, 2024:
The opening reception for the annual PSBA Members' Exhibit will be on Thursday, June 6th from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at the Collins Library, University of Puget Sound. Members and guests are invited to see the exhibit focused on this year's theme of Time Travel, which inspired many intriguing and wonderful artist boaoks. Awards will be announced at the reception in the following categories: Overall Excellence; Thematic Excellence; Most Innovative Book Structure; Most Original Writing and First-Time Entry. This is also your opportunity to pick up your full-color catalog of the exhibit, designed by Brenda Gallagher. Light refreshments will be served.
Save the dates for the following free events which will accompany the exhibit:
● First open case event: Saturday, June 15, 2-4 pm, Collins Library
● Time Travel Art Workshop; Saturday, July 13, 10-11:30 am, on Zoom
● Second open case event: Tuesday, July 16, 1-3 pm, Collins Library
● Panel discussion, Fresh Perspectives in Book Arts, Wednesday, July 24, 12-1 pm with Catherine Alice Michaels, Alicia Bailey and Mari Eckstein Gower; moderated by Jane Carlin, on Zoom
Further information on the exhibition and events is here.
Poet Ray Prints Art Supply Swap at Community Print: June 29, 12:00pm-3:00pm.
PSBA is teaming up with Community Print to offer a summer art supply swap. We are looking for donations of paper, printmaking supplies, bookbinding tools, and anything you can use to make a print, zine, or artist book. Bring your supplies to 414 Legion Way SE in downtown Olympia on June 29. Swap your wares with friends and community members, and take the opportunity to check out Community Print, Olympia's community-run letterpress and risograph studio. Remember to park on the street and not in the parking lot.
To view this and all upcoming events and workshops at Community Print, go to https://www.community-print.org/events.
The Art of Marbling Workshop: July 6, 7, Tacoma.
PSBA is proud to sponsor renowned Italian artist Pietro Accardi for two rare marbling workshops in July. His classes in European marbling often sell out in San Francisco and at FOBA.
Workshop Day 1: For those new to paper marbling or want a refresher.
Workshop Day 2: For those who participate in Day 1 or have previous experience in paper marbling.
Registration is here. A limited number of scholarships are available for registrants.
PSBA 6th Annual Book Exchange, Date Coming Soon!
Join us for the annual book exchange. This year’s theme is “Threads”. The theme was selected by majority vote of the members attending the PSBA annual meeting. There are many possibilities with the theme-- “thread the needle”, “threads of a river”, “threads of a life”, “threading your way through the maze”. And, of course, there are endless ways to incorporate actual thread in your book!
The rules are simple. Create a book using the theme and at the in-person event scheduled in early October at Collins Library your name/book will be randomly paired with another participating artist. In exchange you receive a book from a randomly selected participating artist. Books from the past years exchanges have been amazing! The registration form to participate will open later this summer. You do not need to attend the in-person exchange to participate.
We hope you’ll feel inspired to join in. It is an inspirational to see the books created with the theme and you will get to add a fabulous new book to your collection!
For inspiration, visit the PSBA website to view images of the books from the past few years.
Questions? Contact Abbie Birmingham, abbiemi5274@gmail.com.
Focus on Books Arts Conference June 26-30 in Monmouth, OR,
Registration is now open!
FOBA's 2024 Conference is in Monmouth, Oregon June 26-30, 2024, and this year's theme is "interaction." Register and learn more about the conference here.
Sharing about Recent PSBA Events
PSBA at SABF, May 11th, 2024
Members of the Puget Sound Book Artists exhibited at the Seattle Art Book Fair on Saturday, May 11th, 2024. The two-day event was held on a beautiful spring weekend at the historic Washington Hall in Seattle’s Central District. The 100+ year old building, where famous entertainers such as Duke Ellington, Billie Holliday, and Macklemore have appeared, was a labyrinth of stairways, interesting crannies, and crisp hardwood floors. Nearly 100 exhibitors’ tables, on three floors, displayed unique and creative works by talented book artists, clothing suppliers, printmakers, and much more. Debra Revere, Esther Ervin, and LeeAnne Campos represented PSBA at table 95 on the third-floor mezzanine overlooking a crowded second floor that bustled with activity. When the doors opened to the public at 11 AM, table 95 experienced a steady stream of curious attendees who were fascinated by the complexity and imaginative features of the beautifully handmade books from the PSBA collection. Many left the table with a PSBA brochure safely tucked into their pockets or bags. It was determined to be an excellent day of outreach. Written by LeeAnne Campos.
May 19 Guided Tour of the Bloedel Reserve
Members of PSBA joined with the William Morris Society on May 19th for a guided tour of the Bloedel Reserve. We had the chance to learn about the history of the Reserve, tour the various garden areas and listen to local artist Pamela Wachtler, a 2023 Community Creative recipient whose work is inspired by the beauty of Bloedel and the floral designs of William Morris.
Member News
Marilyn Stablein:
· Recent forthcoming or published illustrations, photography, and collage will appear in Orion Magazine, The Poetry Box, and Maintenant 18.
· Summer Book Fairs: Marilyn will exhibit new and recent titles from Book Arts Editions as well as handmade, limited editions of collage books published in Ireland, and a new illustrated book published in Kathmandu, Nepal. Dates and locations are below.
o June 14, 2-8pm and June 15, 10 am-5pm. Rose City Book & Paper Fair, Booth # 6 B (with Anthology Booksellers), 1000 NE Multnomah Street (Doubletree Inn), Portland, Oregon.
o June 27-28, 5pm-6:30pm. Artist Book Fair at the Focus on Book Arts Conference (FOBA), 179 Broad Street S, Monmouth, Oregon (Monmouth University campus).
o June 29, 11am- 4pm. Honey Latte Indie Bookfair, Buckman 1033 SE Main St, Buckman neighborhood.
Sha Towers, Baylor University, and Jane Carlin, PSBA Board:
Their published article appears in College & Research Libraries News titled "The Power of Artists' Books: Catalysts for Creative Thinking." The article focuses on how artists' books are used in teaching and in community engagement activities and exhibits at both Baylor University and the University of Puget Sound, The article can be found at this weblink: https://crln.acrl.org/index.php/crlnews/article/view/26335/34276.
Carletta Carrington Wilson:
Carletta debuts her new zine,kNot free kNot human at the Seattle Art Book Fair.
From the artist: “Interestingly, I was tabling right next to the Editions Studio where this work was born. It was even more interesting to learn how many vendors came from far and near to participate. Not only that, they will continue to travel from fair to fair all over the country. The crowd was multi-generational and multi-gendered. What they had in common, however, were their interests in posters/prints, cards and small items. I never made it up to the PSBA table, however, one woman I had encouraged to join, a month or so ago, came to my table with one of the brochures! Esther Ervin joined my at my table after her stint tabling for PSBA. Her presence was most welcomed!”
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 Wednesday, June 26. Subject line should read: PSBA Member News. The July
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