Greetings PSBA members! Hope your summer is going well!
Greetings from the PSBA President!
Dear Friends,
We have had a lovely sunny summer, and it is not over yet. As we head into late summer and fall, PSBA will present some wonderful programs this September. On the 14 we have the Coptic Binding and French Link stitch class— I am looking forward to that. And our very successful book arts meetups will continue to enhance our community of makers. In these groups we meet face to face to see each other’s work or just visit. On September 19 we present the first of the Lunchtime Talks with Allie Alvis, curator of Winterthur special collections.
And I still want to sign up for the members’ book exchange on October 6.
You will find more details about these things below on the PSBA website:
pugetsoundbookartists@wildapricot.org.
Our PSBA 2024 exhibit “Time Travel” is on display until September 13 at the Evergreen State College Library. And our newly formed 2025 Members’ Exhibit team is beginning to plan for next year; more information about this will come soon. See you in September on any or all these occasions.
Sincerely,
Sally Alger
Upcoming Events
September 14: Workshop Coptic and French Link Stitch Binding, 10AM-4:30PM, Becky Frehse’s Studio in Tacoma.
Create a beautiful, functional sewn book that can be used as a personal journal, sketchbook, travel book or a special gift. The Coptic stitched book is one of the earliest forms of the codex. We will alternate the Coptic stitch with the French Link stitch to create a book with a decorative exposed binding. The finished book is extremely sturdy and easy to use since it lies completely flat when opened
Workshop fee: Members $90, Non-Members: $125. Register here.
September 15, Books History Presentation by the Janes, 2:00 pm. University of Puget Sound, Collins Library.
Join Jane Carlin and Jane Connelly (Archivist & Special Collections Librarian, Collins Library). The "Janes" will share an overview of book history from medieval times to the present day as well as display historical items and most recent book purchases for the Collins Library! This is a great opportunity to reconnect with members in person and see some amazing new and "old" books!
September 17, Olympia PSBA Meet-Up, 2pm.
The September Olympia PSBA meet-up will be held at the Olympia Public Library meeting room. Everyone is welcome! Please bring some creative art or writing to share. This is a fun and supportive place to show your current work, ask questions if you are stuck, or get inspiration from other book artists.
September 19 Lunchtime Conversations with Allie Alvis, Zoom, Noon-1pm.
Allie Alvis, Curator of Special Collections, Winterthur Museum, Garden, & Library will share some of the incredible bespoke items from this world-famous collection. Follow her on Instagram at book historia. Special Collections Librarian Jane Connelly will co-facilitate the event.
Event is free but registration is required. Register here.
October 6: PSBA 6th Annual Book Exchange, 2-4pm, University of Puget Sound, Collins Library.
We hope you will join us for the annual book exchange! This year’s theme is “Threads”. 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 join the exchange at the in-person event. Your name/book will be randomly paired with another participating artist and in exchange you receive a book from a randomly selected participating artist. Books from the past years exchanges have been amazing! For inspiration, visit the PSBA website to view images of the books from the past few years. 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!
Complete the online registration formby September 30. You do not need to attend the in-person exchange to participate.
Questions? Contact Abbie Birmingham, abbiemi5274@gmail.com.
Sharing about Recent PSBA Events
Thanks to PSBA member Bonnie Julien, who donated a treasure trove of books acquired through book exchanges over many years to BARN (Bainbridge Island Artisan Resource Network). BARN hosted a meet & greet/show & tell on August 21st where we were able to have a hands on viewing of these inspirational books, meet with members from all over the region, and tour the studios! Pictured is Bonnie, with Jane Kim, a BARN volunteer who serves as the Print and Book Arts Studio coordinator. It was great to reconnect with members in person and be inspired! One of my favorite projects was a series of artists trading cards! Maybe a PSBA project for the future?
Photos courtesy of Jane Carlin.
News From the Outreach Committee
The PSBA Annual Exhibition "Time Travel" moves to the Evans Library at The Evergreen State College in Olympia! The exhibit opens September 29, 2024, and close December 13. There will be an Open Case Event on Sunday, October 20 from 1:00pm-3:00pm.
The library is open Sundays through Fridays and closed for major holidays. To view the current library hours, go to https://www.evergreen.edu/offices-services/library/hours.
While you are visiting the library, be sure to check out the James F. Holly Rare Books Room, which houses a unique collection of artist books and is managed by PSBA member Ray Zill. The Rare Books Room collection is open to drop-in visits from 12:00pm-5:000pm Sunday through Friday.
If it is your first time visiting Evergreen, please consult these driving directions and parking information before your trip. Parking is free on Sundays.
Upcoming Exhibit Opportunity at the Miller Library on the UW Campus in February 2025. One of the goals of the Outreach Committee is to create exhibit opportunities for existing artist books made by PSBA Members. This introduces the medium of artist books to a larger community, reaches out to potential members, and gives you a chance to exhibit work that you have already made. Since the Miller Library is part of the Center for Urban Horticulture, the exhibit theme will be "Nature and the Book." Dig into your archive and watch for an announcement in the September newsletter about how to be part of the exhibit.
Member News
Denise Stephenson's book Onion won the Challenge award for Best Integration of Structure, Text, Materials and Imagery at the FOBA (Focus on Book Arts) Conference this summer in Monmouth, Oregon. This year's theme was “Interaction.” Full disclosure, there was a tie for this award.
Her book, Counting Loss, a trio of elegeic letter-pressed poetry books, was accepted by the Decatur Arts Alliance at the Georgia Center for the Book. It will be in “The Book As Art v.12: Rock, Paper, Scissors” exhibit, September 5-October 28, 2024.
Other Book Arts Upcoming Events
Out of Sorts Exhibit
Ray Zill will have a solo art show at PNCA's 157 Gallery in Portland, Oregon. The opening reception is on First Thursday September 5 from 5:00pm-8:00pm, and the show will be up through September 17. Out of Sorts is a collection of printed work that reflects on Ray's experience with sight loss. Included in this show are meditations on eye contact, optotypes, and the labor that goes into reading. Hand-set letterpress type and screen printing are utilized to create an environment filled with a cacophony of letters, oversize eye charts, and disappearing text. All work includes large print and braille tags with audio description available online. For more information, reach out to Ray directly at poetrayprints@gmail.com.
Summer Printmaking and Book Arts Classes at Community Print
Community Print released their schedule of summer classes, and there's a lot to look forward to! Visit our website to register at https://www.community-print.org/classes.
Interested in teaching a class at Community Print? Email olympialetterpress@gmail.com to submit a fall class proposal by August 24.
Upcoming classes include:
September 14: Playing with Pantones: Ink & Color Theory Workshop with Lisa Hasegawa
September 15: Keepsake Journals with René Westbrook
September 28: Non-Traditional Letterpress with Lisa Hasegawa
2025 Newport Paper & Book Arts Festival XXVII
The festival is now accepting proposals through October 4, 2024.
From the website: “The Oregon Coast Council for the Arts welcomes proposals for one- and two-day workshops featuring new and innovative techniques as well as traditional processes, including but not limited to: Assemblage, Book Arts, Collage, Dyeing, Mixed Media, Paper Making, Paper Manipulation, Printing, Specialty Binding Techniques and Surface Design.”
The event will take place April 10-12, 2025. Download the proposal form here.
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 Thursday, September 26. Subject line should read: PSBA Member News. The October 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.