Greetings and wishing you a happy 2025, PSBA members!
Image courtesy of Rebecca Chamlee.
Greetings from the PSBA President!
Dear Friends,
2024 has been a wonderful and eventful year. We had several travelling exhibits, numerous classes, and rich discussions of book arts in our small support groups. Our board is changing. We are sad to say goodbye to two long serving board members: Deborah Greenwood and Peter Newland. Both have done essential work for PSBA. I will be continuing on the board not as President but on the Programming Committee. I look forward to this good creative work. I am very excited to welcome Belinda Hill to the job of board president. She has become a vital leader for PSBA through her teaching, serving as Treasurer and on our team of curators for the 2023 Members’ Exhibit. And she makes it look easy!
See you all in 2025. Happy New Year to you all.
Sally Alger
As we start this new year, I am excited to take on the challenges and responsibilities as president. PSBA is such a great organization, and I love working with it. Instead of telling you about our plans for 2025 I want to encourage you to join us at 1:00 -3:00 pm on Sunday, February 9 for the PSBA membership annual meeting. We will share some of the successes from 2024 as well as the ideas and plans we have for the future.
Belinda Hill
New Features for PSBA Members
We are excited to announce two new features: an enhanced event registration form and member profiles!
New Event Notification Submission Form on the PSBA Website
This online form is for sharing or PSBA-sponsored events for calendar purpose and is available at https://pugetsoundbookartists.wildapricot.org/page-18134.
Call for Book Artists to Feature in PSBA Members’ Spotlight
PSBA is beginning a new series of spotlight interviews featuring its members. If you have someone in mind, contact Jane Carlin (carlinjane@gmail.com), chair of the Communications Committee.
Upcoming Events
Mini-Workshop: Strap Bound Books January 26
January 26, 1PM–3PM (PST)
Virtual event on Zoom.
Workshop fee: $25.00
In this workshop, Belinda Hill will teach you how to make strap bound journals. These wonderful small books make nice gifts, guest books, and small notebooks. Strap bound books can be completed in a few hours and don't require a lot of materials or tools to make. They are a great use for your dramatic gel prints, eco prints, paste paper or marbled papers.
For more information and to register, click here.
Help PSBA Make Valentine’s Day Cards February 4
PSBA is pleased to partner once again with the Print & Book Arts Studio, BARN (Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network) on this special event. Join us in the Print & Book Arts Studio on Tuesday, February 4, from 10am to 2pm for this special event. We'll be making Valentine's Day cards to distribute to community organizations or to special people in our lives. All the materials will be provided for this free gathering, and you can just show up!
If you have a special Valentine you'd like to share for inspiration, please bring it.
This is co-hosted by Puget Sound Book Artists member Jane Carlin and BARN member Amy Goldthwaite. It's a great opportunity to come together and enjoy the time making unique treasures to share with others. Sweet treats will be provided. Hope to see you there!
And think about combining this event with a visit to BIMA and the Book Arts Gallery. Questions? Contact Jane Carlin: carlinjane@gmail.com.
Visit the BARN site for directions: https://bainbridgebarn.org/.
PSBA Annual Meeting February 9
February 9, 2025, 1pm-3pm
Presentation: 1:00 to 2:00
PSBA Board Update on Programs, Exhibits, Events and Budget: 2:00 -3:00
Registration link forthcoming.
We are delighted to invite you to our 2025 Annual Meeting that will feature noted artist Rebecca Chamlee as our speaker.
In 2019, Rebecca visited Tacoma and inspired many members during her two-day workshop on using botanical contact printing in artists’ books. Her work of directly printing from forms found in our natural world is a way to preserve the ephemeral beauty of nature and directly relates to many themes explored by PSBA artists.
She can be described as a book artist, printer, writer, and bookbinder who has published innovatively designed, letterpress printed, limited-edition fine press, and artist’s books under the imprint of Pie In The Sky Press since 1986. Rebecca’s artists' books examine the intersection of her artistic and scientific interests by collecting and cataloging the natural world. Website: https://www.pieintheskypress.com/About-the-Press
Rebecca retired in 2023 as an associate professor at Otis College of Art and Design where she taught bookbinding, letterpress printing, and artists' book classes and headed the Book Arts minor program for over 20 years. She now holds workshops at her studio and book arts centers throughout the country.
She is currently completing work on a new book: Listen, notes from the field. This book is a personal investigation into the sounds of birds; what the vocalizations mean and how they differ from bird to bird. As to her process, she states: “Utilizing a ‘sit spot’ routine allowed the natural world to unfold before my eyes and ears in a way I’d never experienced in the years of exploring trails on foot in a nearby wildland park. In a comfortable spot in nature I sit, slow down and observe to discover the wonder in the moment.”
Her thoughtful reflections and approach to writing, listening, and creating will inspire us all.
Annual Membership Renewal
The annual membership renewal letter was sent out to members in December. Instructions for renewing memberships are also available online.
2025 Annual Members Exhibition Update!
This year’s theme is Field Work which could mean the conventional sense of work performed not in the office or studio-but it could also mean the artist’s area of interest or expertise, and how that interest is expressed in the work. While it often has a professional, scientific, or academic undercurrent, other phrases like “the field is wide open” or “out in left field” suggest large competitive sport arenas. “Field” can typically mean “outdoors” but could equally be a different part of one’s country (“far afield”) but also of one’s brain or soul. You can even consider field work through an agricultural lens or a spiritual one. Your field of vision is wide open.
And as in years past, you are invited to submit work inspired by the theme or by your own muse.
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More information will be posted in January and February. Key dates:
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Prospectus will be available on the PSBA website February 1, 202
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Formstack submission applications will be open from February 14, 2025- April 1, 2025
Questions? Send your inquiries to psba.exhibition@pugetsoundbookartists.org.
Volunteers Needed to Review Book Arts Collection
This past summer Mary Jane Linford, book artist on Bainbridge, donated some papers, rubber stamps and brayers and other items to PSBA. They need to be reviewed and organized for possible inclusion in PSBA workshop kits and for sharing at Wayzgoose. The collection is currently housed in bags in the PSBA storage area in Collins Library (University of Puget Sound). If you are interested in helping review these items one morning in January, please contact Jane Carlin at carlinjane@gmail.com to make arrangements.
Olympia-area PSBA Meetings
The next Olympia PSBA meet-up will be held on Monday, January 6th starting at 1PM in the Olympia Public Library meeting room. Everyone is welcome! Please bring some book art or creative 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. Contact Ann Storey (aelizabeth.storey@gmail.com)or Belinda Hill (benjisnewadventure@gmail.com) if you have questions.
Tacoma-area PSBA Meet-ups
The next meet-up is Wednesday, January 15, from 6-8pm at the University Place Pierce County Public Library in the small conference room. Bring something book arts related to share. All are welcome! Questions? Contact Lucia Harrison at luciaharrison49@gmail.com.
Other Book Arts Upcoming Events
Bainbridge Island Museum of Art Panel Discussion January 11
BIMA is hosting a panel discussion associated with the exhibition Crossing the Line: The Passport Reimagined. The event will take place at 4PM with a reception to follow. Local artist Mare Blocker along with Shana Agid, Ben Blount, and Sandra C. Fernandez will be discussing their work with panel moderator Catherine Alice Michaelis.
To learn more about the event and register, visit https://www.biartmuseum.org/event/crossing-the-line-the-passport-reimagined-artist-panel-part-two/.
2025 Paper and Book Intensive Financial Aid Opportunity
General registration opens January 1, 2025. Visit https://www.paperbookintensive.org/2025classes to see our 2025 lineup of classes and instructors. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at brien@paperbookintensive.org.
Exhibition opening February 3
The 2025 PSBA Exhibition “Nature and the Book” will open February 3 at the Elisabeth C. Miller Library on at the University of Washington Seattle campus. The opening reception is February 8 from noon-2pm. Questions? Contact Lucia Harrison.
Tropic Bound Fair February 6-9
If you want to beat the winter cold and grey, you may want to attend this great artists' book fair. Details are at https://www.tropicboundfair.org/.
This event takes invites book artists, publishers, curators, librarians and book lovers to come together to enjoy an international event highlighting the art of the book!
The 10th Annual Washington State Zine Contest is now open! Submissions are due March 28, 2025. Visti the official website for further information, https://washingtoncenterforthebook.org/wszc/.
Recommendations Needed for Local Art Stores!
These recommendations will be added to the PSBA website. Please submit these to the Communications Committee by emailing psba.public.relations@pugetsoundbookartists.org.
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 Sunday, January 26. Subject line should read: PSBA Member News. The February 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.