Hello PSBA members! Hope to see you at the Members’ Exhibition opening June 5!
Greetings from the PSBA President!
Dear Friends,
Many of you probably vary your schedule during the summer, vacations, retreats, workshops and family events. So do all the members of the board with members going from Great Britain to Australia. Don't forget to share news of exhibits, classes, or artists to our social media Facebook or send news to the newsletter. Our big events in June center around the Members' Exhibit (details below). Every year I am impressed by the wonderful work from our members and this year they are fantastic.
Have a wonderful summer,
Belinda Hill
Looking for Past PSBA Newsletters?
The archive of previous newsletters is located at https://pugetsoundbookartists.wildapricot.org/Newsletter.
PSBA Members’ Spotlight
June’s spotlight shines on LeeAnne Campos, https://pugetsoundbookartists.wildapricot.org/Member-spotlight. You’ll find a preview of her Field Work submission and the special meaning behind it. She answered questions about her wide-ranging art projects, her lifelong passion for music, and her perfect day in the garden.
If you have a suggestion for a PSBA spotlight, contact Jane Carlin (carlinjane@gmail.com) or Diane Miller (dianemiller1914@gmail.com).
ZOOM Lunchtime Conversations
We'd like to thank everyone for attending our ZOOM Lunchtime Conversations over the last year. We will take a break over the summer and restart in August! Please mark your calendars for our fall lineup and more details are forthcoming!
August 27: Noon-1. Allie Alvis returns for a second talk, focusing on color and the historic holdings of the Winterthur Library.
September 4: Noon-1. Pietro Accardi master paper marbler will share his insights into his amazing artistry.
October 23: Noon-1. Karen Kunc, a prolific book artist, will share insights into her artistic journey
November: TBA.
2025 Annual Members Exhibition Update!
The 2025 Exhibition planning is in the home stretch. The draft catalog is in the final stages of review. 57 books were selected and they are amazing—each explores the theme in a way that matches the vision of the artist. Can’t wait to see them in person.
Since last summer, we’ve been working on the Field Work exhibit. And now the moment has arrived.
The Collins Library at the University of Puget Sound— June 5 - August 3, 2025
Key dates:
· May 29, 2025—mailed entries should arrive at the Collins Library by this date.
· June 3, 2025—in person library drop off between 1 - 3. Remember to pack your books securely whether mailing them or dropping them off in person.
· June 5, 2025—opening reception 4:30 - 6:30. Awards will be announced, and catalogs will be available for those who ordered them.
· July 8, 2025—open case (zoom) noon -1:00; registration required.
· July 24, 2025—open case (in-person) 4:00 - 5:30; registration required.
PLEASE NOTE —THIS IS A DATE CHANGE FROM THE PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED JUNE OPEN CASE.
Library summer hours:
Monday-Friday: 8am- 5pm; Saturday: 1-5; Sunday: closed
Daniel J. Evans Library at The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA—
September 29 – December 12, 2025. More information will be available in the fall.
The exhibition is free and open to the public at both venues. Accessible parking is available.
Please check the PSBA website for more information https://pugetsoundbookartists.wildapricot.org/2025-Members-Exhibition-Press-Release.
Field Work: A Community Artist Book
In the spirit of Field Work, this year ’s Puget Sound Book Artists exhibition invites you not only to observe—but to respond.
Postcard-sized cards will be available, asking a question about books:
What do books mean to you?
How is an artist’s book different from a conventional book?
Visitors are invited to pick up a card, consider, and reply. A word, a sketch, a fragment of thought—each mark becomes a gesture of participation in a larger unfolding conversation.
These cards, gathered over the run of the exhibition, will be bound into artist books—living archives of curiosity and reflection. Each book will reside in the libraries of the University of Puget Sound and The Evergreen State College, a reflection of a conversation about books as we know them today.
This is field work of a different kind—not of data and specimens, but of ideas and impressions. A collective act of noticing, questioning, and reimagining what a book can be.
Volunteers Needed: Peninsula Summer Arts Festival
PSBA will have a booth at the Peninsula Summer Arts Festival to be held in Gig Harbor July 19-20 as part of the Festival's Creative Corridor! We would love some volunteers to take on some shifts during this event that runs both days. Jane Carlin and Bonnie Julien are already signed up to volunteer, and we hope other members will consider joining us for 3-4 hour shifts on both days! Our table will be very similar to what we did for Wayzgoose and Seattle Art Book Fair. If interested, please email Jane at carlinjane@gmail.com.
PSBA Seventh Annual Book Exchange - Bridges
The 7th Annual PSBA Book Exchange is an opportunity to exchange your artist book with another artist. This year’s theme is “Bridges.” There are many possibilities with the theme — physical bridges, such as viaducts or overpasses; paths from one place to another; relationships between people; or joining two objects or ideas together.
For those who are new to the Book Exchange, the rules are simple. Create a book using the theme as a guide and join us for the Exchange at the in-person event on October 5th, 2025 (2–4 PM) at Collins Library, University of Puget Sound, McCormick Room #303 on the third floor. Drawing one name for each book will result in random exchanges.
If you cannot be physically present at the Exchange but would like to participate, you are very welcome to do so. Books being mailed need to arrive by October 1st. Please include $10 (check made payable to PSBA) to offset the shipping costs of the book that will be mailed to you after the Exchange.
Send your book and check to:
LeeAnne Campos
4001 S Pine St
Unit 111163
Tacoma WA 98411
Complete the online registration form by September 21st.
Please click this link: https://psba.formstack.com/forms/annual_book_exchange_2025
Books from previous annual 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’s inspirational to see the books created with the theme, and you will get to add a fabulous new book to your collection!
Questions? Contact LeeAnneCampos@icloud.com.
2025 7th Annual Book Exchange Committee
Denise Stephenson
Janet Reynolds
Deborah Poe
LeeAnne Campos
Seattle Art Book Fair Recap
Thank you to all our volunteers: LeeAnne Campos, Jane Carlin, Esther Ervin, Candis Litsey, and Carletta Carrington Wilson for hosting the PSBA table. According to the SABF organizers, over 4000 individuals attended the two-day event. That is incredible! We had lots of visitors to our table and many asked about workshops for beginners! The take-away one page book was very popular and everyone admired the items from the Ambassadors Box. We also thank Bonnie Thompson Norman, Jodee Fenton, Carletta Carrington Wilson and Esther Ervin for their presentation Redefining the Book. It was a great weekend.
Member News
Gina Pisello has an altered book juried into Bound and Unbound VIII that opens at the University of South Dakota in August, https://libguides.usd.edu/c.php?g=1424248&p=10562823.
Wayzgoose Kitsap Art Festival June 7
Wayzgoose Kitsap is a printmaking festival connecting local artists and bringing communities together.
Event information at https://search.app/eZZ6bbwFehwzfDCZ9.
Guild of Book Workers Scholarships Available
The Guild of Book Workers has announced its annual meeting, the Standards of Excellence seminar, in Iowa City this October.
The Guild of Book Workers offers scholarships to attend the Standards of Excellence in Hand Bookbinding. The scholarship consists of one year of Guild Membership, a waiver of seminar registration fees, lodging costs for four nights at the conference hotel, and the cost of the Saturday evening banquet dinner. The lodging costs covered do not include hotel parking, phone calls, movie rentals, or any other room services. Tour costs are not covered by the scholarship. The GBW Treasurer will reserve a room for each recipient at the conference hotel. Recipients are responsible for making their own travel plans. Scholarship recipients will be asked to volunteer a small amount of their time during the seminar to assist the event organizers, presenters, or other GBW volunteers.
The application link and more information is at https://guildofbookworkers.org/2025?section=2025-landing.
Great New Book Arts Resource!
Describing artists' books can sometimes be a challenge. The University of Utah has just released a great new resource: Opening Artists' Books https://oab.lib.utah.edu/artist-book-terms/
You can search for a term and link to a description as well as suggest terminology. It is a great resource to help describe and document artists' books.
PSBA thanks Vamp & Tramp!
Vamp & Tramp Booksellers will close June 30 after 30 years in business.
The store will continue to take orders through May 31 and make sure they are fulfilled even if it means delivery after June 30.
Vamp and Tramp will soon begin reaching out to artists to return any inventory we have in our Birmingham office.
For further information, visit their website at http://www.vampandtramp.com/html/home.html.
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, 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
Meet the Board members on the Contact Us webpage.
