Learning to Print, Teaching to Print: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives
Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington, DC
October 15-17, 2010

Proposals due April 1, 2010

The conference will be held October 15–17, 2010, at the Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington, DC. The main proceedings will take place on Saturday, October 16. Full details will be available at the Web site of the American Printing History Association, www.printinghistory.org.

Since the time of Gutenberg, the arts and techniques of printing have been passed down though a variety of means. This conference will explore the ways practitioners learn to design, print, illustrate, bind, and make books and other printed matter–and how they are taught. The individual mentor or master, the role of guilds, apprenticeships, commercial training, professional and amateur organizations, formal academic programs, and the self-taught are among our interests. Presentations might also deal with the transfer of knowledge through print: using the work of other printers as models; type specimens; printers’ manuals; how- to books; instructive periodicals; and the building of personal, corporate, and institutional libraries about the book arts. In addition, we seek talks that consider the transfer–by gift, purchase, or mere acquisition–of type, presses, and other tools from one printer to another. The focus will be both historical, examining the way in which methods and styles are consciously continued, and contemporary, looking at how the arts and crafts of the book are learned now, in an era in which new technologies and aesthetics coexist with tradition. Particular attention will be paid to the important and increasing role of letterpress and book arts programs at art schools, colleges, and universities. The conference program will be as varied as the ways there are of teaching and learning printing. Along with keynote addresses by a historian and a practitioner, we envision scholarly papers, panel discussions, pedagogical and hands- on workshops, demonstrations, specially arranged tours, and an exhibition. With its new M.A. program combining book history and book arts, the Corcoran, long one of Washington’s premier museums and art schools, is the ideal venue for a conference on the theme of learning and teaching.

Submission
Electronic (preferred) or hard copy submissions will be accepted. Send e-mailed proposals as attachments in Word or pdf to apha2010conference@gmail.com. Mail hard-copy proposals to:

Casey Smith
Corcoran College of Art + Design
500 Seventeenth Street NW
Washington, DC 20005

Guidelines
We solicit proposals: of 20 minutes in length
– papers
– workshops
– demonstrations
of 50 minutes in length
– panel discussions with three or more participants.

APHA membership must be current at the time of registration for all presenters.

Apart from its annual conference, APHA supports research and scholarship through its journal Printing History and other publications, an annual Lieberman Lecture named after a founder of the association, an oral history project, and a fellowship program. The association, founded in 1974, encourages the preservation of printing artifacts and source materials for printing history.

Taking inspiration from Martin Buber, the theme of the 2009 Book Arts Symposium will be the idea of the book as community. While bracketing the transcendent signifier (though not overlooking the fact that The Book has a long history of symbolizing Divine agency in many religions), I and Thou: The Book as Community will look at how books, book-making, and book-art help to found meaningfulness in relationships, or how the “it” of the book and the ritualized book-making process inspire and support inter-personal relationships that transcend simplistic, functionally or ideologically based social determination.

Symposium ’09, “I and Thou: The Book as Community,” will look at three categories of interaction between book and community. While articulated separately, these categories are dynamic, reflexive and inter-dependent.

The first category is defined by interactions between book-makers / book-making / book-art and pre-defined communities. “I and Thou” will explore how social identities are valorized through book-art. One important aspect of this category is how the concerns of community, and perhaps the implicit pull toward the”boundlessness” Buber describes, influence and condition the work of artists. The second category is defined by the relationship of work and culture within self-selected book-worker communities, or among people who collaboratively make books or book-art. We will focalize this category through New Jersey communities, The Women’s Studio Workshop, The Printmaking Council of New Jersey and The Book Arts Roundtable. The third category will consider the international network of book artists as a generalized instance of what anthropologist, Victor Turner, famously defined as a “communitas”: an unstructured community where all members are equal and in which there abides an intense community spirit, the feeling of great social equality, solidarity, and togetherness. Since “I and Thou” is the fifteenth annual meeting of the New Jersey Book Arts Symposium, itself a highly collaborative phenomenon, the event will model collaborative/interactive/communal creativity.

Presenters and Panelists
Sarah Stengle, Karen Guancione, Tiffany Ludwig, Renee Piechocki, Warren Lehrer, Judith Sloan, Margot Lovejoy, Ken Montgomery, Esther Smith, Ann Kalmbach, Tatana Kellner, Karen McDermott, Linda Helm Krapf, Judith K. Brodsky, Amanda Thackray

Tentative Schedule
8:40: Workshop: Sarah Stengle will teach attendees how to construct a kaleidocycle

Kaleidocycles are unique faceted objects that rotate inward on themselves presenting sequential hexagonal pages.” Artist Sarah Stengle will teach a workshop on how to design your own, with image and text, from a single rectangle of heavy paper. They can be folded and assembled in a matter of minutes – if one is willing to resort to scotch tape. Assembling kaleidocycles with PVA glue and hidden tabs requires a bit of planning and finesse, and the workshop will conclude with tips and techniques for producing a more enduring and aesthetic project. The basic pattern appears in Doris Schattschneider’s book Kaleidocycles.

9:30: Welcome: Mark Winston, Assistant Chancellor and Director of the John Cotton Dana Library, Newark-Rutgers University

9:40: Introduction: Karen Guancione will introduce the Symposium theme and discuss her ongoing project in the cultural center in Patzuaro, Mexico

Artists Presentations: 10:00-12:00

Two Girls Working: Tiffany Ludwig and Renee Piechocki: collaboratively explore issues of female cultural construction. Their “Trappings” project openly explored the relationship of women to power within the construction of personal identity. Trappings: Stories of Women, Power and Clothing was published by Rutgers University Press in October 2007;
Margot Lovejoy: has developed interactive community projects for decades (including “Turns” which was featured in the Whitney Biennial and most recently “Confess”);
Ken Montgomery: is a multi-disciplinary artist who has created “The Ministry of Lamination” (“a private Soundation created in 1994 to celebrate creativity by supporting dedicated cultural workers playing in the marginal fringe sound art noise field”).
Warren Lehrer and Judith Sloan: creators of “Crossing the Blvd,” which tells the stories of recent immigrants “strangers, neighbors, and aliens in a new America.”

12:00-2:00 Lunch

1:00 Lunch seminar (Esther Smith / The Paper Bride)

The Paper Bride: Wedding DIY from Pop-the-Question to Tie-The-Knot and Happily-Ever-After is the third book in Esther K Smith’s series for Random House imprint, Potter Craft. Illustrated by book artist Liz Zanis, the book features Purgatory Pie Press founder Dikko Faust’s handset typography, projects made by Stephanie Brody Letterman, Bryan Baker, and Susan Happersett, and Esther and Dikko’s 1980 wedding photos by book arts legend, Richard Minsky. The Symposium will get a sneak preview of the book to be released in 2010 and see letterpress originals that went into its design.

2:00: Open Mike (forum for announcements)

2:15 – 3:30: Panel (New Jersey Book Artists Communities)

Tatana Kellner, Ann Kalmbach: Women’s Studio Workshop,
Karen McDermott: Book Arts Roundtable
Linda Helm Krapf: Printmaking Council of New Jersey

Judith K. Brodsky (Summation)
3:30 Exhibition: “I and Thou” Opening: Amanda Thackray, curator

3:30: Book Artists Jam

Information:
The New Jersey Book Arts Symposium is held annually at the John Cotton Dana Library on the campus of Rutgers University, Newark. Admissions is limited so it is wise to call ahead to make a reservation. The cost of admission is $45 for the general public, $15 for Rutgers staff. The cost of admission entitles you to attend morning and afternoon sessions, to participate in the workshop, and the book artists’ jam, and to a quite spectacular lunch at Stonsby Commons.
Rutgers students are admitted to all book arts activities free of charge.

**To make reservations, please call Chris Ingram at 973 353-5222; or write to her at cingram@andromeda.rutgers.edu

For further information about the Symposium, contact Michael Joseph at mjoseph@rci.rutgers.edu

In collaboration with Printed Matter’s NY Art Book Fair, the Art Libraries Society of New York (ARLIS/NY) announces a conference on contemporary artists’ books. The program will include speakers, panels,
artists’ presentations, and receptions, all focused on recent developments in artists’ books. Sessions this year concern zines, data-oriented artists’ books, print on demand, and criticism. These and other themes are intended to encourage dialog amongst scholars, collectors, publishers, artists, and librarians.

The Conference will be held on the third floor of P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City, Queens. For session descriptions, a full list of speakers, on-line ticketing, and information about the NY Art Book Fair, see http://nyartbookfair.com/conference

SESSIONS and moderators

Keynote: Maria Eichhorn and Seth Siegelaub in Conversation With Christophe Cherix

Is Print Really Dead? Artists (Still) Making Books | Carol Rusk

Furthering the Critical Dialogue | Tony White

Zines : Institutional Collecting, Zine Makers, and the Fine Line of Art | Deirdre Lawrence and Ryan Haley

Empirical Experience: The Artist, Information, and the Book | Bernard Yenelouis, organized by Matthew Carson

Print On Demand First-Hand | Jennifer Tobias

PRICES

$100: Conference Pass to 6 conference sessions + entrance to Printed Matter benefit + Benefit Ticket Edition by Tom Sachs + a bonus edition commissioned by the conference (artist TBA).

$20: individual pass to any one of six conference sessions.

To arrange payment by check, please contact Printed Matter by phone at
212-925-0325.

ORGANIZERS

Kate Adler, Frick Art Reference Library
AA Bronson, Printed Matter, Inc.
Matthew Carson
Deirdre Donohue, International Center for Photography Library
Ryan Haley, New York Public Library
Milan Hughston, Museum of Modern Art Library
Catherine Krudy, Printed Matter, Inc.
Deirdre Lawrence, Brooklyn Museum Library
James Mitchell
Christina Peter, ARLIS/NY President
Faith Pleasanton
Carol Rusk, Whitney Museum Library
David Senior, Museum of Modern Art Library
Jennifer Tobias, Museum of Modern Art Library
Tony White, Indiana University Library

Welcome.

A show and tell with letter designer and book artist Russell Maret; part of the Society of Scribes’ 2009 annual meeting. Event co-sponsored by APHA-New York and the Type Directors Club.

Thursday, Februrary 26, 6-8 pm
Type Directors Club
347 West 36th Street, Suite 603 (between 8th & 9th Aves.)
New York City

Admission $10/$5 students
* FREE for members of APHA-New York, the Society of Scribes, and the Type Directors Club.
RSVP director@tdc.org

Grant money has been made available to cover housing and a small monthly stipend for a full time apprentice. Deep Wood Press has been printing and binding books since 1992. Equipped with a nice array of letterpress equipment and a small but functional bindery, projects have ranged from small editions of poetry of regional authors to the latest project, Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”. Of course smaller projects are squeezed in between, anything from high end invitations to coasters for the local brew pub or community currency. In addition, there is a large intaglio press on premises which is often used for editioned books which include original artwork. Emphasis is placed on hot metal composition although photopolymer is used as well. There is much hand work in both the pressroom and bindery and attention to detail is a must.

Applicants should have some experience in a pressroom and know the lay of a type case or bindery experience, ideally, both. Preference will be given to MFA, certificate program students or a practitioner who can demonstrate a desire for pursuing a set future in fine press/book arts. Hours will be 30-40 a week but are flexible as I have a life and family to attend to as well. The facilities are available for private projects for the apprentice and it is expected that this be taken advantage of. Resume, cover letter and a portfolio of no more than 20 images is required.

Deep Wood Press is truly in the deep woods of Northern Michigan alongside the Cedar River. As such, the apartment that will be provided for the position is located in the nearby village of Bellaire (population less than 1500) about 12 miles from the press so having your own reliable transportation is a must. The surrounding area offers much to those who enjoy the outdoors but a urban dweller may find things a bit slow or lacking diversity. Serious applicants should check out the Deep Wood Press website and google Bellaire for an idea regarding environment.

___________________________
Chad Pastotnik
Deep Wood Press 231.587.0506
http://www.deepwoodpress.com

Shaw will speak on Friday evening, 14 November at 7:00 p.m., on “The
Books of WAD,” an account of the work of the witty artist and book
designer W. A. Dwiggins — who invented the phrase “graphic designer.”
Dwiggins was a type designer for the Mergenthaler Linotype Co., and UK
possesses an important archive of his work.  The celebrity Dwiggins’s
boss was C. H. Griffith, of Lexington, Vice-President of Linotype
Corp. in New York, whose papes are in Special Collections here.

On Saturday, 15 November, Paul Shaw will conduct a calligraphy
workshop at the King Library Press.  See the web site for details and
register soon. Participation is limited.

Paul Shaw’s clients include Revlon, Avon, Clairol, Lord & Taylor,
Campbell Soup, and Mattel (Barbie).  Join us for an interesting
weekend in the graphic arts with Paul Shaw!

See more on the web at http://www.uky.edu/Libraries/KLP/

The King Library Press, founded in 1956, is devoted to the tradition
of fine printing and produces books and broadsides. Typesetting,
printing, and binding are all done at the Press located in the King
Library on the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington, Kentucky.

Flickr.