Philadelphia, PA 19107

1314 Locust Street

Library Company
Jennifer Rosner
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAPTER CHAIR IN THIS ISSUE
For the second year in a row, we held our chapter Six questions
annual meeting in July and celebrated the summery Pages 2
weather with a gin & tonic cocktail party. Is this be- My Favorite Tool
Page 3
coming a DVC tradition? Maybe it is! We did even-
Collapsible Cradle
tually get down to business, though, and each of- Page 3
ficer gave a report. I was happy to announce that a Book Review
Page 4-5
contract has been signed with the Loews Hotel to
Long and Link Stitch
host Standards here in Philadelphia on October 22- Page 6-7
26, 2019! The hotel is in the old PSFS building at 12th Annual Report
and Market and is a National Historic Landmark as Page 8
Notable news
the first International style skyscraper constructed Page 9
in the United States. It is a great location, near Read- Keith Smith
ing Terminal and many forms of public transporta- Page 10-11
tion and an ideal starting point for GBW members to Lesley Mitchell,
In Memoriam
get to know Philly. Speaking of Standards, I attend- Page 12-14
ed the conference this year in Tacoma and really
DELAWARE VALLEY
enjoyed it. As always, I represented our chapter by CHAPTER
attending the board meetings, including the one OFFICERS
with all the chapter chairs. I was interested to hear Jennifer Rosner
what other chapters are doing and to share ideas. Chapter Chair
Alice Austin
As far as the rest of the conference, the presenta- Vice Chair
tions were excellent, the tours were interesting, and Lisa Scarpello
the reception was fun. I look forward to bringing Treasurer
the GBW to Philadelphia in 2019! Rosae Reeder
Secretary
You may notice some differences in this edition Denise Carbone
of Pressing Matter. Not only are we trying a new, Workshop Coordinator
smaller format, we’re also using this fall to introduce Becky Koch
Jackie Manni
two new reoccurring articles: “My Favorite Tool,” Newsletter Editors
where members share their most well-loved tools, Valeria Kremser
and “Book Review,” where we take a close look at a Webmaster
specific book or structure. We hope you it! Ruth Scott Blackson
Madeline Lambelet
Jennifer Rosner, Chapter Chair Exhibitions Co-chairs
Page 2 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017 Page 15 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017

6 Questions: By Kristin Ziegler Bird in Hands Exhibition Opens

The most recent DVC collabora-

How long have you been a member of the GBW?
tive book exhibition opened for

1
I had to check the Guild of Book Workers website. It tells me five
years. It seems longer. viewing December 11, 2017 in
room 603 at the University of
Where are you from originally? the Arts, 333 S. Broad St., Phila-
2 I’m from Centre Hall, Pennsylvania. I’ve lived in Seattle, Washington
and Bloomington, Indiana. I have unexpectedly circled back to my
home town (at least for now).
delphia. It will close for the
school holidays on December 15
and reopen January 2 to 29,
When did you realize you wanted to learn bookbinding? 2018.

3 I registered for a bookmaking class with Jim Canary in 2006. It turns

out I was already making artist’s books, I just didn’t have a language
for it. Books have remained my instrument of choice for the past
The opening is on January 5, 5-7
pm. Hope to see you there!
decade.

What is your favorite book structure these days?

4 I am flirting with the Bradel binding right now.

What are you working on right now?

5 Christmas presents. A reliquary. An outdoor installation art piece

specific to location.

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us. 2018 SAVE THE DATES!
6 My first degree is in mortuary science - where I quickly learned the
importance of a good whip stitch. Jan 5 (5-7 pm) Opening Reception - Bird in Hands Exhibit

Jan 7 Rigid Board Binding Workshop with Alicia Bailey

Jan 9 (6:30 - 8:30 pm) Bookbinders, Beer, and Bowling Party

Feb 14 Valentine Exchange

Feb 24 Caterpillar Stitch Workshop with Denise Carbone

Mar 4 Gathering at the Philadelphia Museum of Art to view the Keith Smith exhibit

Mar 24 & 25 Pierced Vellum Binding Workshop with James Reid-Cunningham

Kristin Ziegler's workbench.

Page 14 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017 Page 3 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017

ticularly appropriate matching of form and image, Lesley drew a cityscape
with a continuous crenellated line that travels across the accordion book
structure, and inside are collaged prints suggesting interiors seen through
windows.
Lesley had a whimsical take on
fans. She took scraps of inter-
esting shapes recycled from
prints, marbled papers, and
drawings, wrote a single word
on each, then tied a sentence
together with embroidery
floss. The viewer can fan out
the pages to create a sen-
tence, the circular aspect per-
haps a comment on repeating
thoughts or circular thinking.
Each page has its own style
and asks for contemplation of
its visual meaning around its word, inde-
pendent of the word’s meaning within
the whole sentence.
Lesley died of cancer in October. The
Guild has lost an interesting and in-
ventive member. She will be sorely
missed.
Spiff. 4 x 5 inches, print and drawing on various
papers, embroidery floss.
My Favorite Tool
By Mary Phelan
This bone folder is 5” long and it
gives good contact at the edges
of the board when gluing a hard-
cover book. There is never a
wobbly edge. I don’t remember where I bought it, but I love it!
Editor’s note: if you know where to purchase a bone folder like
Mary’s, please write to dvcgbw@gmail.com -- we will publish your
responses in the next newsletter!
Collapsible Cradle Workshop
By Dee Collins
The collapsible cradle workshop recently given by Tara O'Brien at the Library
Company on June 24, 2018, was challenging and extremely useful. Once you
get the hang of it, you can make these cradles in different sizes and even
incorporate them into a clamshell box (which I have not tackled yet, but I
will). I volunteer making enclosures for the Moravian Archives in Bethle-
hem, and I have made three of these cradles so far. Since they fold flat, they
can be used by researchers and several different sizes can be stacked on the
table for their use, taking up minimal space.

Whom. 4 x 5 inches, print and draw-

ing on various papers, embroidery
floss.

Eriko Takahashi and Tara O'Brien.

Page 4 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017 Page 13 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017

Book Review Lesley extended

this habit of mixing
By Lisa Scarpello
media and images
into making artist
Philadelphia photographer, book art-
books. Book arts al-
ist and paper engineer, Collete Fu,
recently exhibited Tao Hua Yuan Ji, an lowed for a natural
culmination and
enormous 200lb., 14’ x 21’ x 5’ pop-
merging of Lesley’s
up book presenting the Chinese leg-
themes of pattern,
end of the Peach Blossom Spring. This
layering, sequence,
unique book and supporting photos
and relationships.
from Southeast Yunnan, China were
She wasn’t bound
on display at the Philadelphia Photo
by bookbinding
Arts Center in the Crane Arts Building
conventions and
from September 14 to November 25, Tao Hua Yuan Ji, closed.
made books in in-
2017.
novative ways, Pride and Prejudice, Books on Tape. Wooden spool with
In order to grasp the significance of this pop-up book, the legend of the Peach coaxing book struc- ribbon (red tape) and handwritten quotes form the book
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Blossom Spring must be taken into account. The legend was presented in po- tures into new
em format and displayed on the gallery wall, behind the book. It tells the sto- forms to better
ry of an ancient, secret and undisturbed village discovered by a fisherman. convey the idea she was after. Lesley Mitchell approached bookbinding
Without being aware of the story, the pop-up book stands alone as large, the way Max Ernst approached col-
wondrous but mysterious sculptural ob- lage: intuitively, passionately, inventively.
ject.
The accordion book structure seemed to be her
favorite for experimentation. She connected
Additionally, each Saturday morning at
10am during the exhibition, Colette Fu, small art pieces made on mat board squares by
hinging them neatly together with Japanese
with the help of an assistant, opened Tao
Hua Yuan Ji. Observing this physical paper, an elegant solution. She starched can-
transformation was also critical to under- vas strips from paintings into mountain and
stand the piece. This ceremonious and valley folds, then collaged with prints, draw-
symbolic act reveals the story. It meta- ings, and marbled papers. Often the reverse of
phorically unsealed the path into the her accordion books contrasts its inside: color
Seeing Red. 3 x 4 inches, can-
outside and black and white inside, paint out-
utopian village found by the fisherman in vas with acrylic paint, print
the legend. Once opened, viewers were collage. side with print inside, one contiguous image
outside with sequential images inside. In a par-
Tao Hua Yuan Ji, in motion.
Page 12 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017 Page 5 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017

Lesley Mitchell, in Memoriam able to move around inside the cave-like book and explore; seeing the beauti-
ful images of peach trees printed on polypropylene film and board. I found,
Her Artist Books however, this material choice distracting to the piece. Could Fu have selected
By Kristin Balmer more tactile and inviting materials, something other than cardboard, gator
board and Masonite?
Lesley started out as a printmaker and taught printmaking and works on
paper classes at her alma mater, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Nevertheless, the exhibition was
Arts. Printmaking informed her aesthetic, and its processes influenced all a success. The book is a complex
of her various art forms. Philadelphia artist Rosalind Bloom, a longstand- piece that requires temporal
ing friend and fellow founder of Assemblage (a regional collective of viewing and contextual infor-
women artists) said about Lesley’s artwork, “she took from everywhere mation to be complete. At the
and everything; nothing was off gallery, every weekend, again and
limits.” again, the Peach Blossom Legend
was re-discovered as something
Lesley took from her environ-
hidden and then revealed. The
ment: the city, her garden, her
book transformed itself from a
dance studio. She took from
flat object into a sculptural world
her interests: literary works, art
of caves and petals. Fu’s book,
history, relationships,
Tao Hua Yuan Ji, perfectly mirrors
dance. She was a visual mag-
the story it tells.
pie and found inspiration in
everything: found objects, old An interesting detail: Ms. Fu has
prints, rubbings, photos, fabric submitted her book, Tao Hua Yu-
patterns, shoes, marbled pa- an Ji, to Guinness World Book of Tao Hua Yuan Ji, fully open.
pers. She made her own mar- Records for the World’s Largest
bled papers and seemed to Book designation.
view them as monoprints. She ordinary objects. 6 x 9 inches, onion bag
desired the effects that most woven with red government tape, paint, For more information about Colette and her artwork: colettefu.com
rags.
marblers reject: blotchy,
splotchy, crackled and separat-
ing colors, inconsistent results, accidental, one-off papers. She reused
and recycled her own artwork in different forms, first in the usual way of
artists, in which a beloved motif is expressed across differing media.
Then, by using mixed media, she collaged her prints onto paintings, drew
on her marbled papers, painted on her prints.
 Page 6 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017 Page 11 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017

Medieval Long & Link Stitch Binding Workshop with Bill Hanscom
By Melissa Tedone
Keith Smith (American, b. 1938), Book
Number 82: Keith Smith at Home,
1982. Artist’s book with hand-colored
gelatin silver prints. Courtesy of Bruce
Silverstein Gallery. © Keith Smith
In conjunction, the Museum Library and Ar-
chives – just upstairs from Keith Smith at Home
– will host the complementary installation,
Keith Smith: Word Play. Co-organized by myself
and Susie Anderson, the show will include over
a dozen books by Smith that demonstrate his
interest in using text as a means of structuring
the visual
book.

Keith Smith and I will have a conversation at

the Museum about his life and work at 2:00
Historically-inspired longstitch and linkstitch limp bindings produced over the course of the two-day on February 17th. The event is open to the
workshop. public but has limited seating available on a
A dozen members of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Work- first-come-first-serve basis. Additional up- Keith Smith (American, b. 1938), Book Num-
ers met at the Library Company on a pleasant July weekend to explore medie- coming programs include a series of three
ber 151, 1989. Artists’s book with gelatin
silver prints and machine stitching. Courtesy
val longstitch and linkstitch binding structures under the tutelage of artist and bookmaking workshops on March 17 (in- of Richard and Ronay Menschel.
educator Bill Hanscom. Bill was first exposed to this historical style of binding © Keith Smith
structor: Sharon Hildebrand); April 21 (in-
during his work at Harvard Library’s Weissman Preservation Center, and has structor: Rosae Reeder); and May 5 (instruc-
done extensive research into their history and structural variations. Bill shared tor: Scott McCarney). The three-hour after-
this expertise generously, and enthusiastically engaged in one-on-one consul- noon classes include a short exhibition tour
tations with each student, helping us work out the potential pitfalls of our de- with me followed by a no-experience-
signs. necessary bookmaking lesson. Space is lim-
ited, so please share these dates widely with
Longstitch and linkstitch bindings commonly date to the 14th—16th centuries,
students and friends interested in such work-
and were particularly favored across Italy, Germany, Belgium, and the Nether-
lands as simple, durable, limp structures requiring few tools and few special- Keith Smith (American, b. 1938), Book shops. Information about event registration
ized skills to complete. However, the pleasing sturdiness of these bindings in Number 90, 1982.Triangular artist’s book
with drawing and watercolor on book
is forthcoming; look for it in an email from
the hand and their aesthetic charm belie the simplicity of their construction. stand with wood inlay. Courtesy of Keith the Guild!
Smith. © Keith Smith
Left: Practice card and spine
templates. Right: Linkstitch bind- *Keith Smith is well known to many of us for his instructional books on book-
ing with University of Iowa flax binding. The DVC is offering an exhibition opportunity for members to make
case paper wrapper, parchment books that are inspired by the techniques and structures found in any of his
buttons, and parchment manu-
five volume "Non-Adhesive Binding" books. The exhibition dates and venue to
script waste to reinforce the
linen cord ties. be determined. Stay tuned!
Page 10 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017 Page 7 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017

Keith Smith Exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

By Amanda Bock
Students at the workshop included bookbinders, book artists, and book
I’m excited to share that I am organizing an exhibition of more than five dec- conservators, and it was great fun to compare tools and approaches. Each
ades of work by Keith Smith, which will open at the Philadelphia Museum of student completed two bindings over the course of the two-day workshop,
Art early next year. Entitled Keith Smith at Home, the show will be the first one a long- and linkstitch combination, and the other solely longstitch or
major museum presentation of his work in many linkstitch. In addition to a meaty packet of workshop handouts, Bill pro-
decades. It will be on view in the Museum’s Pe- vided us a range of raw materials with which to experiment, ranging from
relman Building from February 17 – July 8, 2018. the posh (19th century parchment indentures to use as wrappers) to the
humble (spine stiffeners fashioned from wooden paint stir sticks). He also
Smith’s exceptional inventiveness as a book artist encouraged us to play around with decorative stitch variations on pre-
is surely known to all in the Guild. This exhibition punched practice cards before beginning our actual bindings, a helpful ex-
Keith Smith
Keith Smith(American,
(American,b.b.1938), will feature over 20 outstanding examples of his ercise for working out the kinks in our ideas.
1938),
Book Book 70,
Number Number
1978.70, 1978.
Leather-
Leather-bound
bound artist’s
artist’s book with book
color artist’s books in conversation with rarely-seen
with color Xerox transfers and
Xerox transfers and watercolor.
watercolor. Courtesy of Richard drawings, prints, photographs, fabric pieces, and
and Ronay
Courtesy Menschel.
of Richard and Ronay
© Keith
Menschel. Smith handmade postcards that span the artist’s career.
It will be the first exhibition to take such a com-
prehensive look at his practice, and promises to surprise even those most
familiar with his work.

Of special interest to Guild members are Book

Number 27, a collection of self-portraits Smith
made on a Color-in-Color photocopier, then
bound using the shirt he wore that day as book
cloth; Book Number 141, a large snake format
book that unfolds into a three-foot-square Keith Smith (American, b. 1938),
Book Number 27, 1972-3. Art-
hand-colored photo mural; and Book Number ist’s book of Color-in-Color prints
70, in which the image is formed by pages that with men’s shirt as book cloth.
Courtesy of Keith Smith.
form a sculptural “reverse ziggurat” structure. © Keith Smith
Bill Hanscom (far right, standing) with the workshop students.
Other highlights include a full-size silkscreened
quilt Smith made while a student at the Art Institute of Chicago; Book Num- This well-organized workshop allowed us to explore the construction of
ber 122, Alexandra Baby Claire, a wall-displayed oriental fold book that forms historical longstitch and linkstitch limp bindings in a structured way, the
an impressively large 78 x 55 inch image of one of Smith’s godchildren; and better to appreciate the opportunities this binding style offers for creative
Book Number 90, a triangular book of watercolors intended to be viewed in a book arts projects and conservation treatment options alike.
corner.
Page 8 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017 Page 9 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017

Annual Report Notable News

Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers
July 1 2016 - June 30, 2017
Thomas Parker Williams Dee Collins taught a workshop entitled "Col-
General - Chapter Officers: Jennifer Rosner, Chair; Alice Austin, Vice Chair; Lisa Scarpello, taught a class at the Cen- lection Care,” about cleaning and caring for
Treasurer; Denise Carbone, Workshop Coordinator; Ruth Scott Blackson and Madeline
Lambelet, Exhibition Co-Chairs; Rosae Reeder, Secretary; Becky Koch and Jackie Manni,
ter for Book Arts in NYC books and paper at the Moravian Archives in
Newsletter; Val Kremser, Webmaster. We held an election in late June 2016. We current- this August. Bethlehem in November.
ly have 81 members. We have switched smoothly from a Verizon email account to a
Gmail account: dvcgbw@gmail.com Animated Structures: Maria G Pisano participated in a number of
Adding Moving Elements
Financial – Our balance as of 6/27/17 is $4,828.56 exhibits, including:
to Books
Workshops – Some interesting workshops this past year! Crisscross Bindings with Denise The Politics of Water – PAA Responds. Stony-
Carbone, Endbands with Tara O’Brien, Collapsible Cradle with Tara O’Brien This course will provide
instruction for making
brook Watershed, Pennington, NJ.
Newsletter - We sent out two twelve-page newsletters this year, chock full of news, all paper structures with
printed and mailed. moving parts, including A New Century of War – Printmaking Center of
radial hinges for rotating NJ – Frontline Arts – Branchburg, NJ
Exhibitions - The Farm, by Wendell Berry, bound by twenty-four chapter members. The
elements, sliding window
exhibit took place at the Free Library of Philadelphia June 11 – September 9, 2016. Assemblage: A Collection of works by UArts
elements, a cascading
Collaborations – rotary structure that re- Alumni and Faculty - An invitational Exhibition
Valentines - We had a valentine mail art exchange again in February. veals hidden images or Curated by Cynthia Thompson - University of
Nineteen members participated. text when activated, and the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Bird in Hands - We began another collaborative book project titled “Bird in a scroll mounted in a box
Hands.” Each person chose a bird and made an edition with the bird and the viewed through a win- The Northampton Book and Book Art Fair –
name of the bird on the page. We have 35 participants for this project. In April
we held a party to exchange and collate the pages and pack some of them for
dow. You will make some Smith College Campus Center, Northampton,
mailing. The books were due fall 2017, with an exhibit planned for November. of these animated struc- MA
tures and receive detailed
Web – Our website continues to be updated with online exhibits and events. DVC activi- assembly drawings and a Maria will also present her lecture “Sharing
ties are announced on multiple social media outlets. CD containing laser cut- the Process: Designing, Printing and Editioning
ting templates to use on an Artist Book” at the College Book Art Associ-
Fun – In January 2017, we hosted our fourth annual bowling party in South Philadelphia.
your own projects, as well ation Conference in Philadelphia, January 4-6,
A busy year! Many thanks to everyone who contributed their time and energy to our as a list of sources for 2018.
chapter. parts and materials.
For more information visit:
Course will also include a
Respectfully submitted,
https://www.collegebookart.org/Philadelphia
brief introduction to free
Jennifer Rosner, Chapter Chair, Delaware Valley Chapter, Guild of Book Workers computer aided design
Annual Meeting, June 27, 2017
software that is helpful in Mary Agnes Williams’ pinhole photography was
creating works to be laser featured in the 6th Annual National Juried Show
cut. at East End Arts in Riverhead New York.
Page 8 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017 Page 9 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017

Annual Report Notable News

Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers
July 1 2016 - June 30, 2017
Thomas Parker Williams Dee Collins taught a workshop entitled "Col-
General - Chapter Officers: Jennifer Rosner, Chair; Alice Austin, Vice Chair; Lisa Scarpello, taught a class at the Cen- lection Care,” about cleaning and caring for
Treasurer; Denise Carbone, Workshop Coordinator; Ruth Scott Blackson and Madeline
Lambelet, Exhibition Co-Chairs; Rosae Reeder, Secretary; Becky Koch and Jackie Manni,
ter for Book Arts in NYC books and paper at the Moravian Archives in
Newsletter; Val Kremser, Webmaster. We held an election in late June 2016. We current- this August. Bethlehem in November.
ly have 81 members. We have switched smoothly from a Verizon email account to a
Gmail account: dvcgbw@gmail.com Animated Structures: Maria G Pisano participated in a number of
Adding Moving Elements
Financial – Our balance as of 6/27/17 is $4,828.56 exhibits, including:
to Books
Workshops – Some interesting workshops this past year! Crisscross Bindings with Denise The Politics of Water – PAA Responds. Stony-
Carbone, Endbands with Tara O’Brien, Collapsible Cradle with Tara O’Brien This course will provide
instruction for making
brook Watershed, Pennington, NJ.
Newsletter - We sent out two twelve-page newsletters this year, chock full of news, all paper structures with
printed and mailed. moving parts, including A New Century of War – Printmaking Center of
radial hinges for rotating NJ – Frontline Arts – Branchburg, NJ
Exhibitions - The Farm, by Wendell Berry, bound by twenty-four chapter members. The
elements, sliding window
exhibit took place at the Free Library of Philadelphia June 11 – September 9, 2016. Assemblage: A Collection of works by UArts
elements, a cascading
Collaborations – rotary structure that re- Alumni and Faculty - An invitational Exhibition
Valentines - We had a valentine mail art exchange again in February. veals hidden images or Curated by Cynthia Thompson - University of
Nineteen members participated. text when activated, and the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Bird in Hands - We began another collaborative book project titled “Bird in a scroll mounted in a box
Hands.” Each person chose a bird and made an edition with the bird and the viewed through a win- The Northampton Book and Book Art Fair –
name of the bird on the page. We have 35 participants for this project. In April
we held a party to exchange and collate the pages and pack some of them for
dow. You will make some Smith College Campus Center, Northampton,
mailing. The books were due fall 2017, with an exhibit planned for November. of these animated struc- MA
tures and receive detailed
Web – Our website continues to be updated with online exhibits and events. DVC activi- assembly drawings and a Maria will also present her lecture “Sharing
ties are announced on multiple social media outlets. CD containing laser cut- the Process: Designing, Printing and Editioning
ting templates to use on an Artist Book” at the College Book Art Associ-
Fun – In January 2017, we hosted our fourth annual bowling party in South Philadelphia.
your own projects, as well ation Conference in Philadelphia, January 4-6,
A busy year! Many thanks to everyone who contributed their time and energy to our as a list of sources for 2018.
chapter. parts and materials.
For more information visit:
Course will also include a
Respectfully submitted,
https://www.collegebookart.org/Philadelphia
brief introduction to free
Jennifer Rosner, Chapter Chair, Delaware Valley Chapter, Guild of Book Workers computer aided design
Annual Meeting, June 27, 2017
software that is helpful in Mary Agnes Williams’ pinhole photography was
creating works to be laser featured in the 6th Annual National Juried Show
cut. at East End Arts in Riverhead New York.
Page 10 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017 Page 7 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017

Keith Smith Exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

By Amanda Bock
Students at the workshop included bookbinders, book artists, and book
I’m excited to share that I am organizing an exhibition of more than five dec- conservators, and it was great fun to compare tools and approaches. Each
ades of work by Keith Smith, which will open at the Philadelphia Museum of student completed two bindings over the course of the two-day workshop,
Art early next year. Entitled Keith Smith at Home, the show will be the first one a long- and linkstitch combination, and the other solely longstitch or
major museum presentation of his work in many linkstitch. In addition to a meaty packet of workshop handouts, Bill pro-
decades. It will be on view in the Museum’s Pe- vided us a range of raw materials with which to experiment, ranging from
relman Building from February 17 – July 8, 2018. the posh (19th century parchment indentures to use as wrappers) to the
humble (spine stiffeners fashioned from wooden paint stir sticks). He also
Smith’s exceptional inventiveness as a book artist encouraged us to play around with decorative stitch variations on pre-
is surely known to all in the Guild. This exhibition punched practice cards before beginning our actual bindings, a helpful ex-
Keith Smith
Keith Smith(American,
(American,b.b.1938), will feature over 20 outstanding examples of his ercise for working out the kinks in our ideas.
1938),
Book Book 70,
Number Number
1978.70, 1978.
Leather-
Leather-bound
bound artist’s
artist’s book with book
color artist’s books in conversation with rarely-seen
with color Xerox transfers and
Xerox transfers and watercolor.
watercolor. Courtesy of Richard drawings, prints, photographs, fabric pieces, and
and Ronay
Courtesy Menschel.
of Richard and Ronay
© Keith
Menschel. Smith handmade postcards that span the artist’s career.
It will be the first exhibition to take such a com-
prehensive look at his practice, and promises to surprise even those most
familiar with his work.

Of special interest to Guild members are Book

Number 27, a collection of self-portraits Smith
made on a Color-in-Color photocopier, then
bound using the shirt he wore that day as book
cloth; Book Number 141, a large snake format
book that unfolds into a three-foot-square Keith Smith (American, b. 1938),
Book Number 27, 1972-3. Art-
hand-colored photo mural; and Book Number ist’s book of Color-in-Color prints
70, in which the image is formed by pages that with men’s shirt as book cloth.
Courtesy of Keith Smith.
form a sculptural “reverse ziggurat” structure. © Keith Smith
Bill Hanscom (far right, standing) with the workshop students.
Other highlights include a full-size silkscreened
quilt Smith made while a student at the Art Institute of Chicago; Book Num- This well-organized workshop allowed us to explore the construction of
ber 122, Alexandra Baby Claire, a wall-displayed oriental fold book that forms historical longstitch and linkstitch limp bindings in a structured way, the
an impressively large 78 x 55 inch image of one of Smith’s godchildren; and better to appreciate the opportunities this binding style offers for creative
Book Number 90, a triangular book of watercolors intended to be viewed in a book arts projects and conservation treatment options alike.
corner.
 Page 6 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017 Page 11 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017

Medieval Long & Link Stitch Binding Workshop with Bill Hanscom
By Melissa Tedone
Keith Smith (American, b. 1938), Book
Number 82: Keith Smith at Home,
1982. Artist’s book with hand-colored
gelatin silver prints. Courtesy of Bruce
Silverstein Gallery. © Keith Smith
In conjunction, the Museum Library and Ar-
chives – just upstairs from Keith Smith at Home
– will host the complementary installation,
Keith Smith: Word Play. Co-organized by myself
and Susie Anderson, the show will include over
a dozen books by Smith that demonstrate his
interest in using text as a means of structuring
the visual
book.

Keith Smith and I will have a conversation at

the Museum about his life and work at 2:00
Historically-inspired longstitch and linkstitch limp bindings produced over the course of the two-day on February 17th. The event is open to the
workshop. public but has limited seating available on a
A dozen members of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Work- first-come-first-serve basis. Additional up- Keith Smith (American, b. 1938), Book Num-
ers met at the Library Company on a pleasant July weekend to explore medie- coming programs include a series of three
ber 151, 1989. Artists’s book with gelatin
silver prints and machine stitching. Courtesy
val longstitch and linkstitch binding structures under the tutelage of artist and bookmaking workshops on March 17 (in- of Richard and Ronay Menschel.
educator Bill Hanscom. Bill was first exposed to this historical style of binding © Keith Smith
structor: Sharon Hildebrand); April 21 (in-
during his work at Harvard Library’s Weissman Preservation Center, and has structor: Rosae Reeder); and May 5 (instruc-
done extensive research into their history and structural variations. Bill shared tor: Scott McCarney). The three-hour after-
this expertise generously, and enthusiastically engaged in one-on-one consul- noon classes include a short exhibition tour
tations with each student, helping us work out the potential pitfalls of our de- with me followed by a no-experience-
signs. necessary bookmaking lesson. Space is lim-
ited, so please share these dates widely with
Longstitch and linkstitch bindings commonly date to the 14th—16th centuries,
students and friends interested in such work-
and were particularly favored across Italy, Germany, Belgium, and the Nether-
lands as simple, durable, limp structures requiring few tools and few special- Keith Smith (American, b. 1938), Book shops. Information about event registration
ized skills to complete. However, the pleasing sturdiness of these bindings in Number 90, 1982.Triangular artist’s book
with drawing and watercolor on book
is forthcoming; look for it in an email from
the hand and their aesthetic charm belie the simplicity of their construction. stand with wood inlay. Courtesy of Keith the Guild!
Smith. © Keith Smith
Left: Practice card and spine
templates. Right: Linkstitch bind- *Keith Smith is well known to many of us for his instructional books on book-
ing with University of Iowa flax binding. The DVC is offering an exhibition opportunity for members to make
case paper wrapper, parchment books that are inspired by the techniques and structures found in any of his
buttons, and parchment manu-
five volume "Non-Adhesive Binding" books. The exhibition dates and venue to
script waste to reinforce the
linen cord ties. be determined. Stay tuned!
Page 12 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017 Page 5 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017

Lesley Mitchell, in Memoriam able to move around inside the cave-like book and explore; seeing the beauti-
ful images of peach trees printed on polypropylene film and board. I found,
Her Artist Books however, this material choice distracting to the piece. Could Fu have selected
By Kristin Balmer more tactile and inviting materials, something other than cardboard, gator
board and Masonite?
Lesley started out as a printmaker and taught printmaking and works on
paper classes at her alma mater, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Nevertheless, the exhibition was
Arts. Printmaking informed her aesthetic, and its processes influenced all a success. The book is a complex
of her various art forms. Philadelphia artist Rosalind Bloom, a longstand- piece that requires temporal
ing friend and fellow founder of Assemblage (a regional collective of viewing and contextual infor-
women artists) said about Lesley’s artwork, “she took from everywhere mation to be complete. At the
and everything; nothing was off gallery, every weekend, again and
limits.” again, the Peach Blossom Legend
was re-discovered as something
Lesley took from her environ-
hidden and then revealed. The
ment: the city, her garden, her
book transformed itself from a
dance studio. She took from
flat object into a sculptural world
her interests: literary works, art
of caves and petals. Fu’s book,
history, relationships,
Tao Hua Yuan Ji, perfectly mirrors
dance. She was a visual mag-
the story it tells.
pie and found inspiration in
everything: found objects, old An interesting detail: Ms. Fu has
prints, rubbings, photos, fabric submitted her book, Tao Hua Yu-
patterns, shoes, marbled pa- an Ji, to Guinness World Book of Tao Hua Yuan Ji, fully open.
pers. She made her own mar- Records for the World’s Largest
bled papers and seemed to Book designation.
view them as monoprints. She ordinary objects. 6 x 9 inches, onion bag
desired the effects that most woven with red government tape, paint, For more information about Colette and her artwork: colettefu.com
rags.
marblers reject: blotchy,
splotchy, crackled and separat-
ing colors, inconsistent results, accidental, one-off papers. She reused
and recycled her own artwork in different forms, first in the usual way of
artists, in which a beloved motif is expressed across differing media.
Then, by using mixed media, she collaged her prints onto paintings, drew
on her marbled papers, painted on her prints.
Page 4 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017 Page 13 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017

Book Review Lesley extended

this habit of mixing
By Lisa Scarpello
media and images
into making artist
Philadelphia photographer, book art-
books. Book arts al-
ist and paper engineer, Collete Fu,
recently exhibited Tao Hua Yuan Ji, an lowed for a natural
culmination and
enormous 200lb., 14’ x 21’ x 5’ pop-
merging of Lesley’s
up book presenting the Chinese leg-
themes of pattern,
end of the Peach Blossom Spring. This
layering, sequence,
unique book and supporting photos
and relationships.
from Southeast Yunnan, China were
She wasn’t bound
on display at the Philadelphia Photo
by bookbinding
Arts Center in the Crane Arts Building
conventions and
from September 14 to November 25, Tao Hua Yuan Ji, closed.
made books in in-
2017.
novative ways, Pride and Prejudice, Books on Tape. Wooden spool with
In order to grasp the significance of this pop-up book, the legend of the Peach coaxing book struc- ribbon (red tape) and handwritten quotes form the book
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Blossom Spring must be taken into account. The legend was presented in po- tures into new
em format and displayed on the gallery wall, behind the book. It tells the sto- forms to better
ry of an ancient, secret and undisturbed village discovered by a fisherman. convey the idea she was after. Lesley Mitchell approached bookbinding
Without being aware of the story, the pop-up book stands alone as large, the way Max Ernst approached col-
wondrous but mysterious sculptural ob- lage: intuitively, passionately, inventively.
ject.
The accordion book structure seemed to be her
favorite for experimentation. She connected
Additionally, each Saturday morning at
10am during the exhibition, Colette Fu, small art pieces made on mat board squares by
hinging them neatly together with Japanese
with the help of an assistant, opened Tao
Hua Yuan Ji. Observing this physical paper, an elegant solution. She starched can-
transformation was also critical to under- vas strips from paintings into mountain and
stand the piece. This ceremonious and valley folds, then collaged with prints, draw-
symbolic act reveals the story. It meta- ings, and marbled papers. Often the reverse of
phorically unsealed the path into the her accordion books contrasts its inside: color
Seeing Red. 3 x 4 inches, can-
outside and black and white inside, paint out-
utopian village found by the fisherman in vas with acrylic paint, print
the legend. Once opened, viewers were collage. side with print inside, one contiguous image
outside with sequential images inside. In a par-
Tao Hua Yuan Ji, in motion.
Page 14 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017 Page 3 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017

ticularly appropriate matching of form and image, Lesley drew a cityscape
with a continuous crenellated line that travels across the accordion book
structure, and inside are collaged prints suggesting interiors seen through
windows.
Lesley had a whimsical take on
fans. She took scraps of inter-
esting shapes recycled from
prints, marbled papers, and
drawings, wrote a single word
on each, then tied a sentence
together with embroidery
floss. The viewer can fan out
the pages to create a sen-
tence, the circular aspect per-
haps a comment on repeating
thoughts or circular thinking.
Each page has its own style
and asks for contemplation of
its visual meaning around its word, inde-
pendent of the word’s meaning within
the whole sentence.
Lesley died of cancer in October. The
Guild has lost an interesting and in-
ventive member. She will be sorely
missed.
Spiff. 4 x 5 inches, print and drawing on various
papers, embroidery floss.
My Favorite Tool
By Mary Phelan
This bone folder is 5” long and it
gives good contact at the edges
of the board when gluing a hard-
cover book. There is never a
wobbly edge. I don’t remember where I bought it, but I love it!
Editor’s note: if you know where to purchase a bone folder like
Mary’s, please write to dvcgbw@gmail.com -- we will publish your
responses in the next newsletter!
Collapsible Cradle Workshop
By Dee Collins
The collapsible cradle workshop recently given by Tara O'Brien at the Library
Company on June 24, 2018, was challenging and extremely useful. Once you
get the hang of it, you can make these cradles in different sizes and even
incorporate them into a clamshell box (which I have not tackled yet, but I
will). I volunteer making enclosures for the Moravian Archives in Bethle-
hem, and I have made three of these cradles so far. Since they fold flat, they
can be used by researchers and several different sizes can be stacked on the
table for their use, taking up minimal space.

Whom. 4 x 5 inches, print and draw-

ing on various papers, embroidery
floss.

Eriko Takahashi and Tara O'Brien.

Page 2 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017 Page 15 Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers PRESSING MATTER Fall 2017

6 Questions: By Kristin Ziegler Bird in Hands Exhibition Opens

The most recent DVC collabora-

How long have you been a member of the GBW?
tive book exhibition opened for

1
I had to check the Guild of Book Workers website. It tells me five
years. It seems longer. viewing December 11, 2017 in
room 603 at the University of
Where are you from originally? the Arts, 333 S. Broad St., Phila-
2 I’m from Centre Hall, Pennsylvania. I’ve lived in Seattle, Washington
and Bloomington, Indiana. I have unexpectedly circled back to my
home town (at least for now).
delphia. It will close for the
school holidays on December 15
and reopen January 2 to 29,
When did you realize you wanted to learn bookbinding? 2018.

3 I registered for a bookmaking class with Jim Canary in 2006. It turns

out I was already making artist’s books, I just didn’t have a language
for it. Books have remained my instrument of choice for the past
The opening is on January 5, 5-7
pm. Hope to see you there!
decade.

What is your favorite book structure these days?

4 I am flirting with the Bradel binding right now.

What are you working on right now?

5 Christmas presents. A reliquary. An outdoor installation art piece

specific to location.

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us. 2018 SAVE THE DATES!
6 My first degree is in mortuary science - where I quickly learned the
importance of a good whip stitch. Jan 5 (5-7 pm) Opening Reception - Bird in Hands Exhibit

Jan 7 Rigid Board Binding Workshop with Alicia Bailey

Jan 9 (6:30 - 8:30 pm) Bookbinders, Beer, and Bowling Party

Feb 14 Valentine Exchange

Feb 24 Caterpillar Stitch Workshop with Denise Carbone

Mar 4 Gathering at the Philadelphia Museum of Art to view the Keith Smith exhibit

Mar 24 & 25 Pierced Vellum Binding Workshop with James Reid-Cunningham

Kristin Ziegler's workbench.