The Publication of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers

Pressing Matter

Spring 2013

Message from OUR president

News from Near and Far

In this issue
Annual report Page 2

here has been a whirlwind of activity since our last newsletter. We held our election in December 2012, and it resulted in a few changes: Sharon Hildebrand stepped down as Newsletter Editor and Hedi Kyle stepped down as Programs Co-chair. I will always be thankful to Hedi for thinking up the idea for our Fast, Friendly, Free workshops. Brilliant! And I admire her ability to remain curious and willing to learn new things. (See also Denises tribute in this newsletter.) I think I speak for everyone in my gratitude to Sharon for her service as our newsletter editor. She got our newsletter back on track and each issue has been chock full of stimulating articles and news. Jon Snyder has offered to take over as Newsletter Designer. Note the difference in the job title. I will be the one gathering the news and articles (i.e. nagging and arm-twisting) so that I can hand over the content to Jon. I am looking for someone who enjoys writing and would Hedi Kyle was honored at the GBW annual meeting. like to have a regular column. Are you that person? Let me know if this interests you. Our newsletter is issued three times a year. Our chapter loves to collaborate and we have several projects underway. Secondary Colors is on exhibit at Harvard (see the review in this newsletter) and we are currently working on the ABC Collaborative. I was amazed at the enthusiasm for this project! I gave away all of the letters -- plus the ampersand and exclamation point -- within 24 hours. We held our Annual Meeting on March 19th at the Library Company. We had a record turn-out: 23 people! There was wine, a platter of appetizers, and a small exhibit on the Library Companys alphabet books. Look for my Annual Report in this newsletter. I found it difficult to fit it all on one page! We are a busy chapter. During the meeting we acknowledged Hedi Kyle with a cake, a few short comments, and a gardening hat adorned with buttons made by chapter members. It was a lovely evening. Jennifer Rosner Chapter Chair

6 questions Pages 6-7 Review Pages 4-5

Hedi Kyle tribute Page 8

Delaware Valley Chapter Officers Jennifer Rosner Chapter Chair Alice Austin Secretary, Treasurer, Exhibitions Denise Carbone Programs Co-chair Jon Snyder Newsletter Valeria Kremser Webmaster

Elke Shihadeh, Ardmore, PA Mary Agnes Williams, Philadelphia, PA Rosae Reeder, Philadelphia, PA Becky Koch, Landenberg, PA Dee Collins, Bethlehem, PA Reinstated members: Paul Brubaker, Denver, PA James Englebart, Philadelphia, PA

NEW MEMBERS:

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Delaware Valley Guild of Bookworkers Pressing Matters

Spring 2013

Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers - March 19, 2013
General

Annual Report
in May, Chris Thomas, making your own website; in February 2013 printmaking techniques. During this past year we had two paid workshops: In June 2012, we learned Practical Origami with Bill Hanscom, a one-day workshop. In October 2012, Barbara Mauriello taught Two Days, Two Boxes.
Lectures/Tours

Chapter Officers up to January 2013 were: Jennifer Rosner, Chair; Alice Austin, Secretary/Treasurer/ Exhibitions; Hedi Kyle and Denise Carbone, Programs Co-chairs; Sharon Hildebrand, Newsletter Editor. We held an election in December 2012. Hedi and Sharon stepped down from their positions. We thank them for their dedicated service! Denise will continue as Programs Chair and Jon Snyder will be our Newsletter Designer. All the other positions were reelected. In October, Jennifer represented our chapter and attended meetings at the Standards Seminar in Salt Lake City.
Membership

event on Saturday, October 19th, at 10:30 am. Both the Philadelphia Center for the Book members and DVC chapter members will gather to see the exhibit and have refreshments.
Projects

Our current membership is 68. If you know any students that would like to become members, please encourage them to do so. The rate is $30 for the GBW and another $10 to join our chapter.
Financial

In April, several DVC members, most of whom had taken the Italian ledger binding workshop with Eileen Wallace, gathered at University of Pennsylvania Rare Book and Manuscript Department at the Annenberg Library to see their Medici account books. Amey Hutchins, Assistant Curator of Manuscripts, spoke to us about the books.
Newsletter

Our finances are in the best shape they have ever been and we have about $5000 in our account. This is partly due to the fact that we have more members than ever and that means more dues. We have also eliminated the cost of the newsletter mailing which results in a substantial savings. We make every attempt to have workshops and exhibits to break even. This allows us to spend money on lectures and social events.
Workshops

We sent out two newsletters via email since the last Annual Meeting. Starting this year, Jennifer and Alice will gather the material and edit the newsletter. Jon Snyder will design it. Send us your news! Want to write an article? How about a regular column? The more, the merrier.
Exhibitions

We held three Fast, Friendly, Free workshops: In April 2012, folding ideas for our collaborative book project (more on that below);

In September our members were invited to exhibit their work at the Abecedarian Gallery in Denver. All of the books were for sale and several chapter members sold their work. In January, the books from the collaborative book project, Secondary Colors went on display at the Cabot Science Library at Harvard University. We plan to have an exhibition of these books at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the Museum Library. It will open October 2013 and there is an opening

This year twenty six members participated in a collaborative book titled Secondary Colors. Each participant contributed an edition of foldout pages ready to be sewn into a book. In November 2012 we held an exchange and collation party. Everyone bound their books individually resulting in a wide variety of binding styles. This project was so successful and popular, that we began another collaborative project. We are currently working on an ABC book. Twenty-eight members were assigned a letter of the alphabet (plus the & and the !) and given pre-cut paper. We are now in the process of making editions of thirty pages. The requirement is that the letter be somewhere on the page and that all work must be two-dimensional and on one side of the paper. We will have a binding bee on May 19th an opportunity to learn the drumleaf binding.
Fun

We held a potluck dinner in December at Alice Austins house for members to meet Alicia Bailey, of Abecedarian Gallery (and also DVC member and GBW treasurer). About 20 members attended. Good food, good company. Plans are in place to have another potluck at Andrea Krupp on May 19th, details soon.

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News From members

Maria Pisano
100+1 libri dartista - From Micro to Macro Artists Book Archive Milan, curated by Gino Gini and Fernanda Fedi Palazzo Trinci, Perugia, Italy-13th April 6th May 2013 Maria G Pisanos book Leafing the Past is part of agroup show of Miniature books in Milan, Italy. Maria has two books Lost and Found and the collaborative book with Michael Pisano, Seven Voyages,in the exhibit:An Inventory of Al-Mutanabbi Street at The Cambridge Arts Council, Cambridge Mass - Jan - June 2013. To read more on these two books please visit:http://mariagpisano.com. To learn about the AlMutanabbi project please visit:http://www.al-mutanabMaria also taught a tunnel book workshop on April 13, 2013 at the Rabbet Gallery, New Brunswick, N.J. Her book Breathe and Isothermal Map, a work on

handmade paper, will be exhibited at Rabbet Gallery April 7 - May 31 as part of the New Beginnings at Rabbet Gallery in New Brunswick, N.J.

Alicia Bailey

Last year the Denver Art Museum commissioned Alicia to create work using a piece in the museums permanent collection as a starting point or inspiration. She has made a prototype for a limited edition book work (Every Step a Lotus) consisting of 3 books in a box. You can read more about the presentation and the project, visit http://ymlp.com/zE8Syk

Alice Austin and Jon Snyder

bistreetstartshere-boston.com/index.html

arthaus.mobileartproject.org.

Alice and her husband, Jon Snyder, were Visiting Artists with ARTHaus4, a gallery and art cooperative in Gmunden, Austria in September 2012. Alice taught workshops and collaborated with the ARTHaus4 members and the Hobl+Sohn hand-papermaking workshop making paper and creating various projects with the paper. Jon made videos of the processes, which can be seen at www.amaustin.com. Further information about ARTHaus4 can be found at http://

Please send us your news!

Jon sets up for a video shoot (above) while Alice and ARTHaus4 member Donna Price work the pulp vats below, making paper at the Hobl+Sohn paper works in Sterermhl, Austria in September of last year.

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Secondary Colors
Cabot Science Library Harvard University January 24 May 19, 2013

An Exhibit of the Delaware Valley chapter of The Guild of Bookworkers

econdary colors are those which are made up by mixing two primary colors. It is also the theme of a new bookbinding exhibit from 22 members of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Bookworkers. Additionally the entry requirements included a strong suggestion for: a book that contains alternatives to the standard signatures such as: accordions, pop-ups, map folds, fold-outs, pockets, etc. The edition final size must be 4W x 7H (after folding) and ready to sew into a book structure. Responding to the call for structural variety, the contributors incorporate many inclusions, perforations, seethroughs, layers, and moveable parts. Each member interpreted the secondary color theme and contributed an edition of sections, exchanged them with the other members, and then

http://www.dvc-gbw.org/secondarycolors.html

collated them so the resulting contents of all the books are the same. The members bound their books individually, producing twenty-one unique bindings. Two additional books were bound and donated to artists' book collections and one un-bound copy will be auctioned at the Guild of Book Workers annual fundraiser. The display consists of the individual sections from each artist and their bound book. Non-adhesive structures: accordions; caterpillars; and coptics, rule the day here, a great option to accommodate the call for non-standard contributions. These are punctuated by vellum; leather; cloth; paper; or the more traditional bindings. Investigations of nature or colors themselves are the overarching subjects of this challenging theme. It is an interesting and innovative exhibit, well worth a visit. Collaborative work of this nature is a great idea for an exhibit. It will surely be copied, the best form of flattery, no? If you cannot make it to the exhibit, take a look at the video by Thomas Parker Williams at http://www.dvc-gbw.org/secondarycolors. html showing each of the individual sections in action, as well as the completed book. a.lapidow
Amy Lapidow runs her bindery, The Three Ring Binders, in Somerville, MA. She is a member of the New England Chapter.

he weather alone is a good reason to visit the Codex International Book Fair in February, this time at the Craneway Pavillion in Richmond, California. When I stepped off the plane, the warm air and sunshine on my face, I thought, ah, California! If only I could live in Berkeley. But I can't, so the Codex Book Fair is a great reason to take a vacation. In my case, it was a working vacation, though overwhelming at times. So many books and so many artists! The fair was exhausting and wonderful. As an exhibitor, I missed the chance to really enjoy the other books. It's hard to leave your own table and when you do, it has to be for a very important snack. My advice is to spend a few half days at the book fair, breaking up your time with other fun activities in San Francisco. The Craneway Pavillion was a beautiful space, large and light filled, in which to hold the fair. The days were busy; symposium in the morning, book fair all afternoon, activities at night. A highlight of the fair, for me, was spending time with friends from all over the country, and, of course, seeing their newest books. Whether you decide to brave it as an exhibitor, or go as a viewer, I highly recommend the Codex Book Fair.

CODEX book fair T

Alice Austin at the CODEX Book Fair.

There are many good reviews of the fair online. Here is one from Betty Bright: And one from Alisa Golden:

http://letterpressbkart.blogspot.com/2013/03/codexspace-books.html http://makinghandmadebooks.blogspot.com/2013/02/ we-heart-books-codex-book-fair-2013.html

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Exhibit at the Athenaeum

Suave Mechanicals: Essays on the History of Bookbinding. Volume 1. Edited by Julia Miller

round 150 people came to the opening of the hree of the nine authors of this book are DVC exhibit "From Seneca Falls to Philadelphia: Fourth members: Chela (Consuela) Metzger, Julia of July 1876 and the Women of the Centennial," Miller, and Jennifer Rosner. Julia Miller edited Friday, April 5th at the Athenaeum. The exhibit offers the book. For anyone interested in the history of many books and corset-related book works to enjoy and bookbinding, this book provides in-depth essays was co-sponsored with the Philadelphia Center for the on some very interesting and detailed aspects of Book as part of the PIFA events. Artists were asked to the topic. There are many photographs and illustrations, all in color, and the book includes a DVD make something in response to an item from the collecwith additional images. It is the first volume of tion at the Athenaeum. Our DVC members were well a proposed series, so there will be more to come! represented. Clothes seemed to be a theme of the evening. For more information go to: http://www.legacyNancy Nitzberg wore a skirt that she made out of vinpress.com/ tage fabric, with an image of Centennial Hall. She used another piece of the same fabric to cover her large book. Her topic was the education program of Froebel and his From Seneca Falls to Philadelphia: creation of kindergarten. Valeria Kremser made an elaborate laser-cut paper flower bonnet. It would have been of the Centennial Fourth of July 1876 and the Women fun to see the artist wear this during the opening! Lesley Mitchell made a diary, bound in the drum leaf style, of a woman of theInternational Centennial fair and filled it As from part ofthe the time Philadelphia Festival of the Arts in 2013, the Athenaeum with hand-written entries and beautiful illustrations. It an exhibition which combines collaborated with the Philadelphia Center for the Book to produce items from Curry/Sherk Centennial withand the work of contemporary book is select worth a visit tothe the Athenaeum to see Collection these works artists who responded to a Call for Entries. many others. Alice Austin

Exhibion Dates April1May18,2013 Opening Recepon April5,5:007:00PM Free Admission

TheAthenaeumofPhiladelphia

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1 2 3

6 Questions - Maria Pisano

How long have you been a member of the GBW? Where are you from originally?

I have been a member of the GBW for as long back as I can remember. I was born in Italy, and came to the US in 1964.

the University of the Arts, so that I could continue to study with her. I love Coptic binding, the sewing, materials, the physicality of the structure and its connection with the past. I am beginning to work on a book called Handbook/Handmaid returning to handmade paper and stencil pulp painting.
Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us. What are you working on right now?

My journey from printmaker to book artist was an evolution. After making paper and using it as a support for my prints, making books was a natural progression. As a printmaker and papermaker, I loved the process of making paper and creating prints, working them through the many stages, more than I loved printing editions. The sequence and development of a work from inception to completion resulted in a compilation of works that very easily followed a thematic sequence akin to bookmaking. After making a few book like works, I decided to take classes at the Center for Book Arts in NYC. It was here that I had my first class with Hedi Kyle she opened my eyes to amazing possibilities and a whole new world of expression, which led me to

When did you realize you wanted to learn bookbinding?

What is your favorite book structure these days?

5 6

I came to the United States speaking only Italian and French. I started Junior HS a week after my arrival and for the first 6 months I spoke only French in order to communicate with other classmates. Unfortunately I have not practiced French since college, so I have lost it all.

Maria Pisano in her studio.

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6 Questions - the Dixons

2 3

Where are you from originally? Garrett: Born in Brooklyn, NY and grew up in the suburbs in Westchester County, NY. Gretchen: Born on Long Island, NY and went to High School in Westport CT.

How long have you been members of the GBW? Garrett: Since 2006 Gretchen: We formed our company, The Marblers Apprentice, in 2004 and we thought attending the 2006 Centennial Standards as vendors would be a good way to connect with people most likely to use our papers. Also I have had a longstanding interest in learning bookbinding. In addition to what I was able to learn from how-to books, I have taken workshops at the The Society for Contemporary Craft, Arrowmont, The New York Center for The Book Arts and North Bennett Street School.

This time we will meet two DVC members who are paper marblers: Gretchen and Garret Dixon, from Franklin, PA.

materials and techniques for the reproduction of historical marbled papers of the 18th and 19th centuries. Gretchen: I have been marbling Dutch variants for a client who is running an online class of 300 people who are reproducing 17th century embroidered caskets. A GBW member of the New England chapter, Marie Oedel, was making her own reproduction and put us in contact with the person offering the course, Tricia Wilson. When she was developing the course, she was searching for sources of authentically produced materials. To that end I am marbling these papers with cochineal instead of more light fast modern pigments in order to produce a paper as close to what was available at the time as possible. For pleasure, I have been working on miniature versions of the historic patterns I marble.

When did you realize you wanted to learn marbling? Garrett: I have always been fascinated with the endpapers in old books. In the early 1990s I found copies of Anne Chambers manuals on suminagashi and watercolor marbling and started learning using those books as my initial instructions. Gretchen: Initially, Garrett marbled the papers and I made something with them. As he became more focused on historic patterns, I wanted to learn how to marble to make papers with what I called pretty colors, not the drab ones he used. So he taught me and I concentrated on modern, combed designs.

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us. Garrett: My primary occupation is a physician and my marbling education has had to be squeezed into the limited time left over from that work. However, my medical/science background has been an invaluable help in making sense of pigments, paints, and the chemistry of 18th and 19th century marbling. Gretchen: My background is also in science. I have a PhD in Anatomy and Cell Biology and did my thesis work using an electron microscope. Perhaps this makes it less surprising that I enjoy fine detail and miniatures in my marbling.

What is your favorite marbling pattern these days? Garrett: I most enjoy the class of patterns that I refer to as chemically-altered spot patterns Stormont, Shell, Broken, Tiger eye and others, because of the technical challenges involved in the making of these papers. Gretchen: I enjoy combining the techniques I have learned to be able to reproduce the 17th and 18th century patterns with modern colors and metallics to develop new patterns. They often include stripes of color with swirled elements. Among the papers I marbled for this years Standards was a contemporary version of an 1880s curled oak leaf pattern. What are you working on right now? Garrett: I am working on a manual covering the
The Dixons marbling studio.

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A Tribute to Hedi Kyle A

t our annual meeting of the Delaware Chapter Valley Guild of Book Workers we had the opportunity to celebrate long standing member, book artist, conservator and all around inspiration, Hedi Kyle. Hedi moved to Philadelphia from New York, taking the position of Head of Conservation at the American Philosophical Society Library in 1986. She set up a new lab there, and began teaching book arts and binding at the University of the Arts. In 1989 a masters program in book arts and printmaking was established and she began teaching in that program. During this time she was teaching workshops all over the world and was a co-director of the Paper and Book Intensive, which celebrated its 30th year recently. How lucky were we? Hedi has influenced and mentored many students, including myself. Her generosity and knowledge of the book, her aesthetics and use of materials, and her inventions in paper folding are now a part of us all. She is migrating her studio and home to Pine Hill New York. We are not saying good-bye, but so long. So long as you promise to come and visit, teach workshops and participate in our events!! Thanks, Hedi, for being you, Your pal, dc