MINNESOTA BOOK ARTIST AWARD

MCBA CONGRATULATES CAVE PAPER,
WINNER OF THE 2012 MINNESOTA BOOK ARTIST AWARD

EXHIBITION OPENING RECEPTION AND PRESENTATION
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10; 5:30-7:30pm

Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) and The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library are pleased to announce Cave Paper and its founders, Bridget O'Malley and Amanda Degener, as the winner of the 2012 Minnesota Book Artist Award. This annual award -- presented by MCBA and the Minnesota Book Awards, and sponsored by the Lerner Publishing Group -- recognizes excellence throughout a body of work, as well as significant contributions to Minnesota's book arts community. Previous recipients include Regula Russelle (2011), Wilber H. "Chip" Schilling (2010), Paulette Myers-Rich (2009), and Jody Williams (2008).

Working together at Cave Paper, O’Malley and Degener have been book artists for over 17 years. There are only a few contemporary artists in the world who have been making creative papers for as long and as consistently as Cave Paper. The two artists work in partnership daily, collaborating with many talented and famous book artists from coast to coast. Cave Paper is known for teaming with private presses worldwide, often providing and designing custom papers for deluxe limited editions. O’Malley and Degener’s attention to detail and high quality of the finished papers are central to Cave Paper’s mission and reputation.

"Our work blends the contemporary and traditional and reflects an understanding of a centuries-old craft within the context of an artist's book," says O'Malley. "We continue to invent variations in the steps of fiber preparation, sheet forming, pressing, drying, and hand dyeing."

Cave Paper's groundbreaking work in the hand papermaking field has led to invitations to teach and lecture in Japan, Sweden, Australia, Korea, Italy, Canada and China. The artists' work can be found in many public collections including the Walker Art Center, Library of Congress, and St. John's University. O'Malley has taught papermaking at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design since 2005, was an artist-in-residence at MCBA from 1994 to 1996, and lectures and teaches workshops in papermaking, bookbinding and printing at MCBA and many other schools. Degener was active at MCBA during its founding years, was the organization's first artist-in-residence and, later, Artistic Director. O'Malley and Degener are committed to teaching and mentoring, and Cave Paper has hosted over 80 interns.

An exhibit celebrating O'Malley's and Degener's work will run January 20 through March 25, 2012 in Open Book's Cowles Literary Commons, with an opening reception and presentation on Friday, February 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The reception is free and open to the public, and will feature wine, hors d'oeuvres and live music. Exhibits of the artists' work will be featured throughout the year at venues across the state, including Saint Paul's Central Library beginning in late March through April.

O'Malley and Degener will receive special recognition and an award at the 24th annual Minnesota Book Awards gala on Saturday, April 14, 2011 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Saint Paul.

Awards will also be presented that evening to the winners of the eight book categories (Children's Literature, General Nonfiction, Genre Fiction, Memoir & Creative Nonfiction, Minnesota, Novel & Short Story, Poetry, and Young People's Literature) and the winners of the biennial Hognander Minnesota History Award, Readers' Choice Award (sponsored by the Pioneer Press and TwinCities.com), and the Kay Sexton Award (sponsored by Common Good Books) which recognizes an individual for significant contributions to Minnesota's literary community. Gala tickets will go on sale in late January.

The Minnesota Book Awards, presented by Marvin Windows and Doors, is a statewide, year-round outreach program of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library in partnership with the Saint Paul Public Library and the City of Saint Paul. Please visit www.thefriends.org or call 651-366-6497 for more information about the Minnesota Book Awards.