There’s a whole lot of art being made in MCBA’s roomy, well-equipped studios. You can easily be a part of it – whether you’ve never held a bone folder before or you’re looking to expand your book arts repertoire.

MCBA teaches workshops for all ages and abilities, for individuals as well as school and community groups.

Minnesota is home to many talented book artists who are also fabulous teachers. While many of them have earned awards, credentials, and graduate degrees, they’ve also gained skills and insights from taking workshops or delving into projects at MCBA. In other words, you’re never too talented or experienced to learn something new at MCBA!

Our book arts instructors will introduce you to an entirely new dimension of book arts, help you refine your current skills, and amaze you with time-saving tips. MCBA also welcomes visiting artists from around the country who bring new perspectives for established and emerging book artists alike.

Adult Workshops
Reacquaint yourself with the joys of tactile expression in MCBA’s roomy, well-equipped studios. Learn how to print or bind a book and make paper, or learn new techniques and concepts to inspire experimentation with the book art form.

Teen Workshops
In addition to the workshops taught as a component of our By Design Teen Artist program, MCBA offers individual workshops to teens from the broader community. We also offer summer intensives for talented artists ages 15 to 18 who want to learn artmaking techniques usually taught at the college level.

Pre-school Workshops
MCBA’s workshops for preschoolers provide authentic studio art experiences for children 3 to 5 years old and an adult partner. Workshops provide an introduction to the book arts that focuses on pre-literacy skills. Each workshop starts with a story time with books that tie into the art activity. Adults are active participants in the workshops, learning and working alongside preschoolers on a variety of hands-on activities.

Family Workshops
Throughout the year, MCBA offers a sampler of one-session workshops for families to experience the book arts together, as well as free workshops offered to families throughout the Twin Cities.

Teacher Workshops
MCBA’s teacher workshops offer instruction in basic techniques and integration of book arts into classroom curriculum. During the academic year, MCBA regularly presents customized programs at teacher conferences and school in-service days. Programs explore the co-curricular potential of book art projects, as well as literacy applications. In 2006, MCBA presented in-service workshops for 686 teachers, helping them integrate the book arts into classroom curriculum as a means to increase student academic achievement.

Youth Workshops for Schools
Book Art is a vibrant visual and literary art form that is truly interdisciplinary in nature. At Minnesota Center for Book Arts, flexible lesson plans and knowledgeable staff allow teachers to integrate book arts with their existing curriculum. Our teaching style offers a mix of direct instruction and individual creative expression.

Standard workshops are held both in the MCBA studios and in schools, libraries and community centers. Working in partnership with teachers, standard youth workshops teach children how to make paper, print, and/or bind a book. During hands-on workshops in MCBA’s studios or in schools, students demonstrate classroom knowledge through new experiences. Whether creating a class anthology or expressing their knowledge of a core subject through book art, students feel a sense of accomplishment in their completed work.

MCBA also collaborates with teachers and staff of all grade levels and age groups to plan comprehensive, custom-designed book arts residencies. Custom workshops allow teachers to integrate the visual and literary excitement of the book arts into their curriculum goals. MCBA book artists spend anywhere from two hours to a week or longer working with students (K-12) and teachers to make individual and/or collaborative books. The custom youth workshops are closely tailored to curriculum, and as a result, the cost of a residency is higher than a standard youth workshop.

 

MCBA prints a newsletter/workshop schedule as well as a youth workshops catalog. To have a copy mailed to you, e-mail MCBA or call 612-215-2528.