Book Art Biennial 2015

Book Art Biennial 2015
Minnesota Center for Book Arts
July 23-26, 2015

Free and open to the public

2015 marked a very special year for Minnesota Center for Book Arts — not only the fourth convening of Book Art Biennial, and the awarding of The MCBA Prize 2015, but our 30th Anniversary as well!

Through workshops, lectures, panel conversations, exhibitions, and a gala celebration and awards ceremony, Book Art Biennial invited artists, educators, curators and scholars to explore current trends in contemporary artists’ books. Learn more about the event below.

Thank you to our Biennial and Gala sponsors!

Cathy Ryan and Doris Engibous

Patron Sponsors

Joseph G. Sitter


Program Supporters and Exhibition Sponsors


Event Partners



Event Hosts:

James Alcott
Suzanne Asher and Tom Ducker
Harriet Bart
Laurel Bradley and Sam Demas
Ellen L. Breyer
Betty Bright
Ronnie and Roger Brooks
Tom and Dawn Cassidy
Will Hopkins and Mary K. Baumann
Peggy Korsmo-Kennon and Mike Kennon
Cinda Kornblum
James and Susan Lenfestey
Marci Malzahn
Jennifer Martin
Steven McCarthy and Dominique Bouvier
Diane Merrifield
Barbara and Don Portwood
Marguerite Ragnow Campion and Joe Campion
Regula and Michael Russelle
Ryan and Julie Scheife
Chip and Trish Schilling
Gail See
Julie Sirek
Vicky and Bill Stewart
Joanne Von Blon
Karen Wirth

Pre-Biennial Workshops

Thursday and Friday, July 23–24; 10am–5pm
Three very special workshops were offered prior to the Book Art Biennial. Each was designed to inspire students and demonstrate the intersection of historical craft with contemporary content:

  • Inventive Bindings
    with Yo Yamazaki, book artist and fine binder based in Tokyo, Japan
  • Adding Color and Pattern to Your Materials
    with Jana Pullman, prize-winning fine binder, proprietor of Western Slope Bindery, and member of MCBA’s Core Faculty
  • Wood Engraving: Color and Collage
    with Joanne Price, printmaker, book artist and president of the Wood Engravers’ Network

Book Arts Art Crawl

Friday, July 24; 6–9pm
Enjoy coordinated receptions across downtown Minneapolis, including MCBA, Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD), Form + Content Gallery, and the Walker Art Center Library.

Presented at the Walker Art Center Library:
Highlights and recent acquisitions from the Rosemary Furtak Artist’s Book Collection

Presented at Minneapolis College of Art and Design:
Opening reception for The Book in Extremis
An exploration of where the fine arts, media arts, and design fields have taken the notion of the book, through the work of over 20 local and national artists and designers

Presented at Form + Content Gallery:
Closing reception for Common Denominators: An Invitational Exhibition of Five Book Artists
Work by Inge Bruggeman, Daniel Essig, Karen Kunc, Sara Langworthy and Gaylord Schanilec

Presented at Minnesota Center for Book Arts:
Closing reception for The Contained Narrative: Defining the Contemporary Artist’s Book and Reader’s Art: Concealed, Confined and Collected

Free shuttle service will be available to circulate visitors between venues; shuttles will pick up and drop off at each location roughly every 30 minutes. More info and photos available on the Facebook event page.

Book Art Biennial Symposium
The Contained Narrative: Defining the Contemporary Artist’s Book

Saturday, July 25; 8:30am-4:15pm
and Sunday, July 26; 10am–noon

The 2015 Biennial Symposium will explore the expansive definition of “book” in contemporary artistic practice, stimulating critical thinking and dialogue.

Symposium schedule:

Saturday, July 25

8:30-9:00am Gathering and Coffee
9:00-9:15am Welcome Jeff Rathermel, MCBA Executive Director
9:15-10:15am I Contain Multitudes: Multiple Legibilities and Intersecting Texts, Aaron Cohick, proprietor of NewLights Press and master printer at The Press at Colorado College
10:15-10:30am Break
10:30-11:30am End Grain Infinity, Joanne Price, printmaker, book artist and president of the Wood Engravers’ Network
11:30am-1:00pm Lunch on your own; information on nearby restaurants will be provided
1:00-2:00pm Inspiring Narrative Through Form: The Book Artist/Reader Collaboration, Daniel E. Kelm, book artist and founder of the Garage Annex School for Book Arts
2:00-3:00pm Containers of the Past: Windows to the Present, Jae Jennifer Rossman, Assistant Director for Special Collections at the Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library, Yale University
3:00-3:15pm Break
3:15-4:15pm Performance reading of A Life In Books, Warren Lehrer, writer, artist and book designer
4:15-4:30pm Parting Remarks, Jeff Rathermel, MCBA Executive Director
Symposium adjourns for the day
7:00pm MCBA’s 30th Anniversary Gala and The MCBA Prize 2015 Award Ceremony (ticketed separately; more details below)

Sunday, July 26
10:00am-noon Teaching the Book Arts

Do you teach book art workshops and classes? Are you a book artist looking for new creative strategies? Both educators and practitioners will benefit from this informal roundtable discussion where participants share practical techniques for teaching and exploring the medium. Facilitated by Jeff Rathermel, MCBA Executive Director.

Coordinated Exhibitions

The Contained Narrative: Defining the Contemporary Artist’s Book
April 8 – July 26, 2015
Opening reception Friday, May 8; 6–9pm
At the most fundamental level, a book is a contained narrative. This exhibition brings definition to the artist’s book by focusing on such varied practices as “Bound and Unbound,” “The Virtual Book,” “Book as Environment” and more. Works by over 100 artists are on display in MCBA’s gallery, library, and throughout the studios. Curated by Cathy Ryan; sponsored by Daily Printing Inc. and Neenah Paper. Read more…

Reader’s Art: Concealed, Confined and Collected
May 8 – July 26, 2015
Reader’s Art highlights work by over 40 emerging book artists and book arts students responding to the theme of containment. Presented in collaboration with the College Book Art Association and Susan Hensel Gallery. Read more…

The MCBA Prize 2015 Finalists
July 17 – August 3, 2015
Marvel at the work of the 2015 MCBA Prize competition’s five finalists and three merit honorees. Gala attendees will have the opportunity to engage with the works in a more intimate setting; purchase your Gala tickets below!

The MCBA Prize 2015 Finalists:
– Ken Botnick, Diderot Project
– Sarah Bryant and David Allen, Figure Study
– Casey Gardner, Matter, Antimatter, and So Forth
– Sara Langworthy, On Physical Lines
– Robin Price, Love in the Time of War

Jurors’ Special Recognitions of Merit:
– Rhiannon Alpers, Remnants
– Candace Hicks, String Theory, Vol. III
– Gabriella Solti, The Book of Hours