Letterpress 1: Printing Basics (June)

with Bethany Rahn
Saturday, June 8; 10am–4pm CT

This in-person letterpress workshop offers an introduction to MCBA’s print studio—including key equipment, tools, and terminology—in addition to an opportunity to experience the satisfaction of printing a message through the hands-on process of letterpress printing. Get to know MCBA’s wood type collection and learn beginning typesetting with wood type. Learn the basics of working with a flatbed cylinder press, including operation, safety, and care while building skills using the equipment with support from a teaching artist. In pairs, choose a text (three to five words) and print your own small edition of posters on a Vandercook press.  Continue reading “Letterpress 1: Printing Basics (June)”

Cutting Equipment Orientation: June 11

Tuesday, June 11; 6:30-7:30pm CT

If you aren’t already trained to use our cutting equipment, here is your opportunity! Through hands-on training you will learn the capabilities of each piece of MCBA’s bindery cutting equipment, and how to use them correctly and safely. Completion of this training will allow you to rent this equipment and use it independently. This orientation was previously titled Cutting Equipment Training. Studio Labs are not eligible for Certificate credit.

Continue reading “Cutting Equipment Orientation: June 11”

Papermaking as Transformation and Storytelling for Queer Makers

with e ainsley
Thursday, June 13; 6–9pm CT

In this in-person workshop, make paper sculptures with an object of significance to you and paper ephemera—letters, journal pages, photos, and/or documents—you’ve collected over time. Start by making a silicone mold of a cherished object that you bring to the studio. Then, turn your ephemera into pulp which will fill your mold to infuse this paper sculptural object with new meaning.  Continue reading “Papermaking as Transformation and Storytelling for Queer Makers”

Digital Resources for Printmakers

with Camilo Aguirre
Saturdays: June 15, 22, 29; 9:30–10:30am CT

In this virtual workshop, explore open-source software and free online applications to identify effective tools for printmakers that focus on raster images, layout, and file management. Instruction will center on two specific programs: Krita, a powerful and completely free open-source program for desktop computers; and Procreate, an affordable, user-friendly drawing app for iPads. There will be a strong focus on Krita as it has precise design tools. Procreate is especially useful when preparing to print. The workshop will cover available software, design patterns, guidelines, color separation, halftone patterns, mirroring techniques for images and text, and various file formats. Continue reading “Digital Resources for Printmakers”

Book Repair: Broken Cloth & Paperback Books

with Rachel Payne
Saturdays: June 15 & 22; 10am–4pm CT

In this in-person workshop, learn foundational techniques and methods to care for aged and damaged books. We’ll begin with an overview of book anatomy and approaches to repair. Then, we will look at your own damaged books and develop a plan to care for them. Instruction will cover cleaning techniques and methods for treating cracked paperbacks, loose hinges, tissue repairs, and other problems. Practicing these techniques will help you develop a sense for when to do the repair yourself and when to work with a book conservator. Demonstrations and instruction will alternate with work time and one-on-one guidance for individual repair projects. Bring in two or three aged and damaged books that you would like to evaluate and treat. Continue reading “Book Repair: Broken Cloth & Paperback Books”

Miniature Framed Paintings

with e ainsley
Saturday, June 15; 10am–4pm CT

Create a painterly paper sculpture while exploring two methods of papermaking: pulp painting and sculptural papermaking using a silicone mold. Start by making a silicone mold of a picture frame (outer dimensions no larger than 8 x 11 inches). Then, explore various styles of pulp painting through the use of stencils and freehand work. The pulp-painted sheet of paper is placed into the image area of the silicone mold and paper pulp is packed around the remaining area to form the frame. Once completely dry, the paper sculpture can be removed from the silicone mold to reveal a small pulp-painted work of art framed in paper pulp!  Continue reading “Miniature Framed Paintings”

Garden Monotypes

with Mary Leikvold and Anika Schneider
Sundays: June 16 & 23; 10am–4pm CT

Calling all garden lovers! In this lively in-person workshop, transform plant material from your garden (or someone else’s) into beautiful one-of-a-kind prints. Monotypes offer artists the spontaneity of painting combined with the structure and deliberation of printmaking. The process is fun and freeing for everyonefrom beginners to experienced artists. Learn the basics, then experiment and explore the medium under the guidance of two experienced printmakers and teachers. Come away from the workshop with a portfolio of prints celebrating the garden. Continue reading “Garden Monotypes”

Letterpress 1–4 Intensive

with Bethany Rahn
Tuesday–Friday: June 18, 19, 20, 21; 10am–4pm CT

Take a deep-dive into letterpress printing on Vandercook press in this four-day letterpress intensive, which covers all four workshops in MCBA’s letterpress series—Letterpress 1: Printing Basics, Letterpress 2: Setting Type, Letterpress 3: Two-Color Postcards, and Letterpress 4: Editioning. By the end of the week, participants will be ready to register for Letterpress Labs and rent presses to print independent projects! Continue reading “Letterpress 1–4 Intensive”

Ekphrastic Poetry: Writing about Your Art

with grace (ge) gilbert
Wednesday, June 19; 7–9pm CT

The word ‘ekphrasis’—poetry that is inspired by works of visual art—comes from the Greek word for ‘description.’ However, ekphrastic poetry moves beyond just describing what is happening in a work of art. It also expands the purpose of the work and re-writes it, as poet Mary Jo Bang says. In this virtual workshop, we will discuss the genesis and history of ekphrastic poetry, why a poet might write in response to art, and how this could apply to your own work. Participants will receive multiple generative prompts for writing their own poems and will come away with both new original writing and a new understanding of the long, storied relationship between text and image. Designed for artists and writers who want to expand their practice.  Continue reading “Ekphrastic Poetry: Writing about Your Art”

Woodcut Printmaking: June

with Leah Klister
Thursdays: June 20 & 27; 6–9pm CT

Experience the process of relief printing while carving and printing your own design in this in-person workshop. Learn all steps of the process, from transferring your design to the printing block to signing your first edition of prints! Instruction will cover methods for turning your design into an image for woodcut printing, carving techniques, techniques for printing by hand with a baren (a smooth pad used to apply pressure when printing), and how to repeat the carving and printing process to achieve more depth and layers on your prints. Continue reading “Woodcut Printmaking: June”

Japanese Papermaking: June

with Bridget O’Malley
Saturday, June 22; 10am–5pm CT

Explore the tools and techniques of Japanese papermaking in this in-person workshop. Learn fiber preparation techniques including cooking, cleaning and hand beating, sheet formation, pressing, and drying. Finished papers can be strong yet nearly translucent, and sheet size can range from 5 x 7 inches to 5 x 7 feet! Come away from the workshop with the skills needed to make Japanese paper independently during MCBA’s Papermaking Labs. Continue reading “Japanese Papermaking: June”

Print Poetry with Arabic Type

with Andrea Shaker
Saturday, June 22; 1–4pm CT

Experience letterpress printing while printing lines of Arabic poetry with MCBA’s new collection of Arabic wood type. This in-person workshop is designed for those with little or no letterpress experience with a desire to build skills and community through playful experimentation with Arabic typography! Text will be pre-designed with type locked up in presses in advance to maximize printing time and allow for the basic concepts of printing to be introduced. We will make 2-3 distinct prints (approximately 10 x 14 inches in size), each with a line of poetry in Arabic. Participants will have some creative input with ink colors and may select and hand-set a word (as a group) in wood type to print. Participants can take home a selection of ten to fifteen prints at the end of the workshop. Continue reading “Print Poetry with Arabic Type”

Box Building: Drawers & Dividers

with Erin Maurelli
Tuesdays: June 25, July 2, 9, 16; 6:30–9pm CT

A fun thing to do when making boxes is to create custom containers to hold your treasures, tools, and collections. In this virtual workshop, learn to create drawers that slide and divisions within the box. Create a box that has a lid with a hinge, a divided tray, and a drawer. Basic box building experience is required, including experience covering boards and checking to make sure your boards and compartments are square. Continue reading “Box Building: Drawers & Dividers”

Color Theory for Book Artists

with Louise Fisher
Saturday, June 29; 10am–4pm CT

Learn how to mix any color imaginable using Pantone letterpress inks. This in-person workshop is great for any artist who wants to expand their palette or feels intimidated by color. Special attention will be placed on printing, but what’s learned can be easily translated to other art mediums such as painting. Instruction in the morning will focus on color theory, developing your own palette, and color mixing demonstrations. In the afternoon, participants will create color swatch prints using pre-cut blocks on the Vandercook press. Continue reading “Color Theory for Book Artists”

Book Arts Camp! Ages 12–15

with Rachel Payne
Tuesday–Friday, July 9–12; 10am–4pm CT

Explore new art mediums in MCBA’s book arts studios! Learn four bindings and several paper decoration techniques in this four-day, in-person book arts immersion designed for ages 12–15! Start by learning the flexagon, an origami-like structure that is part book, part toy! Learn traditional side-stitch bindings, commonly referred to as Japanese, but actually developed in many East Asian countries including Japan, China, Korea, and Vietnam—in Southeastern Asia. Make a tunnel book, which is a tiny diorama-like book that can be embellished with collage, drawings, and more. Last, create a perfect binding which you may find similar to a store-bought notebook, made up of sheets of paper glued together at the spine.  Continue reading “Book Arts Camp! Ages 12–15”