Category: Related Arts

Posted on

Related Arts

MCBA’s in-person and virtual workshops in book arts are designed for adults looking to spark their creativity and professionals aiming to hone their practice. Our in-studio workshops offer hands-on experiences with specialized equipment and small class sizes, and often include a physical takeaway like a book, poster, or handmade paper. Virtual workshops feature processes that require easy-to-source materials and the opportunity to connect with artists from near and far. Our teaching artists—who bring a wide range of experience and education—thoughtfully balance lecture, demonstration, work time, and group sharing.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Posted on

Art Practice Circle: October

with Laura Brown
Tuesday, October 3; 7–8:30pm CT

Art Practice Circle meets virtually and offers a friendly community space to listen and share about artmaking. The benefits of connecting with fellow makers are multiple: to inspire and encourage one another, to be an audience for one another’s work and creative process, and to move our work forward by talking about it out loud. This monthly gathering will provide time for each person to share about their work—a particular work in progress, an idea that needs exploring, or a struggle with a specific work—as well as a conversation about what inspires us and strategies for tracking progress. Recommended for those who practice some form of book arts (book/paper/print) or related process (such as calligraphy, papercutting, marbling, etc.).

Continue reading “Art Practice Circle: October”

Posted on

Copyright 101: Rights and Permissions for Artists

with Suzanne Glémot
Tuesday, October 10; 7–9pm CT

Publishing is essentially the activity of making information available to the public, whether for sale or free of charge. Depending on their context, art practices like printing and calligraphy can be considered forms of publishing. Because of copyright, artists working in these techniques are responsible for securing formal permission to use and work with text and/or images not originally their own.

In this virtual workshop, we’ll dig into copyright as it works in the US, what it protects, and when artists need to obtain permissions from copyright owners. We’ll cover the public domain, the fair use doctrine, and unusual cases like song lyrics and epigraphs. We’ll also walk through how to request permission for copyrighted material from authors or publishers. Participants will come away from this session with a base of knowledge and resources towards addressing copyright in their future projects. Continue reading “Copyright 101: Rights and Permissions for Artists”

Posted on

The Stenciled Image

with Stephanie Wolff
Wednesday, October 11; 5–8pm CT

Stenciled artwork generally breaks down an image into its most essential parts. Think of graffiti artists whose spray-painted graphics use stencils for making quick, repeatable images. In this workshop we will cover a basic method of creating and using stencils to make multiple copies on paper. Our focus will be on learning the general mechanics of stenciling. The instructor will focus on the use of acrylic ink for stenciling and will show demos of other mediums (not including spray painting). Additionally, the use of jigs to get good registration both of the image and its placement on the paper will be addressed. This one-session workshop will provide a good basis for further experimentation afterward.  Continue reading “The Stenciled Image”

Posted on

Content for Artist’s Books: How to Get Started (And Keep Going!)

with Dana King
Saturday, October 14; 10am–4pm and Sunday, October 15; 1–4pm CT

In this in-person workshop, gain tools to generate and refine content for artist’s books. Begin with a short presentation on form and content in artist’s books. Next, we’ll discuss a list of generative exercises and try one out! We’ll also work through two sequencing exercises developed by Gregory Halpern—photographer, teacher, and Guggenheim Fellow. Make simple book structures to build a habit of making “book sketches” or simple, cost-effective models used to see how a book’s content and structure will work together in a physical book form before committing to a final version with more expensive materials. The remainder of the workshop will be spent putting ideas into practice with support from the instructor and friendly group feedback. Participants are encouraged to bring works in progress, images and/or writing for book projects, and any other materials of interest. Continue reading “Content for Artist’s Books: How to Get Started (And Keep Going!)”

Posted on

A History of the Book for Book Artists

with Rebecca Hranj
Saturdays: October 21 & 28; 1–4pm CT

What is a book? As book artists we continuously explore this question through our own work and our thoughts about the work of others. In this in-person workshop, we will consider how we can make our own work richer by asking, “What has a book been?” Through the lens of book history we will examine a variety of books: print books in our hands, images of books photographed by libraries and museums, and books that are exclusively digital. With this new knowledge we will work together to develop individual projects that engage historical bindings and methods. Questions we wrestle with may include: Is this how my ancestors would have done it? What role does colonization play in this book? Who has been oppressed, erased, or stigmatized through these materials? Can I cue my audience about the content by referring to the design of an important book—say, a 1940s pulp novel or a hand-lettered medieval manuscript? Come with open curiosity and leave with new context for your artistic practice. Continue reading “A History of the Book for Book Artists”