The School for Bookbinding Arts

We are pleased to offer our 2021 line-up of courses. There are many bookbinding courses from which to choose, and the descriptions and particulars of these are to be found below. We’re sure you’ll find something to appeal to your inner bookbinder.

We are delighted once again to host Carol Barton teaching her “Pop-Up Structures” class that is essential for anyone wishing to include pop-ups in their work with bookbinding and paper arts. We are also pleased to have Jamie Thurman on board for the “Book Repairs for General Library Collections.” We know that our students will benefit much from Jamie’s expertise in dealing with the repairs needed on circulating collections.

The Silk Road was series of east-west land and sea trade routes in existence at least by the first century AD but are not known to have had any contemporary name associated with them. It was in the 19th century that German explorer and geographer Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen coined the name “Seidenstrasse” (Silk Road) to describe these early routes that transported all manner of goods from eastern Asia to as far west as Rome.

The Art of Fabric Marbling
Silk Road Arts Series

April 22 – 23  (Thurs – Fri)    9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.   $295 + $55 materials
OR
April 26 – 27  (Mon – Tue)    9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.   $295 + $55 materials

Fabric marbling is an art and a passion for guest instructors Regina and Dan St. John, who will teach you how to turn blank cloth into marbled magic. This class affords students the opportunity to marble their own yardage of cotton, linen, or silk, and to purchase scarves and other finished goods on which to marble. No prerequisite.

Instructors: Regina and Dan St. John

Pop-Up Structures

June 24 – 25  (Thurs – Fri)
9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
$295

Students will learn a variety of pop-up structures—beginning with non-adhesive cut-and-fold pop-ups and progressing through a series of more complex, glued constructions. Students will receive instruction in folding and positioning techniques as well as suggestions for incorporating graphics into their pop-up designs. A slideshow of historical and artist-made pop-ups will be presented in order to provide models and departure points for the student’s own innovative new work. Students will be encouraged to explore new applications and to experiment with integrating visual content and text with their pop-ups. This is an ideal session for book artists, paper artists, art teachers, and graphic designers. No prerequisite.

Instructor: Carol Barton

The Art of Japanese Bookbinding

Silk Road Arts Series

August 26 – 27  (Thurs – Fri)
9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
$295 + $45 materials fee

The Japanese traditional aesthetic and culture embodies the concept that art is not a separate entity from life, and mindfulness in life has the potential itself to be a thing of beauty. This philosophical foundation is an integral part of the Japanese method of bookmaking. From the care taken in making rice paste to the cutting of the text paper, everything has a way and a purpose in the world of Japanese bookbinding. In this course, students will create their own Japanese-style bound books using traditional Nipponese methods. Emphasis will be placed on learning established book construction techniques as well as the historical uses for a variety of Japanese bindings. The class also features a demonstration on the preparation of book cloth, a material far different from its western counterpart. As a bonus, students will look in on a demonstration of traditional Japanese woodblock printing.
No prerequisite.

Instructor: Lana Lambert

Suminagashi Marbling

Silk Road Arts Series

September 1  (Wed)
9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
$205 + $45 materials fee

Suminagashi was developed in Japan at least by the 12th century AD, and its ethereal patterns are created from inks floating on water that are manipulated by the gentle forces of the artist’s breath or a cat’s whisker. (The bookbinding school is in possession of several very fine cats who are prolific producers of whiskers.) Suminagshi papers constitute art in their own right, but historically have been used as backgrounds for the written word and for images. Origami from suminagashi marbling is particularly beautiful, and a thousand years on, new and inventive uses for suminagashi continue to inspire and amaze. No prerequisite.

Instructors: Regina and Dan St. John

Spices from Along the Silk Road

Silk Road Arts Series

September 2  (Thurs)
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
$75

Please join Chef Natalie Ramos as she takes you on a voyage of the senses that will enlighten your palate and bring to life the storied histories and uses of the rich and evocative spices that were transported along the historic Silk Road trade routes. Some of these spices are ones that today are commonplace in our lives, but in most cases we have become long separated from the history, danger, and mythology associated with the spice trade. Be with us for an unforgettable journey that will enliven your senses and reconnect you with history. No prerequisite.

Instructor: Natalie Ramos

Beginning Paper Marbling

Silk Road Arts Series

 September 3 – 4  (Fri – Sat)
9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
$295 + $45 materials fee

Marbled papers grace the covers of books both inside and out and are used in countless other arts from box making to matting & framing to greeting cards. You will begin this class by learning how to set up to do marbling and from there embark on your marbling journey. You will learn many traditional combed patterns and how to use the marbling inks to bring forth your own decorative vision from the marbling tank. This course includes numerous extras such as instruction in marbling the edges of book pages and leather. The course culminates with students creating their own marbled-leather, edge-marbled journal. In addition to the journal, students may reasonably expect to produce 20 to 30 marbled papers during the class. No excursion through the arts of the Silk Road would be complete without a foray into the techniques that originated during the late Middle Ages in the marbling communities within countries including Persia and Syria. Feel the storied history of this art form come to life under your fingers. So long as we continue to learn and practice it, this knowledge will never be lost. No prerequisite.

Instructors: Regina and Dan St. John

Peek-a-Book Coptic Binding

Silk Road Arts Series

September 6 – 7  (Mon – Tue)
9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
$295 + $45 materials

This workshop features a signature-sewn text with its structural origins in the 2nd century among the Egyptian Christian community, the Copts. Coptic bindings continued to be made and used through the 11th century and today are recognized as an important foundation for all of modern, western bookbinding tradition. Dan St. John adds his own flair to this ancient structure by incorporating marbled paper that peeps out fetchingly from the sewing structure to give a modern touch to this historical style steeped in rich tradition.  No prerequisite.

Instructor: Dan St. John

The Essential Ebru:
Turkish Marbling

September 8 – 9 (Wed – Thurs)
9:30 a.m. –  4:30 p.m.
$295 + $45 materials fee

Ebru, meaning “cloud painting,” has a long and venerated history within Turkish marbling tradition. The St. Johns have been honored to visit the workshops of numerous contemporary ebru masters and to learn about their philosophies, methods, and tools. This workshop will teach the principles of ebru using acrylic pigments while creating marbled patterns that embody the essence of this exquisite art that is uniquely Turkish. No prerequisite.

Instructors: Regina and Dan St. John

Bellissimo! Italian
Marbled Paper Patterns

Silk Road Arts Series

September 10 – 11 (Fri – Sat)
9:30 a.m. –  4:30 p.m.
$295 + $45 materials fee

This course will take you beyond the traditional Italian combed patterns (marmo pettinato) into the realms of challenging patterns such as peacock (pavone), snail (chiocciola), and stone (pietra). In their travels, Regina and Dan always make a point of visiting Italian marbling production houses both small and large. The knowledge shared through these contacts represents a legacy that continues on through the teaching of the craft. No prerequisite.

Instructors: Regina and Dan St. John