Material Words is a studio-based program for playful and exacting artists, writers, designers, and craftspersons—and anyone who loves language and books. This exploratory program will introduce you to major elements of the wide field of books arts: hand-bookbinding, experimental artist's books, and letterpress printing; you'll have the option to take one of these practices as your main focus.
Hand-bookbinding instruction will cover ancient practices of sewing and covering books. You will develop proficiency with a variety of hand tools and material practices that will allow you to continue learning binding techniques independently.
Experimental artists' books instruction will allow you to see books as an expressive form laden with cultural values and formal intricacies. A series of conceptual assignments and workshops will challenge you to integrate the form and idea of the book with your own obsessions, material sensibilities, and inter-media abilities.
Letterpress instruction will offer you all the finer points of hand-setting metal type, typographic design strategies, and setting up a print job for perfect results. Letterpress is a highly-involved, time-intensive practice; after a brief introduction, you can opt in or out from further letterpress work!
By choosing your assignments from a menu of challenges, you'll develop a portfolio of experiments and finished pieces along with a personal project that will push you to develop project planning skills, articulate conceptual foundations for creative work, and focus on your chosen areas of practice.
Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:
8 - Introduction to Book Arts: Hand Binding and Letterpress
Registration
Academic Details
writing, graphic design, art, craft, publishing.
$130 fee covers studio access ($50) and tools and materials for required projects($80)
Students may need to purchase additional materials for individualized projects