The Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts (External Site) at the University of Southern Maine (USM) is excited to be hosting it’s annual Book Arts Bazaar after a 2-year hiatus. The Book Arts Bazaar is a festival with book artists, papermakers, bookbinders, printmakers, educators writers and all things related to the book. Free and open to the public!
Sunday April 3, 2022 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Wishcamper Center, University of Southern Maine Portland Campus 34 Bedford St. Portland, Maine
Free parking in the University of Southern Maine Parking Garage at 88 Bedford Street, attached to the Abromson Community Education Center. The entrance and exit to the parking garage is found on the side street of Surrenden St., closest to the skywalk.
Join me this coming June for RSP 299 Gathering in the Garden: Poetry and Studio art, offered through the University of Southern Maine.
RSP 299 Gathering in the Garden: Poetry and Studio Art
June 13th-19th, 2022
Welcome to RSP 299 Gathering in the Garden: Poetry and Studio Art. This is a one-week intensive studio class with Zoom sessions Mon, Tues, Fri, and Sun and site visits Wed. and Sat.
The course is co-taught by Lisa Hibl, Director of the Russell Scholars Program, and Rachel Church, intermedial book artist and Part-time Art Faculty, and is designed to encourage interdisciplinary creativity. It fulfills the Creative Expression Core requirement at the University of Southern Maine. Credits: 3
Schedule Details:
June 13, 9-11 am class meets on Zoom.
June 14, 9-11 am and 4-6 pm class meets on Zoom.
June 15, 9 am-1 pm class meets at Coastal Maine Botanical Garden in Boothbay, bring your lunch (if students are not in the mid-coast Maine area we will guide them in selecting an appropriate garden site near where they live as an alternative).
June 16, 9-11 am and 4-6 pm class meets on Zoom.
June 17, 9-11 am and 4-6 pm class meets on Zoom.
June 18, 9 am – 1 pm class meets at Pineland Farms, Cumberland, bring your lunch (visit your alternative garden site as approved by instructors).
June 19, 9-11 am class meets on Zoom.
Final Project due by July 3.
How to Register:
Priority Registration (Matriculated USM/UMS students): March 1-2
I am so happy to be part of this exhibition with the Critique Group at the USM Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts, and the Portland Public Library did a great job in creating the virtual experience!
Untitled, 2020: Art from Maine in a _____ Time is now on view online at the the Portland Museum of Art! While I hope we can safely go see the show in person soon when the museum re-opens, in the meantime visit https://www.portlandmuseum.org/2020 to view videos about the exhibition, explore the gallery through a virtual tour, and learn more about each artist and artwork selected.
Today is the day! Join the Portland Museum of Art this evening at 6 p.m. for the virtual opening of Untitled, 2020: Art from Maine in a _ Time on their Facebook page (External Site) or on their website (External Site). I am so honored to be included in this special exhibit. I hope you are able to check it out!
Three Saturday Synchronous Online Workshops with Zoom October 10, 17, & 24, 2020 9:30 – 11:30 AM Eastern Standard Time $80 for All Three Workshops, Click Here to Register Online or call (207) 780-5900
Maximum enrollment 15
Course Description:
Over the course of three sessions you will learn a set of at-home techniques and structures for creating engaging artist’s books with little surprises such as storage compartments, peek-through cut outs, and custom patterned paper. In the first session we will learn how to print patterned papers using simple supplies at home. Next, we will explore masu boxes, a folded box structure that can used to create a variety of book objects with storage compartments. And in the last session, we will learn to make a suite of single-page folded book structures and look at how to incorporate cut-outs to take advantage of both sides of the paper.
Image Below: Workshop Student Artist Book by Emma Betterley-Dow
Supplies you will need:
bone folder
scissors
x-acto knife with blades
metal ruler
cutting surface, such as self-healing mat
1 roll of clear packing tape
glue stick or white glue and small glue brush (optional, but handy)
12 sheets regular printer paper (white or colored) for in-workshop demos
You can complete all techniques using computer paper if needed, but you may also want some additional light to mid-weight, foldable paper for your projects. Look for acid free options if possible. Some suggestions are:
Strathmore 400 Series 80lb drawing paper
Strathmore 300 Series 70lb drawing paper
Canson drawing or lightweight watercolor paper (such as Foundations 90lb watercolor)
Canson Mi-Teintes colored drawing paper
scrap paper
a few wooden blocks in the 2”x2” to 4”x4” range, such us cut up plywood (If you can’t get wood, cardboard cut into at least 4-5 smaller pieces of the same size will do in a pinch)
piece of Plexiglas at least 9×12, a couple would be best, or one larger one
something for moving ink, such as a palette knife, putty knife, spatula or plastic spoon
ink:
Option 1: Speedball Water Soluble Block Printing Ink in a variety of colors you like and that you can mix together. https://www.dickblick.com/products/speedball-water-soluble-block-printing-inks/ (starter pack would work) – These inks print a little more vibrant than the screen-printing inks, and leave a slightly textured surface that you will need to be careful of when using a bone folder
Option 2: Speedball Acrylic Screen Printing Ink in a variety of colors you like and that you can mix together. https://www.dickblick.com/products/speedball-permanent-acrylic-screen-printing-ink/ (starter pack would work, white would be a nice addition) – I like these inks because they dry on the paper with a very, light, smooth finish that folds nicely.
Paper towels or rags for clean-up
dish soap, clear hand soap, Simple Green, and/or Windex for clean-up
In addition to these items you will need an internet connection to log-into the class, preferably on a larger screen such as a laptop or iPad (vs. phone) so you can see the demos. Please set up your workstation near your computer/iPad so you can follow along. Access to a sink is helpful for clean-up.
I am super honored to have been selected for Creative Portland’s most recent juried exhibition: 2020 VISION: PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE. The exhibit was moved online due to COVID-19 and is one view July 1st – April 15th at: https://www.creativeportland.com/2020VISION
Thank you to Creative Portland and the jurors for including my work!
Rachel E. Church 