A Goodbye and A Welcome

 June 7, 2023

Almost ten years ago, I went from an occasional instructor for the KBAC to taking on the responsibilities of Administrative Director. It truly was the best decision I’ve ever made in my work life. I’m happy to have made a real contribution to the organization and to those we serve. It’s a grand feeling!  

 And now I’m riding that feeling into the sunset. Letting Jeff and Katie know that I would retire in mid-2023 was really hard, but other things pull at me. So, it’s time. I’ll remain as an instructor at the KBAC and add some interests back into my life that have been put on hold or not explored fully.

 Writing grants, handling programming and class registrations, keeping track of the checkbook, making social media posts, and much more, is the job. But what is most memorable is a rather long list of intangibles…

• Making connections in the community, including our Board, area libraries, collaborative partners, and some very talented area artists. Kalamazoo is a special place!

• Coming up with silly Edible Book Festival entries each year, watching the interest in the Illustrated Accordion exhibition explode, and developing the idea for the Kids Print Extravaganza that showcased the work of thousands of area elementary school kids.

• Teaching kids in the studio and watching their eyes light up when they first touch cotton pulp in the paper studio or understand the concept of letterpress printing (upside down and backwards!) with our antique equipment.

• Meeting and being inspired by visiting artists, including Amos Kennedy, Shawn Sheehy, Helen Hiebert, Ben Blount, David Small, Jennifer Farrell, Aimee Lee, Andrea Peterson, and others. These are some of the Who’s Who of the Book Arts world. Wow!

• Going to Italy on the first adult Book Arts in Venice trip and savoring every minute of the experience. If you can swing it, do it!

• Seeing interns blossom into accomplished printers, papermakers, and bookbinders and then move on to exciting new opportunities.

• Completely re-making our store so that it is more enjoyable to shop and better highlights the wonderful things we make here.

• Developing new educational programming, and inviting guest instructors to teach adult classes so that our class offerings are always fresh and interesting. We love the book arts and want others to as well.  

• Making the sudden and unexpected transition to online programming, extreme belt-tightening, and new income sources when Covid disrupted the globe. And then using those lessons to help the KBAC become even stronger as we move forward.

• Celebrating the friendship, work, and life of co-founder Paul Robbert along with his lovely wife, Ros.

Accomplishing all this with limited resources and not enough hours in the day meant that Jeff, Katie, and I worked together seamlessly. In that effort, we became friends, and without hesitation, that goes to the top of the list of valuables.

Now, as the door closes behind me, it opens for Cathy Feeman. Cathy is new to the area but brings a wealth of experience as a visual artist, her time as the Exhibits Director for the Chicago Calligraphy Collective, and most recently, Exhibition and Project Coordinator for the School of the Arts at Indiana University Northwest. In many years, when she looks back on her time here, I hope her list of wonders is just as long as mine. Please welcome her at cathy@kalbookarts.org.

The KBAC will always have a special place in my heart, and I look forward to seeing the amazing things they accomplish next.

 Lorrie

Administrative Director (former)

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