WANT TO KNOW HOW TO MAKE A BOOK? MAKE PAPER? MAKE PRINTS? WE CAN HELP!

February 18, 2022

It’s no secret that much of what we do here involves education. We have programs that are routinely done with elementary, middle, and high school kids as well as a large variety of adult classes each year. We also love creating individualized programs for area organizations and small groups. The last two years has added virtual learning to our repertoire and brought more enthusiasts to our community. It’s been interesting to translate book arts programming, that often requires very specific (and large) equipment, into concepts that can be learned somewhere other than in our studio. It’s all good!

Now, after months of work, we’re thrilled to introduce a series of short videos that will give you a basic understanding of some of the book arts disciplines: papermaking, letterpress, printmaking and bookbinding. You’ll also get to see our space and unique equipment (of which we are quite proud!).  

These videos feature Jeff Abshear, our Executive Director, as he introduces you to the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center history, space, and possibilities. Katie Platte, our Studio Manager, shows you how letterpress works and walks you through some bookbinding terms, tips, and techniques. Lorrie Grainger Abdo, our Administrative Director, takes you through the many steps of making a sheet of paper. After watching these videos you’ll really appreciate why a sheet of paper with a deckled edge is quite a beautiful and precious thing!

All the videos are on our YouTube channel, and we plan to continue to add to the list. Our hope is that they will be a good resource for anyone interested in the book arts and encourage you to learn more in a class with us or someone else. Keeping these arts alive, and equipment humming, is important to us all.

Jeff, Katie and Lorrie

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