Vermont Open Studio Weekend – Montpelier/Calais Artists

Vermont’s 20th Open Studio Weekend is just around the corner (May 26 & 27)! If you’re planning on visiting my studio (and you totally should), you can visit other great artists within a 20-ish minute drive of here.

There are 7 studios participating in the Montpelier/Calais area. Artists are offering exhibits and demonstrations of pottery, jewelry, photography, mixed media, painting, and more.

I’ll be referring to studios by both name and number – the number refers to a listing in the 2012 Vermont Studio Tour Guide. There are several ways to get your hands on a map:

• Pick up a copy at Artisans Hand Craft Gallery at the intersection of State and Main Streets in Montpelier (they’re an official Regional Information Center)
• Print out a full copy (warning – this is a big file)
• View a detailed map of Washington County on the Vermont Crafts Council website

Here’s the rundown of who’s who (click on the links to learn more about specific artists):

• #209 - Annie Tiberio Cameron Photography/Annie Tiberio Cameron: Photography, botanicals, abstracts, nature, wilderness. 
• #210 – Artisans Hand: Vermont State Craft Center. Contemporary Vermont crafts, jewelry, photography.
• #211 - Blue Roof Designs/Elissa Campbell: Handmade books (that’s me!)
• #213 – Thistle Hill Pottery/Jennifer Boyer: Functional stoneware pottery.
• #215 – Ray Brown: Memory-based landscapes painted in oils.
• #216 – Missy Storrow: Expressionist water media paintings, photography, oils.
• #217 – The Happiness Paradigm/Ginny Sassaman: Banners, mobiles, pins, cards, happiness.

Please note that (unfortunately) studios #212 and #214 have had to opt out of the tour.

I created the map below to help you plan your travels. Because the studios are so close to each other, you can visit quite a few of them within a short period of time.

Have fun!

Make that map bigger!

Countdown to Open Studio Weekend…

Two weeks until Vermont Open Studio Weekend!

Yesterday I took a stroll down to Postcard Town. Ugh.

Ugh aside, I love love love my postcard this year and it is big – 8.5″ x 6″. Check it out:

Once again, I received help from my hubby on the design. Did I mention that I love them? Here’s the back for you curious folk:

Once again, I used a QR code in the bottom right-hand corner of the postcard. If you’re on my mailing list, you’ll just have to scan that dealie with your smart phone to find out what it says.

Here’s a closeup of the QR code:

It’s got my logo in it! I used Unitag’s Custom QR Code Generator. Not only can you add your logo to a code, but you can also change the color.

The mailing will be going out tomorrow. It includes a coupon that you can use when visiting me during Open Studio Weekend.

If you’d like to join my snail mail list, just contact me and I’ll hook you up. I have three postcards with me at PBI, so you’ll get one postmarked from Michigan!

Book Arts Guild of Vermont exhibit: Shaping Pages, take 2

The Book Arts Guild of Vermont‘s spring exhibit, Shaping Pages has a new venue! The Creative Space Gallery, a great friend to the Guild, is hosting us through late June.

My book Little Known Facts About Crap is in the exhibit. If you didn’t get to see it at the S.P.A.C.E Gallery, you have a second chance!

You can view images from the exhibit on the Guild website. Be sure to check out our review in Seven Days, where the author granted my book a “Funny Award”.

If you’d like to check out the show, here’s the scoop:

Creative Space Gallery
235 Main Street
Vergennes, VT 05491
(802) 877-3850

Dates: May 3, 2012 – June 24, 2012
Gallery Hours: Thursday – Friday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Saturday: 10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Sunday 10:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Shaping Pages Review

The Book Arts Guild of Vermont‘s spring exhibit, Shaping Pages opened on April 6th and is on display now through April 28th at the S.P.A.C.E Gallery in Burlington, VT.

My book Little Known Facts About Crap is in the exhibit, one of the books I created during the 2012 Book Arts Improv.

I was surprised to see that Seven Days, one of Vermont’s independent newspapers, reviewed our exhibit.

Overall, it was a favorable review. For that reason, it’s hard for me to express my concern that the writer doesn’t seem to know much about the book arts. The following comments worried me:

None of the works is an actual book, of course. Among the techniques in evidence here are repurposing book pages in sculptural constructions; making “pages” out of something else, such as cloth; referencing the concept of books in a mixed-media facsimile; and using printed text within a wholly un-book-like artwork. Some pieces in the exhibit seem to qualify as “book” art only because they are constructed from paper. But then, who said there were rules?

Huh?

Our exhibit included flag books, accordion books, and coptic bindings, among others. Those seems like “actual books” to me. And to imply that a book can only be “real” if it’s made of paper?

Wuh?

Check out the exhibit for yourself.

Even though I’m not happy with how the book arts were portrayed in the review, I’m excited that my book was singled out:

If there were a Funny Award in this exhibit, it would have to go to “Little Known Facts About Crap,” by Elissa Campbell. Inside the covers of this small book are tiny paper “pages” the shape and color of turds. On these Campbell has written nonsensical “facts,” such as “Holy crap can be repaired with duct tape.” With an apt self-deprecation that many legitimate authors ought to display, she concludes, “The contents of this book: total crap.”

I now have a virtual Funny Award in my studio. Whee!

And I’d like to point out that she did state that my piece was a book, didn’t she?

Inside the covers of this small book are tiny paper “pages” the shape and color of turds.

Just sayin’…

Book Arts Guild of Vermont exhibit: Shaping Pages

The Book Arts Guild of Vermont‘s spring exhibit, Shaping Pages opened on April 6th and is on display now through April 28th at the S.P.A.C.E Gallery in Burlington, VT.

Not only does the gallery host exhibits, but it also manages a number of artist studios. Overall, it’s a breathtaking creative environment.

The show at the S.P.A.C.E Gallery was one of the stops on the First Friday Art Walk, a Burlington event held from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. on the first Friday of every month. It was mobbed!

I was thrilled to have my book Little Known Facts About Crap in the exhibit…

…and even more thrilled to see folks checking it out…

…and even more thrilled to learn that it sold at the opening!

This is the first time that I’ve seen a red dot next to my name. It’s weird and I like it!

I wonder if they’ll give the red dot to me when the show ends. Should I ask?

Yes, I’m a dork.

Guild members submitted some seriously fabulous work for the show. One of my favorite pieces is Marcia Vogler’s Dream Burger:

Everything Marcia makes is super-awesome. That’s right Marcia – if you’re reading this, you now know that I think you have mad skills.

If you’d like to check out the show, here’s the scoop:

S.P.A.C.E. Gallery
266 Pine Street Burlington, VT 05401
(802) 578-2512

Dates: April 6, 2012 – April 28, 2012
Gallery Hours: Thursday – Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Workshop at Springfield H.S. Arts Academy

Last week I taught bookbinding at the Springfield High School Arts Academy in Springfield, Vermont. This year I taught 152 students over the course of three days.

Catherine, my assistant of the past three years, was so helpful. She prepped all the materials in advance and loaded up a cart for us. If we ran out of something, off to the art room she went to get more.

You’d think that after having been to the school twice before, I’d know my way around.

Nope – I’m pathologically, directionally impaired.

As I’ve mentioned before (here and here), the Springfield Arts Academy is based on the premise that integrating the arts into all subjects helps to reinforce concepts that students are learning. For three days, I taught four 90-minute blocks in a variety of classes – Poetry, Civics, Math, History, and Art.

All of the classes were working on the theme of revolution and it was approached in different ways – Industrial Revolution, American Revolution, cultural revolution of the 60′s – it’s such a rich subject. The work will culminate in the school’s Tenth Annual Arts Festival, where all the books will be on display.

I loved some of the questions/comments I got this year:

• “Do you do a lot of this in your spare time?” I do a lot of this in my work time.
• “Can you get me a bone smusher?” She was referring to a bone folder.
• “I object that this bone folder is made from cow bone.” Hmm…you’re wearing a leather jacket.

This year’s structures included the flag book…

…and the star book.

This year I was lucky enough to see some of the content creation. One class had taken photos that were cut up and used as flags – the completed books were so cool!

When the books were arranged together, they made a compelling display.

I’m on the Teaching Artist Roster!

I am thrilled to announce that I have just become a juried member of the Vermont Arts Council Teaching Artist Roster!

Since I love teaching, I have wanted this for what feels like forever. The jury process is only held every other year and by the time I had heard about it, I had just missed the deadline. Of course.

When you visit my directory listing on the VT Arts Council website, you’ll see a lovely juried note in the upper right-hand corner. I’m loving me some red!

When you’re on the Teaching Artist Roster, you open the door for schools and community organizations to apply for grant funding to have you come and teach. There are two grant programs available:

• The Teaching Artists Residency Grant is available for school residencies that are a minimum of five days. Grant amounts range from $500-$1500 and 1:1 non-federal cash match is required.
• The Teaching Artist Express Grant is available to cover artist fees for either one or two days. Grant amount is $250.00 per day. This grant does not require matching funds.

If you’re interested in having me come teach for your organization and would like more information, please contact me. I’d love to talk bookmaking with you!

Strappy Journal workshop at Beth Jacob Synagogue

I have been in a total workshop-o-rama lately – it has been chaotic, but I’m loving it!

This past weekend, I taught my Strappy Journal workshop at Beth Jacob Synagogue in Montpelier, VT.

I got to work with a lovely group of 10 women. We were a cozy bunch!

The Synagogue is taking part in a community-wide book read which includes People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. I have meant to read this book for a while now. It’s about a woman tasked to work on conserving a Sarajevo Haggadah. Embarrassingly, I usually only read books about bookbinding (the non-fiction kind).

I really enjoy watching people sew. This particular binding, once you get the hang of it, offers a meditative sewing experience. Folks in the workshop seemed to pick up on it pretty quickly.

I love that the Synagogue chose a craft workshop that related to their book club reading. There’s so much potential in teaching workshops in nontraditional settings. I hope I have the opportunity to do more of it!

Mixed Media Cards Marathon workshop at Studio Place Arts

I recently taught a Mixed Media Cards Marathon at Studio Place Arts – perfect timing for Valentine’s Day!

I taught a number of techniques in the workshop, including image transfer, rubber stamp carving, and pop-ups. Although the focus of the workshop was card-making, all the techniques taught in the class are applicable to book arts.

If you couldn’t make it to this workshop, but were interested in doing so, please let me know. I can make a better case for scheduling the workshop in the future if I know that people are interested in it.

Plus I just like punching out big fat hearts.

Worktable Wednesday

Working on student kits for this Friday’s Mixed Media Cards Marathon workshop at Studio Place Arts.

And still sick.