Celebrating Shakespeare!

James Reid-Cunningham, bookbinder, conservator, and book historian gave a great presentation, Artistic Bookbinding in the Twenty-First Century. He explores the complex balance of art and craft in artistic bookbinding, as illustrated in the exhibition currently on display at The British Art Center, “The Poet of Them All”: William Shakespeare and Miniature Designer Bindings from the Collection of Neale and Margaret Albert



First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare will be in Colorado
August 9-31, 2016
Register for FREE timed tickets here:
www.ShakespeareatCU.brownpapertickets.com
The exhibit, on tour from the Folger Shakespeare Library, will be open to the public at the CU Art Museum August 9-31, 2016. The First Folio is the first complete collected edition of Shakespeare's plays, published in 1623, seven years after his death. Compiled by two of Shakespeare's fellow actors, it preserves 36 of Shakespeare's plays. Without it, we would not have 18 of those plays, including Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, The Tempest and Antony and Cleopatra.

Learn about the programming celebrating the arrival of the First Folio at  http://www.colorado.edu/shakespeareatcu/  Look for some workshops focusing on the book arts, courtesy of the Book Arts League.

 

In the midst of joyous tool making with Jeff Peachey

Yep, it was joyous despite all the serious looks on the faces of the participants (who were very invested in getting their tools made just right).  The amazing Jeff Peachey came out to Utah last weekend to put on a tool making workshop.  During the workshop, guild members learned about working with steel, bamboo, and Delrin—a plastic that Jeff introduced to us as a good replacement for Teflon.

Jeff Hunt, Christina Thomas Maloy, Amy Spencer Lee, and India Johnson all watch Jeff as he works on making lifting knives with hack saw blades.

In probably the fastest sold out workshop the Rocky Mountain Chapter has seen (about 4 hours), ten participants coming as far away as Texas spent the weekend in the conservation lab at Brigham Young University to see what tools they could make that would each fit their individual needs and hands.

            Emiline Twitchell in the middle of making a wooden handle for her paring knife.

Participants walked away with a paring knife, some lifting knives, and bamboo and Delrin folders—a huge amount of work for a three-day workshop. 

Tools that we made during the workshop (courtesy of Emiline Twitchell’s phone)

A big thank you goes out to Jeff Peachey for coming, teaching, and spending time with us.  We were all amazed at his knowledge and ability to handle a group of 10 intense bookies all at once.  A large thank you also goes out to the Rocky Mountain Chapter, Brigham Young University, and the Church History Library for helping out with such an amazing workshop.

  

 

Scott Simkins at the belt sander

India Johnson shaping bamboo with a hammer and chisel

Jeff Peachey showing Summer Spencer Lee, Amy Spencer, Christina Thomas Maloy, and Emiline Twitchell how to begin shaping Delrin