KBAC Winter 2010 CLASSES
Our space on the first floor of the Park Trades Center is open with an extensive array of equipment for the book arts. Highlights for this season include our first Altered Art Weekend, for those who love the art of altering books, photos, and trading cards. Check out our courses including our new extended workshops and enroll now. Members receive a disount of 10% on enrollment fees. See the Member’s page for details.
One-Day Workshops
NOTE: Classes marked with this symbol are kid (age 8 or older) and family friendly.
You can click on some of the course titles for background information from the (virtual) pages of Wikipedia.
Instructor: Jeff Abshear / Fee $45
Tues., Jan. 19, 6 to 9 p.m.
Making a hardcover book is a lot easier than you think. Learn to sew and bind one by hand! Participants will use traditional materials and book cloth to create a handmade journal.
Instructor: Jeff Abshear / Fee $45
Sat., Jan. 23, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with lunch break
We know there are many painters out there who can use a day of monotype brainstorming. We have the presses, the inks, and the plates to do it! This simple and quick process makes beautiful multi-colored prints. Please bring your own paper or purchase some from the KBAC. Join other artists for this day of experimentation and fun—all levels of experience are welcome.
Note: Artists with studios in the Park Trades Center will receive a $5 discount and have the option to work in their studios and bring the plates down via the elevator for printing.
You Can Draw!—Design For Beginners
Instructor: Michael Dunn / Fee $25
Sat. March 6, noon to 3 p.m.
Afraid to start an art project? This visual design class is for you. Learn basic skills using collage, copying, and drawing techniques in a non-threatening environment. You can then apply them to papermaking, printing, bookmaking, and more. Let yourself go!
Two Ancient Book Forms
Instructor: Katie Platte / Fee $45
Sat., March 13, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with lunch break
Participants will learn the two oldest forms of bookbinding: Japanese stab binding and Egyptian Coptic stitch binding. These fun books with beautiful stitching can be used as sketchbooks or journals.
Altered Art Weekend
Come explore the “altered arts” with instructors Lorrie Grainger Abdo and Andrea Stork for a fun weekend of creative play. Each of the four classes below can be taken separately, or receive a 10% discount for enrolling in three or more.
Altered Photography
Instructor: Lorrie Grainger Abdo / Fee $25
Sat., Feb. 20, noon to 2:30 p.m.
In this class you will use your own photos and change them into artwork suitable for framing or use in collage. We'll use a variety of tools and techniques: bleach, paint, ink, markers, pastels, sandpaper, needle and thread to alter your photos from items hidden away in storage into works of art with personal meaning.
Altered Journals
Instructor: Lorrie Grainger Abdo / Fee $25
Sat., Feb. 20, 2:45 to 5:15 p.m.
In this class you'll make your own book from one large sheet of paper and then turn it into an altered journal. This involves creating colorful backgrounds, adding collage elements, and lettering with your own distinctive style. Making a journal like this provides a great way to keep track of your creative ideas in a visual way.
Instructor: Andrea Stork / Fee $25
Sun., Feb. 21, noon to 2:30 p.m.
This workshop will focus on the art of altering old books through collage, stamping, painting, cutting, and preserving words or images that already exist, or adding new ones. In this way the books become a new expressive medium, a piece of art, an experiment, or a conversation piece. Learn techniques like carving niches in the pages, creating colorful backgrounds, and engineering pop-outs
Altered Playing Cards
Instructor: Andrea Stork / Fee $25
Sun., Feb. 21, 2:45 to 5:15 p.m.
Altered playing cards—also called Artist Trading Cards (ATC’s)—are a popular and fun way to make miniature works of art to trade and collect. Using a deck of playing cards we will create small images with collage, painting, and other experimental techniques. Start your own collection or trade them with your friends!
Extended Workshops
NOTE: Classes marked with this symbol are kid (age 8 or older) and family friendly.
Instructor: Kim Hosken Eberstein / Fee $120
Mon., Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
During this four week workshop we will use the papermaking process to create unique, expressive art. We will use colored pulp, fibers, and collage elements to make works suitable for framing. During the last session we will explore the printmaking area of the KBAC and use our handmade paper for printing. Both experienced papermakers and beginners are encouraged to enroll. It’s an easy process—come have fun with us!
Kids Valentine’s Day Workshop
Instructors: Jeff Abshear & Katie Platte
Fee: $45 / Sat., Feb. 6 & Sun., Feb. 7, 1 to 4 p.m.
In this fun workshop kids will spend the weekend making handmade Valentine’s Day cards. The first day will be devoted to papermaking and the second to simple printing and letterpress. Come make unique handmade cards to give to your loved ones!
Instructor: Jeff Abshear / Fee $120
Tues., Feb. 9, 16, 23 & March 9, 6 to 9 p.m.
For more than 500 years—before the invention of the computer—books were produced from metal type, set, and printed by hand. In this four-week workshop we will explore these traditional techniques handed down from Gutenberg. Please bring a poem or short piece of text to the first session.
Creativity Campfire
Instructor: Elizabeth King / Fee $25
Wed., Feb. 10, 17, 24, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Where does our creativity and inspiration come from? Investigate the ups and downs of the creative inner life during a three-week discussion group designed for creators from any discipline. Each week explores a stage in the creative process through low-key guided exercises and short readings. Join us “around the campfire” to experience some community and get fresh insights into your own creative process.
Let There Be Light!—Making Paper Lamps
Instructor: Kim Hosken Eberstein / Fee: $150
Sun., Feb. 28 & March 7, 14, 21, Noon to 4 p.m.
Blending sculpture and functionality you can create a one-of-a-kind lamp using a wooden base, twigs, metal rings, and handmade paper. No previous experience is needed for this creative 3D art class. Students will learn to build a sculptural framework, make handmade paper to cover it, add decorative enhancements, and install the electrical components. The end result will be a unique, sculptural lamp that is ready to plug in and enjoy.
Instructor: Michael Dunn / Fee $120
Wed., March 3, 10, 17, 6 to 9 p.m.
Explore the beautiful textures of printed wood in this relief printmaking class. Working from a photo or sketch, we will develop prints that show off the grain of the wood. Learn to develop images, use carving tools, and print on the press during this three-week workshop.
LORRIE GRAINGER ABDO has taught papermaking, surface design, and bookbinding classes for all ages. She is the past President and current Workshop Coordinator of the Handmade Paper Guild of Southwest Michigan. Her colorful artwork can be found in galleries in Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
JEFF ABSHEAR, the Director of the KBAC, was a Fulbright Research Scholar to Venice, Italy, where he worked at the Accademia di Belle Arti and studied the history of Italian printing, bookbinding, and papermaking. He has recently taught book arts to children at the Scuola Didactica di Thiesi in Sardinia, Italy, and at Interlochen Center for the Arts.
MICHAEL DUNN earned his MFA at Western Michigan University and creates prints using woodcut, intaglio, and lithography techniques.
KIM HOSKEN EBERSTEIN received her MFA in painting from Western Michigan University, where she was trained in papermaking by KBAC cofounder Paul Robbert. She taught in the School of Art at WMU for many years and now teaches for Battle Creek Public Schools.
ELIZABETH KING is a graphic designer, mixed media artist, and creativity coach who studied under Eric Maisel, author of numerous books on creativity including Fearless Creating and The Van Gogh Blues.
KATIE PLATTE is a graduate of the Studio Art program at Grand Valley State University. She completed an internship at the Women's Studio Workshop, an arts organization specializing in printmaking and book arts in Rosendale, New York.
ANDREA STORK is a book artist and graphic designer who teaches at the Center for New Media at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.
The Kalamazoo Book Arts Center is funded in part by grants from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.
