This is a four session online workshop with a follow-up meeting for show and tell.

This class will support students through the creation of their own individual artist’s book – that is, a book that unifies craft and concept into a cohesive whole. We will look at ways that a book’s physical form (materials choice & book structure) can reflect and enhance the ideas it “contains.” Materials might inspire a book’s content, or the other way around. This relationship between form and content will be the generative principle for the book you make during our month of class. 

Each student should bring the germ of an idea to class on the first week, whether it is a particular book structure you want to develop content for, or a subject/idea you would like to build a book around. 

In the class sessions we will 1) look at examples of bookworks that integrate form and content, 2) discuss your individual projects (half the students each session, alternating weeks) to brainstorm approaches and give feedback as a group for each developing work, and 3) discuss practical aspects such as making mock-ups and what to put in your colophon.   

In between classes, students will source materials on their own (inspired by our class conversations) and will work independently on their projects. We will not be “making” during class time, but will be developing projects conceptually and logistically.

Two weeks after the last class, we will have a “show and tell” session. Each student will by then have made either a unique bookwork or a prototype for an edition, and will have the chance to practice a concise presentation of their work. 

Students will be expected to have some prior experience with making book structures and should be comfortable learning new ones on their own time if necessary for their project.

Materials to Bring:

Students will make individualized projects in our class and choosing/buying their own materials will be part of that process. No bookmaking supplies are needed for the first class, but you should bring:

1) a way to take notes  
2) a mental inventory of what bookmaking supplies and art materials you have already on hand. 
3) an idea, even a nascent one, of a structure, material, idea, text or image[s] that you would like to develop into a book. You will sign up before the first session to brainstorm your idea on either the first or second class, so those with just a vague idea can wait for week 2.

Before the second class you should plan to visit an art store to see and feel potential materials. Further details will be discussed in class.

Workshop Fee: $180
Tuition assistance is available; please apply here.

Date & Time: Sundays May 1, 8, 15, & 22, with a show and tell session on June 5, 2022 :: 1-3pm Pacific time

Location: Online via Zoom

SFCB online workshops are recorded; all registered students will have access to the videos for a month after the final meeting.

Please read over the SFCB Registration Policies before signing up for a class.

REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE AT LEAST 3 DAYS PRIOR TO THE START DATE OF THIS WORKSHOP.

About the Instructor | Sara Press

Sara L. Press is a book artist based in Sonoma County, CA.  Under her imprint Deeply Game Publications (www.deeplygame.com), she has produced fourteen small editions. Sara’s projects combine conceptualism and craftsmanship, probing areas of discomfort and paradox within a delicious visual experience. She uses a variety of media including photography, printmaking, painting, and text to highlight peculiar areas of overlap between nature & culture (such as dog fighting, feral children, and our co-evolution with snakes). Other topics include constructions of masculinity & femininity in our culture and the relationship between emotional & scientific reasoning. Sara’s work can be seen by the public in many rare books collections including those at the Library of Congress, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, and dozens of universities’ special collections.