Saturday, July 18th
Gibson Square Park, Iowa City

UICB faculty and students will be at the Iowa City Book Festival Saturday, July 18th. UICB will be offering demonstrations, hands-on book activities and exhibiting their work. The festival will also feature a mix of local and regional booksellers with new and used books for sale, a music stage, children's activities, food vendors, readings and panel discussions. For more information on the festival visit their website here.

Friday, May 29th, 5pm
215 North Hall

The myriad handmade papers of Japan are possible as a result of the craftsperson's careful handling of natural resources. At each step of the lengthy process, decisions are made which ultimately affect the quality and temperament of the finished paper. Paul Denhoed has been documenting hand papermaking in Japan for the last seven years. In this illustrated talk, he will share a glimpse of daily life in papermaking studios and describe the materials, processes, and tools that are employed to create the wide variety of Japanese handmade papers.

Paul Denhoed has lived in Japan since 2001 researching Japanese hand papermaking, and studying with Richard Flavin, Shinichirou Abe, and Hiroaki Imai. Since April of 2008, he has been working full-time at Oguni Washi Papermaking Studio in Niigata, Japan. In June 2008, he and his wife accompanied three papermakers from Japan to Toronto for the World Washi Summit, where he also lectured. He earned his MFA in Design from the University of Iowa, and a Graduate Certificate from the University of Iowa Center for the Book.

Friday, May 22, 3:30 PM
Main Library, Rm 2032 (2nd floor classroom)

Gaylord Schanilec, proprietor of Midnight Paper Sales, wood engraver and fine printer, has been printing books, primarily from wood blocks and metal type for 30 years. His work is represented in most major collections of contemporary book art in both the US and UK.

The lecture will survey his work back to the beginning, with emphasis on Sylvae and discussion of The River, his newest adventure. Schanilec will also have books and working materials on hand to look at and discuss.

May 8, 3:30 - 6:30 PM
Ground floor, North Hall

Exhibits from UICB studio classes in calligraphy, papermaking, bookbinding, boxmaking, pop-up book structures, letterpress printing, and digital printing will be on display.

Calligraphy and bookbinding demonstrations will be ongoing throughout the afternoon.

Food and drink will be served--all are welcome!

May 8th, 6-9pm
Arts Iowa City Gallery
Lower Level
103 E College St., Iowa City

Come celebrate with us as nine Center for the Book students show off their final projects. UICB students Amelia Bernhardt, Laura Capp, Amber Jansen, Juli McLoone, Melissa Moreton, Elizabeth Munger, Kimberly Nelson, Kathleen Tandy and Jessica White will exhibit their final projects in a group show titled The Printed, The Bound, The Finale.

This collection of projects includes handprinted artists books, calligraphic broadsides, a historical binding model, handmade paper, an academic analysis, and other fine printed materials.

April 8-May 24
Luther College, Preus Library, Decorah, Iowa

An exhibit of books, prints, calligraphy and more by the graduate students and faculty of the University of Iowa Center for the Book.

April 30, 7:30pm
Gerber Lounge
English Philosophy Building (EPB)

Virginia Jackson's book Dickinson's Misery (Princeton UP) won the MLA Prize for a First Book in 2005 and the Christian Gauss Prize from Phi Beta Kappa in 2006. With Yopie Prins, Jackson is a key figure in the New Lyric Studies and was a contributor to the PMLA forum on that topic in January 2008. Her current project, "National Meter: Nineteenth-Century American Poetry in Public," traces the uneven process of lyricization in the work of Bryant, Poe, Oakes Smith, Harper, Longfellow, Jackson, Lanier, Whitman, and Dunbar. She will speak on the topic of "Whitman's Publics."

April 16, 8pm
Tippie Auditorium, W151 Pappajohn

Book history has become a hot topic in many academic departments, just as we are witnessing the triumph of digital scholarship in all the same fields. Maybe it is time to retire the category of "books about books" in favor of something digital. In this talk, Paul F. Gehl, Custodian of the John M. Wing Foundation on the History of Printing at the Newberry Library, Chicago, will describe his efforts to put his own most recent original research -- about Renaissance schoolbooks -- on line. During his lecture he will ask the audience to help him evaluate the project, for which he has great ambitions. First, can a scholarly monograph too specialized for print publication find any audience on line? And then, can the research behind the monograph be made useful for non-specialists through digital publication?

A reception in the Anderson Galleria will follow the lecture.

Paul Gehl will also attend the Book Studies Workshop to discuss the role of libraries in book history and book arts.
April 16, 1pm - 3pm
29 North Hall

New Artist Books on Display
April 13, 1pm - 3pm
27 North Hall

Vamp & Tramp, Booksellers will have new artist book work on display. They will discuss new books in their collection, talk about pricing and presenting work to potential buyers, and current trends in the book arts. An informal question/answer session will follow.

Bill and Vicky will also be available for individual consultations with students about their work. To set up an appointment, contact Julie Leonard at julia-leonard@uiowa.edu.

A lecture by Dr. Karl Schaefer
Professor of Librarianship, Cowles Library, Drake University
April 6, 4-5:30pm
UCC 1117 (International Commons)
Sponsored by the African Studies Program, the Middle Eastern and Muslim World Studies Program, and the Center for the Book

The role of Arabic speaking Muslims in preserving and transmitting knowledge from the classical age is well documented. Many ancient works in medicine, theology, philosophy, and other fields first came to the attention of Renaissance Europe as Arabic translations from Greek and other languages. That early Muslim Arabs were instrumental in adapting and conveying other kinds of knowledge also is perhaps less well-known, but no less important.

Block printing, once thought to have been an early European precursor to the invention of moveable type printing in fifteenth-century Germany, had Chinese, Korean and Japanese antecedents and it is becoming increasingly clear that the medieval Arabs were involved in block printing activity, too. This presentation will examine the evidence for that activity and argue for a reinterpretation of medieval Islamic history in light of these discoveries.

When was the last time you devoured a really good book? The UI Center for the Book invites you to join us in celebrating this event by creating a delicious book to share with your fellow literary and food enthusiasts.

Exhibition: Edible Books will be on display Wednesday, April 1st (no joke!) in the North Lobby of the UI Main Library

Entry Rules: All faculty, staff, and students are eligible to participate. Entries must be edible and must have something to do with books as shapes and/or content. An entry fee of $5 goes to support the Book Arts Club. Download entry form here.

Prizes Awarded: Best Book Structure, Most Creative Literary Reference, and Best in Show.
All entries are automatically entered into a raffle for free sketchbooks from Blick Art Materials.

* The International Edible Book Festival is a yearly event held on April 1st throughout the world. This event unites bibliophiles, book artists, and food lovers to celebrate the ingestion of culture and its fulfilling nourishment. Participants create edible books that are exhibited, documented, and then consumed. Information and inspiration can be found on the Festival's home page at www.Books2Eat.com.

Saturday March 28, 10 AM-5 PM
27 North Hall

This workshop is an in-depth review of the parts and functions of the Vandercook, taking you beyond cranking the press and into the mechanical what and why essentials for troubleshooting. Learn all the points of maintenance, lubrication and cleaning and become familiar with the differences between models. Whether you use studio presses, own your own press or are thinking of buying one, this workshop will provide excellent direction for your future press work, so bring your questions, press photos and/or broken parts. Paul will also share his extensive written material with the class. Class size is limited to 10.

Paul Moxon, a graduate of the University of Alabama MFA in Book Arts Program, teaches workshops on letterpress and Vandercook Maintenance at universities, art colleges and book arts centers around the country. Paul is a graphic designer and letterpress printer, publishing limited edition letterpress printed books and broadsides under the imprint Fameorshame Press and producing client work under the name Think Letterpress. He maintains the invaluable Vandercook resource website and blog Vandercookpress.info. You can find more information about Paul’s letterpress and design work at his other online home: http://fameorshame.com

New Works by UICB Students at RSVP
140 N. Linn St.
Friday, March 6
UICB student work will be exhibited at RSVP at the Gallery Walk and through the month of March.

Leather Tooling Workshop with Jana Pullman
Saturday February 28 & Sunday March 1, 10-5
16 North Hall, Kolarik Book Studio

Jana will also speak about her work on Friday evening at 5pm. This event will be open to the public.

Jana Pullman earned her MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 25 years of book arts experience, she has worked as printer, papermaker, illustrator, conservator, and book artist. Jana is the owner of Western Slope Bindery specializing in custom binding and repair of books, and teaches papermaking, binding and conservation workshops throughout the country.

Sponsored by the UI Center for the Book and Book Arts Club

The UICB hosted the first biennial College Book Art Association Conference “Art, Fact, and Artifact: The Book in Time and Place”
January, 8 – 10, 2009.

240 book artists and scholars came to snowy Iowa from across the nation and the world to participate in two days of panel sessions, demonstrations, and exhibits. The conference marks the beginning of a new and vital organization long in the making and enthusiastically embraced by the academic artistic and scholarly book community in concert with independent scholars, artists, and critics. For more information on the College Book Art Association click here.

Contemporary Bookwork
College Book Art Association Juried Members Show
curated by The University of Iowa Center for the Book
January 8 – February 15, 2009

Iowa Artisans Gallery
207 East Washington Street
Iowa City
Contemporary Bookwork showcases work by members of the College Book Art Association. It was organized as part of “Art, Fact, and Artifact: The Book in Time and Place,” the first biennial College Book Art Association Conference hosted by the University of Iowa Center for the Book, January 8-10, 2009.
Juried by Karen Kunc, Chip Schilling, and Pamela Spitzmueller, the exhibit brings together artists’ book work from across the nation, ranging from fine press editions, hand printed broadsides, and sculptural artist books to one-of-a-kind book objects. Interested in a book’s touch and motion as well as its imagery and language, the artists on display understand the book as a sensorium, reaching viewers through eye, hand, and ear.

Friday, December 12
3:30 - 6:30 PM
Ground floor, North Hall

Exhibits from UICB studio classes in calligraphy, papermaking, bookbinding,artists books, movable/sculptural books, letterpress printing, and digital printing will be on display.

Demonstrations of historical printing techniques and hand papermaking will be ongoing throughout the afternoon.

Join in for a make-it and take-it hands-on bookmaking activity, tour all the classrooms.

The Ladies of the Letterpress 2009 calendars will be available at a special open house price (sales proceeds to go toward printing and binding equipment purchases).

Food and drink will be served--all are welcome!

Ann Marie Kennedy
"Paper and Light: Material Investigations"
Thursday, November 13, 8:00 pm
Shambaugh Auditorium, Main Library

Ann Marie Kennedy is an installation artist and papermaker living in Raleigh, NC. She works with handmade paper to create both wall-sized works of art and large-scale sculptural environments. She received her MFA in Intermedia/Video Art and Sculpture from the University of Iowa. She was a resident artist at the Headlands Center for the Arts, CA in 2001 and at Penland School of Crafts, NC from 2001- 4. She received a 2004-5 Visual Artists’ Fellowship from the NC Arts Council. Recent exhibitions include an installation, Memory House, at the Gregg Museum of Art and Design at NC State University; Forms of Shelter at Artspace, Raleigh, NC; and Film/Video/Visual Arts NCAC Fellowship Recipients at the Asheville Art Museum, NC. Her work is in public and private collections including Virginia Commonwealth University, Bucknell University, Syracuse University, Yale University, and University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections. Kennedy will discuss her recent work in papermaking and installation, and show images by several other artists whose work involves the interaction of paper and light.

Saturday, October 25
10am - 4pm
Kolarik Book Studio, 16 North Hall

A one-day workshop assembling a model of the Secret Belgian Binding. This historical binding was rediscovered by Hedi Kyle and has been attributed to the Belgians, though its origins are still obscure. This hard cover book can be made with paste paper, other decorated papers or book cloth. The two covers and the spine piece are constructed of binders board covered with paper or cloth; each piece is separate until sewn onto the text block. The text block is sewn and then the covers are sewn onto the text block using a pattern of stitches, which traps the spine in place with a set of loops back and forth across the spine between the front and back covers. This binding yields an attractive and very sturdy book with a decorative pattern of colored waxed linen threads on the spine.

Friday, October 3, 2008
5:00pm - 8:00pm
MidWest One Bank, formerly Iowa State Bank
105 Clinton St. Iowa City, IA

Gallery Walk reception for an exhibit of prints and paintings by Emily Martin and watercolors and pastels by Loret Mast

The exhibit will be on display until January 9, 2009

Saturday & Sunday, September 27, 28
10:00am - 4:00pm
UICB Paper Studio, 29 NH

Discover the fascinating decorative paper technique known as marbling. Thinned paints are floated on a thickened bath, then combed or raked into traditional or contemporary patterns. The resulting monoprint is both beautiful and useful. Vivid color and intriguing designs are hallmarks of this magical process. Patterns may be duplicated or editioned easily and the process requires no specialized tools or materials. There’s a little science but much room for creativity and experimentation.

Steve Pittelkow is a decorative paper artist and bookbinder living in Minneapolis. He has taught at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Penland School of Craft and the University of Georgia Cortona, Italy program. His papers are in collections and artists’ books in U.S. and Europe.

Sponsored by the Book Arts Club & University of Iowa Center for the Book.

September 2008 – November 2008

The UICB will celebrate the paper arts this fall with a set of exciting events. A Book Art Club workshop September 27 and 28 will feature visiting artist Steve Pittelkow, who will demonstrate methods of paper marbling. In November, Ann Marie Kennedy will deliver the Mitchell Lecture on the Arts of the Book and offer a workshop on papermaking and paper art. And throughout we will enjoy the newly christened papermaking studio in 29 NH that Tim Barrett oversees, moved from the Old Art Building to facilitate classroom instruction.

November 2008

The Center will be an exhibitor at the Pyramid Atlantic Book Fair. This Biennial book arts fair and conference is in its 10th year. For two days, November 8 and 9th, nationally acclaimed artists, collectors, scholars, and booksellers will participate in exciting lectures, exhibitions, panel discussions and more. For more information, click here.