WNYBAC's New Website!

The staff at the Western New York Book Arts Center is excited to announce the unveiling of our brand new website! We've been working tirelessly to get the new site up and running and we're so proud of what we have created. It's full of useful information, tools, and resources and it is ready for you to explore.

The new website also has a dedicated page for our blog, which means new blog entries will no longer appear here, although this page will serve as an archive of past entries. To keep yourself up-to-date on all things WNYBAC click here and check out our spankin' new blog page!

See you soon at WNYBAC!

Crowley Webb & WNYBAC

On February 8^th and 9^th, employees of Crowely Webb, an ad agency located on Main Street in downtown Buffalo, visited WNYBAC to participate in a professional development workshop based on letterpress printing.

Participants were introduced to our equipment and led through the process of creating their very own stack of unique collage-like prints.

They had the opportunity to peruse our selection of beautiful wood block cuts and inks, and came up with unique and creative ways to combine and overlap different images and colors.

Our evenings spent with the employees of Crowley Webb were enjoyable and productive. WNYBAC looks forward to future collaboration!

WNYBAC Goes to Rochester!

On Monday, February 13th the WNYBAC crew took a short break from Buffalo and headed to Rochester for the day. We had three destinations in mind: The Printing & Book Arts Center, Pistachio Press, and the Cary Graphic Arts Collection at R.I.T.

Our first stop was The Printing & Book Arts Center at the Genesee Center for the Arts and Education. The hospitable Janice Gouldthrope generously took time out of her day to show us around their expanding studio.

Our second stop was the beautiful Pistachio Press. Many notes were taken as we perused their well organized and smartly curated gift shop, full of adorable and well-crafted handmade items. The friendly and knowledgeable Eric Kunsman, owner of Booksmart, gave us a tour of the space.

Our final stop was the Cary Graphic Arts Collection at Rochester Institute of Technology. Curators Stephen Galbraith and Amelia Hugill-Fontanel were incredibly knowledgeable and showed us countless awe-inspiring items, from a folio out of the Gutenberg Bible to the smallest book in their collection.

WNYBAC's trip to Rochester was an energizing and inspiring experience. We're motivated to bring some fresh ideas to the table and to stock our shop with even more locally-made merchandise!

Poco!

WNYBAC is excited to introduce the newest member of our printing family...

The Poco Proof Press No. 0 was made by Hacker Manufacturing Company in Chicago, Illinois sometime between 1912 and 1937.

The Poco press is designed for hand-inking

and producing quick and easy proofs. The bed moves, as opposed to the barrel rolling forward, as on most proof presses.

Poco No. 0 is the smallest of the Poco presses, with a 12" x 18" bed.

He weighs in at 210 lbs.

Huge thanks to Dick Ernst from Ernst Printing

for donating this amazing machine; we're happy to give it a second life!

Stop by WNYBAC and meet Poco!

12-6pm / Wednesdays-Saturdays

Holidays at WNYBAC

The holiday season brought two of WNYBAC’s most exciting annual events, the Last Minute Panic Holiday Marketplace and our 2012 New Year’s Eve Gala and Fundraiser!

This year's Last Minute Panic Holiday Marketplace boasted over 25 vendors and brought hundreds of shoppers to downtown Buffalo to purchase beautiful, handmade, and locally produced gifts.

Shoppers filled their bellies with WNYBAC’s homemade spiced apple cider and desserts, excited to peruse all of the unique and skillfully made offerings, from trinkets and art prints to handmade books and cozy winter-wear.

The New Year’s Eve Gala and Fundraiser was also a great success! With some exciting last minute bidding wars between guests, a tasty sampling of Community Beer Works’ perfect porter, and the fantastic view of the ball dropping from the Electric Tower at midnight, this evening proved to be a memorable one.

Amos & WNYBAC

On Saturday, December 3rd the Western New York Book Arts Center was graced with the joyful presence of Amos P. Kennedy Jr., an energetic and inspiring letterpress printer who works out of Gordo, Alabama. Amos is the subject of the acclaimed documentary Proceed and Be Bold, a film in which his life, work, and the concept of "The American Dream" are explored.

Amos visited WNYBAC to lead the final installment of our popular Analog Artist Showcase series, which consisted of eight free hands- on demonstrations/workshops lead by renowned book and print artists.

While leading participants through two hands-on demonstrations of letterpress printing, Amos discussed and displayed his distinct style and techniques. Those who attended had the rare opportunity to watch Amos set type and contribute to a collaboratively designed print.

Enterprise Charter School Students Visit WNYBAC

On November 15th and 18th, sixth grade Social Studies students from Enterprise Charter School visited WNYBAC to learn about the history of letterpress printing and to create their own prints.

The students were guided through a brief tour of our gallery and museum before they were introduced to the printing studio. Studio Director, Chris Fritton, and Executive Director, Rich Kegler, led an interesting discussion based on the history of letterpress printing and the types of prints we make here at WNYBAC.

Before the students created their own prints, Chris and Rich explained the necessary steps to put together a form, basic press operations, and safety guidelines. Each student successfully completed a two-color print of the Ken Burns quote: “History isn’t really about the past…It’s about defining the present and who we are.”

WNYBAC looks forward to future fieldtrips with the lively and respectful students of Enterprise Charter School!