New Year's Eve at WNYBAC

The WNY Book Arts Collaborative New Year’s Party & Fundraiser

We hope you will join us by ringing in the New Year at the WNY Book Arts Center, & help us take the next step in our progress towards our grand opening in the spring of 2009.

See the Ball drop from the Electric Tower at Midnight from the 2 floors of the book arts center.

Tasteful and tasty hors d'oeuvres from Bistro Europa.
Live Music from David Kane
Open bar & champagne toast at midnight.

At 468 Washington St. (the building formerly known as Slotkin)
9pm -2am

1920’s black-tie optional.

Limited to 200 Guests. Register soon!

http://www.wnybookarts.org/newyears.php

$75 per person
$125 per couple
wnybac members:
$60 per person
$100 per couple


Additional info: 716 846-2704 or email info @ wnybookarts.org

2009- a year of vintage type

Every year end, the Zenger Group prints a wall calendar for clients and associates. This year they were given access to the WNY Book Arts Center collection of wood and metal type & ornaments and came up with a visual feast for 12 months of historic type. We have a pile of these at the Center so if you don't get one from the Zenger Group directly and would like one, just stop by (as always, call or email first since we have not officially opened for regular hours yet)

The card design that is a book in the book about card design

The first announcement piece for the WNY Book Arts Collaborative was a hand bound mini book/business card. As with many good ideas, the labor involved in making these as business cards made it difficult to mass produce. Only about 150 of these were made. The cover was hand set metal 8Pt. "Venus Expanded" on the discontinued line of Strathmore Americana paper (Shaker Straw color 80lb. cover). The inside was color laser printed with some P22 fonts that i can't recall the names of. They were then stitched together with silk thread. So what started as a calling card with just a website, turned into a little book.
This card/book was recently featured in the book Best of Business Card Design 8 (2008 Rockport Publishers).

Slotkin's Archeology

In our recent renovations with the street level flooring of the Western NY Book Arts Center, we have unearthed (or defloored?) a vibrant silkscreened dress box from the Slotkin department store who was the namesake tenant of the building that still has it's signage on the Washington St side of the building. Slotkin's was an upscale womens' dress shop at our location at 468 Washington St. in downtown Buffalo. It was likely* from the corner window of Slotkin's that Charles Burchfield painted the view of the Electric tower while waiting for his wife to do some shopping. It was later in the 1950's and 60's a semi-legendary new and used bookshop. The basement once filled with books is now filled with equipment to make books. Interesting.


(*editorial conjecture)

“So you want to be a rare books librarian in a digital age”

University at Buffalo, Department of Library and Information Studies presents “So you want to be a rare books librarian in a digital age” by Dr. Sidney E. Berger, Monday, November 10, 2008

A presentation by Sidney E. Berger, Ph.D. offered by the Department of Library and Information Studies, University at Buffalo, Buffalo NY, Amherst Campus
Monday, November 10, 2008 2:30-4
553 Baldy Hall

Dr. Sidney E. Berger is a nationally recognized library scholar administrator, and director of the Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA. Also a faculty member at Simmons College, Boston MA, Dr. Berger previously headed the special collections department at the University of California, Riverside and was curator of printed books and manuscripts at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester. His Ph.D. is from the University of Iowa, in Medieval Literature and Bibliography, M.S. in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign. He teaches a wide variety of classes, including The Preservation of Library Materials, Preservation Management, the History of the Book, and Bibliography. He runs his own handpress, makes paper, casts type by hand, and publishes extensively on literary and book arts topics.

Please come! This program is free and open to the public RSVP and registration are not required

Charles Burchfield at WNYBAC

The vista looking up Washington Street from our building toward the Electric Tower is breathtaking Painter, Charles Burchfield also thought so: the point of view in this painting (circa 1940) is from our exact location at 468 Washington St. at Mohawk.

WNYBAC welcomes: It's own Ludlow Typograph!

A Ludlow is a line-type casting machine. After a long trip to and from Connecticut, WNYBAC founding members Richard Kegler & Hal Leader have returned with a Ludlow machine to add to the equipment roster of WNYBAC. With over 70 fonts of matrices to cast text for letterpress printing, foil stamping or other uses, this amazing machine will allow members additional options for producing their work. WNYBAC will also entertain Linecasting to order. A full list of avaiable fonst will be posted soon. Pictured above is traveling Ludlow expert Dave Seat getting the machine in shape and fully functioning.

CBBAG'S BOOK ARTS FAIR 2008

Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild Fair

Saturday, October 18: 10am-4pm
Holiday Inn on King (2nd Floor, King II, 370 King Street West, at Peter Street, Toronto)

BOOK ARTS FAIR includes access to the Vendors Room of the Guild of Book Workers 2008 Conference.

Admission is free and open to the public.

CBBAG’s Book Arts Fair offers a unique opportunity to explore a diverse range of practices within book arts from the craft of traditional bookbinding, conservation and repair, to innovative contemporary books. It features fine bookbinding, letterpress printing, private presses, one of a kind artists’ books, decorated papers, handmade paper and unique works that challenges the definition of the book form.

Showcasing the work of book artists from the Toronto area and regional CBBAG groups from across Canada: Hugh Walter Barclay (The Hellbox Press), Ruth Brown, Susan Carr, Martha Cole, Mira Coviensky, Rebecca Cowan, Tony Crowle, Isabella Chang Fong, Carolyn Eady, Martina Edmonson, Sue Globensky (for the Ottawa Press Gang), Audrey Hollinger (The Papertrail), Lucie Lapierre, Chum McLeod, Cathyrn Miller, Susan Mills, Stephen Murphy, Stefan Berg (OCAD), Claire Owen, William Rueter, St Armand Paper Mill/Editions Denise Lapointe, Toba Shapiro, Peter Sramek, Alan Stein, Don Taylor, Claire Van Vliet (Janus Press), Debbie Waker, Robert Wu

The Vendors Room is open from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Book art suppliers from Canada, U.S.A. and Europe. For more information please contact

CBBAG at cbbag@cbbag.ca or call 416-581-1071.

Books Reborn - Exhibit

Impact Artists' Gallery in the Tri-Main Building (2495 Main Street Buffalo NY) currently has an exhibition of altered books, collage work and hand made books.

Foundry Pattern Exhibition Closing Oct 16

The foundry pattern show which was hung for the building preview during TypeCon this past July will be coming down to get ready for the next phase of Gallery remodeling and our eventual grand opening, so we are having a closing reception on Thursday Oct 16 6-9pm. The handmade wooden foundry patterns from one of Buffalos defunct iron foundries that are on display will be for sale with all proceeds to benefit WNYBAC.

Foundry Patterns on Display at WNYBAC

BUFFALO
Buffalo was a steel town. This is an undeniable legacy that helped build the city in the early 20th Century and unfortunately led to its decline towards the end of the century. As the steel industry declined, Buffalo also served as an incubator for an entire new generation of artists and a new “creative class”. The University at Buffalo in the late 1960s was a haven for the avant garde. The low cost of living and diverse population has made Buffalo an attractive place for artists to cultivate their work since.

FOUNDRY PATTERNS
The process of casting objects in metal requires a pattern or replica of the object to be cast to form a cavity into material such as sand. Molten material will then be poured during the casting process. Patterns used in sand casting are made to exacting standards of construction so that they can last for a reasonable length of time and stand up to repeated casting. Patternmaking is a skilled trade that is related to the trades of tool and die making and moldmaking. It may also incorporate elements of fine woodworking. Patternmakers learn their skills through apprenticeships and trade schools over many years of experience. Although an engineer may help to design the pattern, it is usually a patternmaker who executes the design.

PATTERNS AS ART
The patterns in the exhibit were rescued from the Atlas foundry on Elmwood Avenue near Kenmore (current site of the Regal Cinema). The anonymous craftsmen who produced these utilitarian objects may never have imagined an art exhibit showing this work. The choice of colors was not an aesthetic choice, but rather designation as part of the pattern. Looked at as found objects, individually or as a collective body of work, there is undeniable artistry, craftsmanship and an industrial beauty in these pieces. Primary colors over carefully shaped hardwoods such as mahogany evoke a clear, but unknown, intention to these mysterious objects. As the inaugural exhibit for the WNY Book Arts Center, the two-part patterns can be seen as covers for conceptual sculptural books. They can also be seen with fresh eyes as historic relics reminding us of Buffalo’s past with a view towards Buffalo’s future. The concept of what a book is and what art is will be explored and challenged with the WYNYBAC. Our future collaborations with existing cultural organizations will build upon an already dynamic landscape of what makes Buffalo’s quality of life unique and worth enhancing.

Drive-By Printing at UB

October 1&2 2008 at UB

Drive By Press was created to educate and share the contemporary practice of printmaking with students and art audiences across America.
DBP has visited well over 100! Universities, Colleges,and public schools, traveling over 100,000 miles!
During each stop DBP collects prints from area artists, amassing the largest collection of contemporary prints from across the country!
DBP is a self- funded endeavor solely surviving on small visiting artists honorariums from schools and from the sales of printing wood blocks on paper and t-shirts. Many blocks have been graciously donated from some of the greatest wood cut artists in the country to support and perpetuate the the endeavor of Drive By press!!

WNYBAC Fall 2008 Workshop Series

WNYBAC is pleased to announce its Fall 2008 workshop series. This first series at our new home at 468 Washington Street in downtown Buffalo covers some basic intro classes in printing & book binding. As facilities & demand increase, we will offer additional and more in-depth classes. We have kept the fees reasonable (plus WNYBAC members receive a 20% discount on all workshops) and have a few unusual sessions to help make gifts for the holidays. We welcome your feedback and hope you will join us for one or more of these workshops.

All of the following can be registered for online

Intro to Letterpress Printing. Sept 30 and Oct 7

Introduction to FontLab. Oct 8 and 15

Link Stitch/Long Stitch bindings. Oct 11

Open Studio/Critique/Demo. Oct 12

Budgeting for Independent Publishing. Oct 14

Printmaking with Leaves (kids) Oct 18

Introduction to Letterpress. Oct 21 and 28

Letterpress Holiday Cards Nov 3,10 and 17

Simple Book Structures Nov 4 and 11

Hardcover multi-signature book. Nov 5 and 12

Decorative Marbled and Paste Papers. Dec 2 and 9

Cards and Tags using Recycled materials. Dec 3 and 10

Printmaking with Household Objects (kids) Dec 6

DIY Pin back button making session. Dec 17

Shuffle off to Rochester

ART & SOUL through SPACE & TIME
Printing & Book Arts Center, Genesee Center for the Arts & Education, 713 Monroe Avenue Rochester NY 14607
Fri., 5 Sep 2008 at 6:30 pm until Sun., 2 Nov 2008 at 5:00 pm
Book Arts exhibit featuring the art of Andy Gilmore, Davin Kuntze, Mary Lewandowski, Jennifer Maire and Julia Nitzsche. Reception with live music from LouLou and the Sharp Sword and Roger Kuhn.
Opening Reception: Fri., 5 Sep 2008 from 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm


ALSO IN ROCHESTER SEPTEMBER 27

Slide talk by Nancy Jacobi (from the Japanese Paper Place in Toronto) with examples of contemporary art:
"Japanese Paper: ancient material, powerful contemporary resource"

Sat. Sept. 27 2008
10am - noon
Cascade Art Centre at Rochester Art Supply
150 West Main St
Rochester, New York

Free

Bread & Puppet Theater - Buffalo Appearances September 10-13 2008

The Vermont based Bread & Puppet Theater is a politically charged group that encourages community participation and advocates a "cheap art" philosophy of inclusion in art and performances along with a literal manifestation of the bread by having fresh baked bread shared at each performance. Bread & Puppet comes to Buffalo in September 2008 for a mini series of events & Workshops at Artspace and the WNY Book Arts Center.

Wednesday September 10 (2pm-8pm) (performance at 8pm)
Lubberland Dance workshop & Performance
Artspace - 1219 Main St. Buffalo
A day-long workshop culminating with an 8pm performance at Artspace.
Workshops begin at 2pm and include dinner for participants. Bread & Puppet founder Peter Schumann will be participating
Fee: Donation only

Thursday September 11 (5pm-9pm)
Junk Instrument and Movement with Objects Workshop
WNY Book Arts Center - 468 Washington St. Downtown Buffalo
The "cheap art philosophy" of using found objects and junk instruments will be extended into the machines at WNYBAC. Participants will also become involved with performing with props and produce content for the Saturday performance. An evening meal is included as part of the workshop.
Fee: $30 (both Thurs & Fri workshops $50)

Friday September 12 (5pm-9pm)
Cantastoria Workshop
WNY Book Arts Center - 468 Washington St. Downtown Buffalo
Cantastoria is a theatrical form where a performer tells or sings a story while gesturing to a series of images. These images can be painted, printed or drawn on any sort of material. Bread & Puppet workshop will use the presses & facilities of the WNY Book Arts Center to produce content for the Saturday performance. An evening meal is included as part of the workshop.
Fee: $30 (both Thurs & Fri workshops $50)

Saturday September 13 (8pm)
Bread & Puppet Performance
WNY Book Arts Center - 468 Washington St. Downtown Buffalo
Culmination of previous 2 days workshops including local musicians & performers
Fee: Voluntary Donation


This event series is being coordinated by Buffalo based artist and former Bread & Puppet resident Kyla Kegler with sponsorship in part from Rust Belt Books, Artspace & the WNY Book Arts Collaborative

For more information contact: pherumphos @ gmail.com

Elmwood Festival of the Arts

The Western NY Book Arts Collaborative will be set up at Cultural Row at the 9th annual Elmwood Festival of the Arts. Stop by and print a piece you can take home on our tabletop platen press and our brochures can be hand bound on the spot also. Stop by and say hello.

Turkish Paper Marbling at Erie County Fair

A special treat for those attending the Erie County Fair and have a hankerin' for book arts rather than Ted Nugent (although its OK to like fine books and the Nuge!) Artist John Bielik will demonstrate traditional Turkish paper marbling techniques in the Historical Building. details not fully known but here is the fair info

New Old Type

Recent acquisitions for the WNYBAC type collection include some unusual wood and metal type as seen here (photo courtesy Greg Meadows). much sorting and cleaning needed, but when it is ready for use, there will be some fine material for printing. A grand opening day has not been set, but we are working on getting ready and volunteers are always welcome to help with setting things up. drop us a line at info {at} wnybookarts.org

Book Arts call at Impact Artists' Gallery

Deadline for entries has been extended.

Sign not of the Times

TypeCon2008: Punkt continues today (Wednesday, July 16) with a public sign painting demonstration from the steady hand and keen eye of John Downer. The site of this real time display of the art of window painting is the Western NY Book Arts Center at 468 Washington & E. Mohawk (a very short walk from the Hyatt hotel). From 11 till 3 today, stop by and gawk or stop by at some point during the conference to see the end results. WNYBAC is not currently open for regular hours, but a sneak preview this week has been met with some enthusiasm

3 out of 500 Handmade books...

...are by WNYBAC board members Kyle Schlesinger & Diane Bond

Congratulations on their inclusion in this fine compendium of the current state of the art & craft of handmade books. Entries juried by Steve Miller were selected from thousands of entries. 500 Handmade books is a good place to start if you are curious about what can be done between two covers.

...and so it begins

A full day of moving assorted type cases, furniture, racks & proofing presses from various locations into the new print shop area of the WNY Book Arts center gives a glimmer of what will be. We are quite excited, but there is much to do. Volunteers are always welcome and needed: from polishing up old equipment to identifying unmarked type cases to sweeping, painting & even some more moving. If you really want to help out but have no time, please consider joining as a member. Things are moving along daily.

WNYBAC in the media

The past 7 days of media have been very good for the WNY Book Art collaborative and the announcement of the new building on Washington St. in Buffalo

June 23 - Buffalo area NPR affiliate WBFO featured an interview
June 24 - The Buffalo News featured a story on the Book Arts Center
June 25 - Buffalo Spree magazine released July/Aug issue with article on TypeCon with WNYBAC as a presenting partner
July 1 - Buffalo Rising July print issue features the WNYBAC building

And we have a new facebook page

whew!

WNYBAC in the Matrix

The Western NY Book Arts Collaborative portfolio of prints: WNYBAC-1 has received the honor of being reviewed by the British fine press "journal for printers and bibliophiles": The Matrix #27. This all letterpress annual is focal point of contemporary letterpress and fine printing and typography. The review includes a tip-in from one of the WNYBAC prints and states:

The twenty-one contributions to the first publication of the Western New York Book Arts Collaborative, although boxed in the same style & format as Verse into Type, make an interesting contrast. This is certainly a lively group, no holds barred (the first contribution comes in a slightly retro-looking Agfachrome slide mount), and letterpress is definitely an optional extra. Colour abounds, one uses the third dimension, and while the purists may be startled, there's certainly plenty going on within the confines of the format. Richard Kegler, founder of the P22 type foundry in Buffalo, NY bravely offered to reset and reprint his eye-catching contribution for Matrix. Quite how it all locked up and imposed is known only to the printer, but it epitomises WNYBAC's delight in breaking the rules... Such collaborations are a revealing way of seeing how different printers approach a common task...

TypeCon2008-Buffalo NY

July 15-20 is TypeCon week in Buffalo

- Austrian design superstar Stefan Sagmeister will speak at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum commemorated with a special limited edition poster by Buffalo design studio, Hero Design
- Dutch design group NLXL will present at UB's Center for the Arts
- German design legend Erik Spiekermann will speak at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Gusto free Friday event
- Type-themed Pecha Kucha at Hallwalls
- TypeCon identity designed by Buffalo-based designer David A. Moore
- Typographic tour of Forest Lawn Cemetery
- A special rare book exhibit at the Buffalo and Erie Co. Central Library
- Special City Hall tour focused on the Art Deco Typography of City Hall
- Student newspaper design project with Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School with mentorship from Business First and visiting designers
- Special tour of the Cary Collection at RIT
- Type and Design Education Forum for local and international educators
- Mohawk Place will feature an evening showcasing local label P22 records with Odiorne + others
- Gala party at the Hyatt with Buffalo DJ legends Déjà Blü
- Closing reception for attendees at The Roycroft Campus
- Workshops being held at: the Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School as well as Quality Bindery, Paradise Press, French Press, and UB
- Events co-organized with SOTA, the Western New York Book Arts Collaborative, and P22 type foundry
- Plus three days of talks, multimedia presentations, exhibitions, and panel discussions on type and lettering arts and how they relate to communication, design, literacy, and visual culture.

A number of TypeCon events are free and open to the general public, with all events included for conference attendees. Registration is open and all are welcome to attend.


discount admission for SOTA & WNYBAC members

For full details & Registration

Hamilton Type Festival

Continuing on the Southern Ontario theme (seeing that Ontario is technically minutes from downtown Buffalo) the Hamilton Type Festival features a series of events focused around typography and signage in Hamilton Ontario. Some events include:

May 9 - June 6
Ghost Signs of Hamilton - A photographic exhibition documenting Hamilton’s ghost signs originated at the Art Gallery of Hamilton last year.Showing at Mixed Media until June 6.

Thursday, May 22, 7pm
Helvetica (the film) - Hamilton premiere at Staircase Theatre

Saturday, May 24th, 1-3pm free
Greg Smith, typesetting demonstration At The Print Studio
173 James St. N.

Saturday, May 24th, 1-3pm free
Gord Pullar, sign-painting demonstration at Mixed Media, James St. N.

Sunday, May 25th 1-3pm free
Signs of Downtown Hamilton walking tour - Meet at Wellington Park, King & Wellington St. Tour wraps up with coffee and discussion at HIStory+HERitage, 165 James St. N.

Southern Ontario

Western New York and Southern Ontario are linked geographically but at times they seem worlds apart. As part of the WNYBAC outreach program, we are supporters of the Type Club of Toronto whose series of Type & Design speaker events is as good an excuse as any to visit the Metropolis to our near North. About half way to Toronto from Buffalo (yes, there is also an IKEA about half way) is Grimbsy Ontario. This April 26th is the Grimbsby Wayzgoose fair and WNYBAC will be represented at its own table. Admission is free.

Every year on the last Saturday in April, the Grimsby Public Art Gallery celebrates Wayzgoose, a festival of Book Arts. This annual book arts fair brings together private presses from all across Canada and the United States representing the renewal of old friendships, the beginning of new ones, and the appreciation for handmade book and paper arts. Demonstrations and displays of paper making, book binding, calligraphy, paper marbling, and book making celebrates the love of fine art, fine craft, and stories.

A Curious Type: Graphic Design In Film

A great film series starts today at the George Eastman House/Dryden Theatre in Rochester.

George Eastman House Presents: A CURIOUS TYPE: GRAPHIC DESIGN IN FILM - Graphic design is an implicit part of the filmmaking process. It is often so implicit, however, as to become obscured by some of the flashier aspects of movies. For this series, we’re hoping to uncover the elements of graphic design in cinema by exploring artists and examples that exhibit great design.

April 3rd, 7pm
7pm: RIT Professor, R. Roger Remington lecture on the Bauhaus Films
8pm: László Moholy-Nagy & Bauhaus Films (80 min)

April 10th, 8pm
British Television Advertising Awards 2007

April 17th, 8pm
The Films of Charles & Ray Eames

April 19th
7pm: RIT Professor Charles Bigelow on the history of typography
8pm: HELVETICA with Charles Bigelow in Person!

April 20th, 5pm
HELVETICA

April 24, 8pm
Saul Bass and the Art of Title Design

For more information

BIGELOW and HOLMES @ UB

L*E*T*T*E*R*S
& LITERATURES

a joint presentation by
CHARLES BIGELOW and KRIS HOLMES

RESCHEDULED for April 2 4PM


"We'll talk about calligraphy and typography for oral literatures that became literate at some time. Such as Kiksht Chinook, colloquial modern Irish, medieval Provencal, a little K'iche', a smattering of Old English and Ancient Greek."

Charles Bigelow is the Melbert B. Cary, Jr. Professor of Graphic Arts at the Rochester Institute of Technology, the recipient of RIT's Frederic W. Goudy Award in Typography, and a former MacArthur Prize Fellow.

Kris Holmes is an internationally known calligrapher and the designer of more than one hundred type faces, including Lucida Grande, the standard font for Macintosh OS X. She is the President of the Bigelow & Holmes Studio.

Tuesday, February 26 at 4:00 PM in the Poetry Collection, UB Libraries Special Collections Research Room, 420 Capen Hall, North Campus. (Sorry to report, due to the Winter Storm Watch, this talk has been postponed until April 2.)

There will be a display of their work.

Helvetica DVD

The Western NY Book Arts Collaborative brought the Helvetica film to Buffalo for the WNY TypoFest back in May of 2007, now we bring the film to you as an official reseller of the DVD. WNYBAC members can get the DVD for only $18 or $20 for non-members (+$5 for shipping with in the US, members can save on shipping by making arrangements via workshops or serendipitous clandestine car trunk sales.)

The DVD includes the full 80-minute feature film, plus over 90 minutes of additional interviews with Massimo Vignelli, Matthew Carter, Erik Spiekermann, Hermann Zapf, and many more. 16x9 anamorphic widescreen presentation, with English and German language subtitles, and a 12-page color booklet.