Edible Book Show - April 1

The Western New York Book Arts Collaborative is pleased to be taking part in the International Edible Book Festival!

This festival has taken place around the world over the last several years and WNYBAC will host the annual event on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 6pm at the WNY Book Arts Center, 468 Washington Street in downtown Buffalo.

Edible Book Show at WNY Book Arts Center
This hybrid pot-luck dinner meets art show will push the limits of what defines a "book" and open up the WNY Book Arts Center for one last public event before the Grand Opening in May. Participants are encouraged to create something tasty and ponderous...bordering on preposterous.

From the festival website: "April 1st is the birthday of French gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826), famous for his book Physiologie du goût, a witty meditation on food. April fools' day is also the perfect day to eat your words and play with them as the "books" are consumed on the day of the event. This ephemeral global banquet, in which anyone can participate, is shared by all on the internet and allows everyone to preserve and discover unique bookish nourishments. This festival is a celebration of the ingestion of culture and a way to concretely share a book; it is also a deeper reflexion on our attachment to food and our
cultural differences."

All are welcome to attend and participate. Admission is free with an edible book entry or food dish.

for more info

What's in a name?

To help with some confusion that often comes up about WNYBAC, here is the basic outline:

The Western NY Book Arts Collaborative is the name of the non profit organization.

The Western NY Book Arts Center is the name of the building that houses the organization, its equipment and majority of activities.

Both use the WNYBAC abbreviation/anagram (Often pronounced Winney-back)

P22 is often seen as the same thing or an extension of WNYBAC (or vice-a-versa). It is not. P22 type foundry is the company founded by Richard Kegler & Carima El-Behairy who are also founding members of WNYBAC. P22 has been of tremendous assistance in setting up WNYBAC but despite overlapping focuses and interests in typography & printing, the two are completely separate entities.

Postcard

Special thanks to WNYBAC members Nicole Lecht and Josh Spaulding who have lent their design talents to our new promo postcard. We hope to do a series of these from guest designers. If interested in this project, just email info (at) wnybookarts.org

WNYBAC Printshop

The basement printshop at WNYBAC is now functional and being used while fine tuning the presses and workshop planning. The photo above taken by WNYBAC member Mark Hatley shows Sunnyoutside publisher David McNamara running a limited edition letterpress book on the vandercook 219. The printshop is open to members to use on a proposal and availability basis. The printshop itself may need a unique name...considering Mohawk Press or something to help distinguish it as an entity within the WNY Book Arts Center. Suggestions welcome.

WNYBAC demo days

That's Demonstration, (not demolition)

In advance of our Spring Workshop Schedule, we are doing something a little more casual to help members become acquainted with our facilities at 468 Washington St. Starting for the next 3 Wednesday evenings, we will have 2 hour demonstrations of some of our equipment. These are not in-depth workshops but rather overviews where you can see various processes, ask questions or offer input. In some cases, we are still learning ourselves, so in the spirit of collaboration and creative inspiration:


Demo Days...open to all
WNYBAC Members - Free
Non members - $10.00 fee


Wednesday January 14 6pm-8pm
---Thermography
The "raised" type you see on many business cards or "Poor man's engraving" is a relatively simple process but getting it right and using it in the right situations can be tricky. See some examples of this technique and try out our modest set up for this elusive post-printing technique.
----------

Wednesday January 21 6pm-8pm
---Ludlow line casting
Our newly tuned-up Ludlow Typograph machine and selection of over 100 fonts is ready for some serious use. Members who joined before December 20 will have received a holiday ornament cast on the Ludlow. See what it takes to use this machine and cast a line to take home.
----------

Wednesday January 28 6pm-8pm
---Punching & Cutting machines
Paper Drills, grommet machines, corner rounders, and a trusty Guillotine are but a few of the resources we have to make paper yield to your will. Some of these machines will always require WNYBAC staff assistance, but many others are just fun to put holes in paper. Get a tour of these tools that can help put that final touch on your book edition project.
----------

Please RSVP if you plan on stopping by so we know how many people to expect.
To reserve a spot on any of these days
RSVP to info @ wnybookarts.org
Non members send a check
468 Washington St. Buffalo NY 14203
or paypal payment to payments @ wnybookarts.org


Additional resources in our collection

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.