Our watch party is on Thursday, March 1st from 6-10pm at the Austin Book Arts Center.
Come celebrate and support the greatest book arts center in Texas!
Holiday Open House
ABAC Holiday Open House
Sunday, November 19th, 11am-6pm
Join us for bookbinding and letterpress demonstrations. Learn about workshops and print your own bookmark, coaster, or holiday card.
This event coincides with EAST events at Flatbed Press and elsewhere. We hope to see you on Sunday!
Snacks and refreshments provided.
EAST #89 and #90
Join us for EAST!
Austin Book Arts Center will be participating in the East Austin Studio Tour (EAST) along with our Flatbed neighbors. We’ll be open–come see us!
We have cookies.
Saturday, November 11th, 11am-8pm
Sunday, November 12th, 11am-6pm
Saturday, November 18th, 11am-6pm
Sunday, November 19th, 11am-6pm (Holiday Open House)
ABAC at the Texas Book Festival
Children learned how to make multi page books out of one sheet of paper in the Children’s Tent on Sunday, November 4. After they made their books, the kids could illustrate the pages. It was amazing to see the imagination and creativity the kids had as they worked on their books. Their parents learned that book making isn’t just for kids; that there is a variety of classes for adults at the Book Arts Center that are just as fun and creative as the books their children made.
Second Birthday Bash!
Austin Book Arts Center celebrated its second year of existence on October 2, 2017, with the theme “It Takes Two to Two Step.” The event raised almost $3300! The White Horse Saloon in East Austin played host for the event, and the bar was transformed complete with decorations, cupcakes, a silent auction, and a slide show with ABAC photos from the last year. Children’s books were collected to donate to those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Guests could letterpress print their own drink coasters and construct keepsake dance cards. One of the highlights of the evening was live music performed by Carson McHone. Master of Ceremonies Greg Ciotti led everyone in celebrating the milestone.
ABAC extends our heartfelt gratitude to our event sponsors: The White Horse, Recspec, Koch Printing, and Clampitt Paper Austin.
ABAC also wishes to thank the generous donors to our Silent Auction: Beatrice Baldwin, Mary Baughman, Sarah Bird, BookWoman, Clare Bresnan, Betty Sue Flowers, Half Price Books, Harry Ransom Center, Deborah Hartigan, Christopher Hynes, Jerry’s Artarama, Little Free Library, Malvern Books, Chet Phillips, Olivia Primanis, South Congress Books, Texas Performing Arts, Beck Whitehead
Photography by Sarah Thorne sarahthornephoto.com
Hi-res images available upon request.
ABAC_image1.jpg Carson McHone
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(left to right) Mark Smith and Louie Divino
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(left to right) Olivia Primanis, Lisa Jones, Grace McAvoy
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(left to right) Howie Ritchey and Greg Ciotti
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(left to right) Aralyn Hughes and Iris Baughman
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(left to right) Margaret Bentley and Randy Greenberg
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(left to right) Katherine Brimberry, Mike Brimberry, Amanda Stevenson
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(left to right) Jay Kleberg and Chrissy Kleberg
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(left to right) Grace McAvoy and Jace Graf
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(left to right) Greg Ciotti and Mary Baughman
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(left to right) Katy Belknap, Solomon, and Sara Belknap
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(left to right) Max Koch, Amanda Rohlich, Mary Baughman
ABAC_image15.jpg Cupcakes
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(left to right) Martyn Hitchcock and Paul Garner
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Dr. Seuss quote
Second Birthday Party
Join us Monday, October 2nd, 6:30-9:30 P.M. to celebrate the accomplishments of the Austin Book Arts Center over the last year!
Master of Ceremonies–Greg Ciotti
Carson McHone will perform.
Eat some cake. Bind a book. Print a keepsake. Bid on items in the Silent Auction.
To support our Texas neighbors affected by Hurricane Harvey, ABAC will collect donations of new or gently used children’s books at the event.
Click here for more information and to buy tickets!
Open Set Exhibition Update
Dear Folks,
After working for the past 2 years, to bring the Open Set Exhibition to Austin bibliophiles, This message is disappointing; Open Set Bookbinding Exhibition will not be shown in Austin this year. The Austin show would have opened July 26, 2017.
Sharon Herfurth of Austin Public Library, and ABAC staff look forward to working together to present the Austin showing of the next Open Set binding Competition and Exhibition in 2020, when the show will be on view at the new downtown Austin Public Library. In 2020 the Open Set Exhibition will travel to only 4 venues and will be on view for longer than one month at each venue.
Thank you to everyone who agreed to speak or entertain in the gallery, volunteer as a docent, help with the opening and closing receptions, assist with publicity, brainstorm, etc. We hope that this team we be able to work on the 2020 Open Set Exhibition.
On a brighter note, this frees up some time in the schedule to plan the Austin Book Arts Center’s Second Birthday Party. Stay tuned!
Bibliophiles can enjoy the Open Set 2017 Exhibition in
· Seattle – Seattle Public Library – September 8 – October 28
· Salt Lake City – University of Utah – November 10 – January 19
The name “Open Set” was chosen because 20 book bindings are unique artistic interpretations for one SET letterpress printed limited edition text: Inside the book, by David Eselmont. 30 book bindings are unique – one of a kind – artistic interpretations of a variety of fine press books.
View the 50 bindings in this traveling exhibition, and purchase the catalog here.
Here is a website for the Open-Set competition and exhibition. Photos of the 79 bindings submitted to the competition, the dates and venues across the USA where the exhibition will be shown, and information about the inspiration for the competition.
The last major exhibition of fine book bindings in Austin was in 2005 at the Ransom Center. The exhibit was produced by the Guild of Book Workers and the title was “In Flight”.
Bookbinding I Scholarship
Austin Book Arts Center has received a generous donation from an anonymous donor who would like to fund the tuition for one student to attend Bookbinding I. This class runs six Wednesday evenings, 6-9pm, beginning February 1, 2017.
Please click here for a full CLASS DESCRIPTION.
This workshop is also a pre-requisite for Book Repair II and Book Repair III.
Interested students should submit a brief application that includes: Complete contact information (Name, Address, Phone, Email), along with an essay in 300 words or less that explains why he/she is interested in taking the class and how it would further personal or professional goals. Please email the application as a PDF attachment to amanda@atxbookarts.org by Wednesday, January 25. The winner will be notified by Friday, January 27.
The recipient should be able to commit to attending all six sessions.
Holiday Open House
Holiday Open House
Sunday, November 20th, 11am-6pm
Join us for bookbinding and letterpress demonstrations. Learn about workshops and print your own bookmark, coaster, or holiday card.
This event coincides with EAST events at Flatbed Press and elsewhere. We hope to see you on Sunday!
First Birthday Bash
The Austin Book Arts Center Board of Directors is pleased to announce our successful FIRST BIRTHDAY BASH took place at the North Door on Wednesday, September 28th, 2016 from 6-9pm.
(Scroll down for images).
Austin Book Arts Center celebrated its first year of operation with letterpress printing, tiny books, music by Ruby and the Reckless, cupcakes, champagne, and a silent auction. Greg Ciotti of KOOP Radio was the Master of Ceremonies.
The event was to celebrate the accomplishments made by the Austin Book Arts Center in the first year of operation, including the expansion of the ABAC studio into a larger space at the Flatbed Building. Since September 2015, 57 workshops have been offered to engage people in creative, interpretive, and educational experiences related to the arts of the book.
The event raised almost $4000, 100% of which will go directly towards ABAC’s programming.
We would like to acknowledge donors to the Silent Auction:
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Amanda Stevenson
Anthony Maddaloni Photography
Beck Whitehead
Breakaway Records
Cari Marshall
Chet Phillips Illustration
Cloverleaf Bindery/Jace Graf
Colophon
Contemporary Austin
Dana Kull
Domestic Papers/Lee Steiner
Half Prince Books
Jessica Crane
Jim Croft
Koch Printing/Max Koch
Kyle Hawley
Little Free Library
Malvern Books
Margi Tenney
Mary Baughman
Michael O’Brien
Missy Bosch Studios
Shanna Leino
South Congress Books
Talas
All images courtesy of Anthony Maddaloni Photography
