Cartonera Book Publishing

Thursday, February 20th, 7-9pm

7-8pm: Artist Presentation
8-9pm: Light Refreshments & Socializing

Join us to hear a brief history of the Latin American cartonera movement, from cardboard collectors to artists and writers who create cartoneras. See beautiful samples from Mexico and learn how folks of any age can publish cartoneras.

Jesse Gainer is a former elementary teacher who now works as an associate professor of literacy education at Texas State. He is interested in how young children develop language, literacy, and critical thinking, and ways teachers can bridge school-based instruction to children’s at-home languages and cultures.

Linda Anderson, a retired elementary teacher, currently conducts classes for artists and educators at ABAC. Linda will show examples of cartonera books children and adults can use for publishing their writing.

This event is part of ABAC’s Third Thursday series. For each, we invite a special presenter to provide an educational demonstration during the first hour. A reception follows. These family-friendly happenings are free and open to the public.

Spring Open House

Saturday, February 8th from 10am-5pm
Austin Book Arts Center
5501 N. Lamar, Suite C125, Austin, TX 78751
Free admission; Enjoy refreshments and door prizes.

The Austin Book Arts Center invites the public to an Open House. Come visit the Studio and see what’s new!

Spring registration has begun. Learn about the new schedule, with many exciting workshops for children and adults being offered for the first time! From medieval bookbinding to DIY photopolymer, golden touch paper to leather working, there’s bound to be a class you can’t pass up. Volunteers are onsite to lead demonstrations in bookbinding and letterpress printing. Attendees may print a keepsake or bind a book.

Heavy Prose with Jim Trainer

Thursday, January 16th, 7-9pm

7-8pm: Jim Trainer Presents
8-9pm: Light Refreshments & Socializing

Self-publisher, personal journalist, singer-songwriter, storyteller, and poet Jim Trainer will discuss his creative process and the importance of publishing as the completion of that process. From composition to printing and binding to performing live, the written word is rife with potential better served, and even shaped, at the street level and when heard, read, and shared. Jim will touch on personal journalism, the why of art and creation, and ultimately how poetry and your personal vantage point as a writer will often ring truer than the hard news.

Jim Trainer will perform and share his work as part of the discussion.

Letterpress Play: Fostering PLAY for All!

Thursday, December 19th, 7-9pm

7-8pm: Kyle Hawley Presents
8-9pm: Light Refreshments & Socializing

Kyle Hawley is a letterpress printer and creator of LetterpressPLAY. Kyle’s designs inspire curiosity and wonder through zero waste paper toys, cards, posters and more!

Letterpress PLAY’s paper products employ a full range of printing methods using lead or wood type, blocks, or polymer plates and are printed by hand or with machines dating back to the Industrial Revolution. Experience Kyle’s handmade paper toys!

More information may be found here!

Homemade cookies and hot chocolate by Laura Agnew.

How Will I Bind This Artist Book?

Thursday, November 21st, 7-9pm

7-8pm: Olivia Primanis Presents
8-9pm: Light Refreshments & Socializing

Join us for a hands-on exploration of a variety of materials used in bookbinding for centuries; and how materials and structure change the way a book moves when used, feels in the hand, and determine the way readers experience the work. Our guest artist, Olivia Primanis, asks, “which binding will create physical qualities that flow with the narrative of Christopher Hynes’ artist book: “Threads of Life: Of Birds and Clouds”.

Attendees are invited to bring bindings from their own collections to share with the group.

Olivia Primanis started binding in the mid-1970s during an arts and crafts revival of letterpress printing, bookbinding and an exploration of art possibilities in books. “Customers often challenged me to figure out a way to bind the various piles of contemporary papers and photos they brought to my bookbinding shop in Pittsburgh, Pa.” At the same time libraries were trying to figure out what to do with brittle books, which invigorated the fields of library preservation and book conservation. “Libraries captivated me and in recent decades, I repaired books from the 16^th c to the 21^st century, mainly at the Ransom Center, UT. One of my great pleasures is experiencing how each binding structure effects how a book’s ‘mechanics’ work!”

Free Paper Making Workshop with Yama Ploskonka!

Join us for a brief lecture “Forbidden Paper Making of the Spanish Colonies” and then learn the basics of making paper by hand.

Friday, October 11th

Activities start at 7:00 P.M.

While the Spanish were the first to print books and make paper in the Americas, “something” happened. No paper made in Spanish America exists, those papermills disappeared, while the British not only caught up, but were making paper and books everywhere they could.

Perhaps some papermaking happened “underground”, as the Spanish authorities were generally not friendly of such things (because tariffs, did you know?) The Jesuit Missions in the Paraguay “might” have made paper in the 1720s, there is some curious evidence discovered in Austin, of all places.

A brief presentation about some facts of history, and why that “mystery” matters even today, especially today, will be followed by a hands-on workshop where participants get to make by hand a sheet of paper to take home that looks like it was made in 1724.

Yama Ploskonka is catching up on life as he chose a few years ago to become a papermaker when he grows up. He was a teacher, computer and robotic geek besides much else in many places, and generally spends his time now sharing ways of making things before those skills gets lost and forgotten. Since 2016 he started Papel Texano in Austin, to encourage people to make paper and especially to use handmade paper for prints and books, like it had been for hundreds of years

The Good Life: Letterpress

Thursday, October 17th, 7-9pm

7-8pm: Kyle Schlesinger Presents
8-9pm: Light Refreshments & Socializing

You may have heard that printing is good for you, but nobody really talks about why. Like yoga, printing is beneficial to your mind, body, and even spirit. It is physically satisfying, mentally engaging, and repetitive enough to bring on a tranquil feeling. In a world mediated by technology we don’t understand, it is empowering to work with machines we can apprehend visually and mechanically. Moreover, letterpress is good for the environment, and it fosters community, teamwork, creativity, and a special view of history. Want to live the good life? Come to Austin Book Arts Center and start printing.

Kyle Schlesinger is a printer with twenty years’ experience. He is also the proprietor of Cuneiform Press, a literary arts organization based in Austin.

Paper + Weaving

Thursday, September 19th, 7-9pm

7-8pm: Rebecca Switzer Presents
8-9pm: Light Refreshments, Socialize!

Rebecca Switzer will display and discuss the collection of paper weavings that she created during a workshop with Helen Hiebert: Weaving Through Winter*: an online sharing challenge of 30 weavings in 30 days. Discover the basics of paper weaving, and observe methods to combine weaving with pop-up book techniques and paper casting to make paper sculpture.

*Information about the weaving workshop can be found at https://helenhiebertstudio.com/

This event is part of ABAC’s new Third Thursday series. For each event, we invite a special presenter to provide an educational demonstration during the first hour. A reception follows. These family-friendly events are free and open to the public.

CANCELLED: Kyle Durrie of Power and Light Press Visits ABAC

EVENT CANCELLED

We’re bummed to announce that Kyle and the Moveable Type Truck can’t make it on September 7th. This heat has not been kind! Stay tuned–we’ll reschedule if possible.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////

Kyle Durrie of Power and Light Press, Silver City, NM
Saturday, September 7th from 2-6pm at ABAC

The indomitable Ms. Durrie is once again hitting the open road in her “Moveable Type” truck for a tour of the southern states. She will be setting up shop at the Austin Book Arts Center during the Fall Open House to engage visitors with letterpress demos and a stunning array of letterpress printed merchandise.

This is the second tour of the “Moveable Type” truck. Back in 2011-2013, Durrie traveled around the country in this same truck, with the mission of sharing the craft of letterpress printing. She is visiting small towns and big cities to spread the good word about printing the old fashioned way, by hosting public pop-ups, letterpress demos, and letter-writing events along the way.

Fall Open House

Saturday, September 7th from 10am-5pm
Austin Book Arts Center
5501 N. Lamar, Suite C125, Austin, TX 78751
Free admission; Enjoy refreshments and door prizes.

The Austin Book Arts Center invites the public to an Open House. Come visit the Studio and see what’s new, including an expanded retail nook.

Fall registration has begun. Learn about the new schedule, with many exciting workshops for children and adults being offered for the first time! From medieval bookbinding to DIY photopolymer, cyanotypes to leather working, there’s bound to be a class you can’t pass up. Volunteers are onsite to lead demonstrations in bookbinding and letterpress printing. Attendees may print a keepsake or bind a book.