Welcome to the Book Arts Guild. 33 years ago a small group of book binders, papermakers and printers started the Guild and it is now the largest, longest lived, active book arts group in the Pacific Northwest. With over 300 members, BAG reflects the wide variety of arts and crafts sheltered under the book arts umbrella. We've hosted hundreds of lectures by major artists from all over the world, coordinated many workshops with master artists and craftspeople, supported exhibitions, and been active in regional book fairs throughout the group's history.
On this website you will find upcoming events, both hosted by the Guild and those of interest to its members, and an archive of past activities. You will find photographs from workshops, exhibits, studio visits and lectures illustrating the wide variety of events BAG has sponsored over the last 33 years. Please join us. Our $20 dues are a bargain to attend our monthly meetings with visiting artists specializing in a wide range of media, forms and content. Take this opportunity to support the book arts regionally and nationally. Join us!!
Latest News
Celebrate Andersen, Spring & Tree
April 1, 2012
Book arts are going strong this spring. BAG is co-sponsoring a program on Dard Hunter's graphic works on April 18 by Larry Kreisman; Tacoma is having its 8th Annual Wayzgoose April 22; Jessica Spring's one-person show at UPS just opened and she is speaking April 25; BAG is hosting Laura Russell on April 26 talking about marketing for book artists! Some of us remember when we were lucky if we had a book arts event every month; now most of us just can't keep up--but isn't that great?
Some of the major highlights of "The Merry Company" popup and movable book exhibit in Special Collections will be still on display until end of the day April 20th so if you didn't get a chance to go and wanted to, NOW is the time. Remember there are no weekend hours and only Wednesday is Special Collections open late, until 7:45 PM.
Hans Christain Andersen was born on April 2, 1805. Andersen's work inspired many illustrators to try their hand at providing images for his work. Especially wonderful are those of Edmund Dulac, Kay Nielsen, Arthur Rackham and Arthur Gaskin [who also did Spenser's The Shepheardes Calendar by the Kelmscott Press, 1896]. Special Collections at the University of Washington Libraries has a great collection of Andersen materials including many illustrated versions of the stories.
While the weather might not always show it, spring has errupted in Seattle with snowdrops, daffodiles, crocus and a host of other blooming plants. Birds, migrating or stay at homes, are singing their hearts out in hopes of finding a mate. For many of us spring is a time to renew our vows and associations--celebrating our friendships, our community and our many blessings. The Guild, now 33 years old, benefits greatly from your participation and from the creativity and hard work of all those who crafted the group many years ago. Some of those members are no longer with us and we must remember them, thank them and appreciate our good fortune to know them. One of them, gone from the regional community for 19 years, has returned to us.
Tree Swenson, co-founder of Copper Canyon Press in 1972 and teacher of a generation of regional letterpress printers, has returned to the Northwest to become the Executive Director of the Richard Hugo House. Tree moved away from the Northwest in 1992, after 20 years at Copper Canyon, to become the Director of Programs for the Massachusetts Cultural Council in Boston where she stayed 10 years. In 2002 she became Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets in New York City and led this non-profit organization for ten years as well. On March 29, a celebration was held to welcome Tree back home; she will be based in Seattle. It is hoped that Tree's early affliation with the Book Arts Guild will lead to cooperative programs with Hugo House to the mutual benefit of both organizations.
The Memorial Fund for Margery Hellmann, a BAG founding member, has been flooded with support from over 40 people expressing their love for Margery. At the last BAG Board meeting we voted to donate money to the fund to celebrate Margery's creativity, insight and long contributions to the Book Arts Guild. We know how much this support is appreciated by Margery husband Don and her three children.
For those in the Guild who would like to honor Margery remembrances may be made to: The University of Washington Foundation, Margery S. Hellmann Memorial Fund for Book Arts; Book Arts and Rare Book Curator; Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries, Box 352900, Seattle, WA 98195-2900. Attn.: Sandra Kroupa. The donations collected will be used to acquire work by artists who meld literature and the book form in imaginative ways as always Margery did.
Other Images
Benefits of membership: