August Study Group Wins a Double Header

The Reds might have been out of town, but a dozen members of Study Group played a double header on Saturday, August 17. We began the afternoon with a visit to the Lloyd Library and Museum's Wounded Home exhibit, curated by CBAS member Kate Kern. A compelling collaboration by seven artists who used library resources as inspiration, Wounded Home explores the devastating effects of the Civil War on the homefront.

Anna answering Cecie's question

Many thanks to Exhibits Curator Anna Heran for introducing the group to the exhibit and to the Lloyd's fascinating collection of ancient and modern materials on pharmacology, herbalism, natural science, medicine, botany, scientific history and the visual arts. The Lloyd is one of Cincinnati's hidden treasures, and most definitely worth a visit.

After visiting the Lloyd, members re-convened at the Main Library for a very different exploration. Using old game boards as the base (Uncle Wiggly, anyone?), each of us made a collapsible punching cradle. A cradle is a must for bookmakers, and a collapsible one will be a practical addition to the supply kits we carry to CBAS meetings and workshops.

Busy group

Completed cradle

We were especially happy to welcome two new participants. Jenny and Jim, we hope you'll become regular Study Group members and join in our explorations.
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Thanks to Janice for sending us this news and for being our instructor in making the cradles.

Library Purchases from Bookworks 14

This post comes to us from Jeanne Strauss-De Groote—

As curator of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County's artists books collection, I am delighted to announce that the library purchased some inspiring and very original books from this year's display. They will be added to the library's wonderful and always growing collection.

Retablo for Herb, Virginia Burroughs

Retablo for Herb, created by Virginia Burroughs, is a very personal and original piece in the form of an open box containing precious relics from the artist's late husband. Retablo for Herb is a memorial object that recalls traditional African American art made out of common daily objects, deeply charged emotionally.

Healing Not Whole, Cecie Chewning

Healing Not Whole, by Cecie Chewning, is an accordion book with photos of remarkably beautiful pastel drawings by the artist. Inspired by tree calluses observed in nature, the drawings are mysterious abstractions. The book, with its accompanying poem by J. A. Chewning, is rooted in the artist's personal experience and reflection on human suffering and healing, and their parallels in nature.

When I..., Janice Kagermeier

 When I... and Columbus Day are two books by Janice Kagermeier. Simple in appearance, they are deeply human and moving. Both are wonderfully crafted. When I... is a joyful memorial to the ceramic creations by Kentucky potter Greg Seigel that the artist has collected. Columbus Day is a book of memories, with images of older papers and photographs, celebrating the immigration of the artist's father from a Bavarian village to America. Both of Kagermeier's books mix text and images with a striking coherence and reveal the artist's great talent as a storyteller.

A page from Columbus Day, Janice Kagermeier

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CBAS congratulates this year's artists and expresses its gratitude for the Public Library's continuing support of the art of the book.

Bookmaking at the Main Library

On the afternoon of Saturday, August 3, almost 50 curious folks stopped by the CBAS tables in the Atrium of the Main Library for an introduction to bookmaking. After doing a simple stab binding and a basic one-page book, participants were very interested in the examples volunteers had brought to display and had lots of questions about how each structure was made.

Some of our visitors were passersby attracted to the activity near the Information kiosk, but at least a half dozen had come specifically to find out about CBAS and learn more about making books. Included in our guests: a young man who wanted to learn bookmaking so he could bind some of his own writings, a very enthusiastic young couple with a million questions, a woman eager to share what she'd learned with the mothers' group at her church, a 13-year old who talked her Bengals jersey wearing dad into making his own book, a retired gentleman with a British accent who's been a weaver for 25+ years and is eager to learn Coptic binding, and a tattooed and multiply-pierced fellow in a Lynyrd Skynyrd t-shirt excited to learn he could make a book of his own drawings.

One of our goals for the year has been increasing community outreach, and this program was another great example of how eager people in Cincinnati are to learn about bookmaking and about our organization.

Many thanks to CBAS members Fran, Janice, Patty and Veronica for volunteering to share their enthusiasm for bookmaking, and to Jeanne, Cindy and Chris at the Main Library for arranging the program.

And thanks to Janice for sending us this photo and post.