Better Know a Board Member!

[This is the first in a series of profiles of CBAS Board members.]

Judith with a new 2nd Amendment variation

Judith Serling-Sturm was hoping there would be a book arts community in Cincinnati when planning to move here near the end of 2010, and she was delighted to find CBAS on the Internet. She sent us an email and soon received a welcoming email greeting from member Diane Stemper. We can claim Judith as one of our own from March 2011.

In previous homes in Washington, D.C., and Chicago Judith had been a freelance writer and a working book artist. In the late 1990s in D.C. she apprenticed to a person who owned a business producing handmade blank books. She was intrigued by exposed spine bindings where the effort of holding the content together was structurally important but could also be visually varied and very beautiful. After her apprenticeship Judith began to build her own business, working on special commissions for private clients. Having done substitute teaching, she was soon doing in-school and in-museum workshops using her book-making skills. When she moved to Chicago, she continued to learn more about book structures and became interested in artists' books. She was encouraged in her on-going experimentation with bringing together ideas, materials and techniques by taking courses at Columbia College's Center for Book and Paper Arts and sharing a studio with a painter/print maker. A CAAP grant (Community Arts Assistance Program) enabled her to devote energy to producing her first artist's book about a young boy's adventures at school. And an artist's residency at Blueberry View Artist Retreat in Riverside, Michigan, in the summer of 2010 enabled her to concentrate on a new series of artist's books focusing on Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, each one unique in content and structure.

What is Judith working on now?

Variations on the Amendments series

A Home series, base on interviews she has conducted about the very personal meaning of that word

A Halloween book (to be installed at her studio) that involves using PVA skins and collage among other things

Decorative cases, made from natural elements and found metals, to hold mezuzot

Judith's goal is to work every day at her art. She says her process usually involves trial and error. She throws away a lot in order to refine, refine, refine. What doesn't work still ends up getting her where she wants to be. She is always thinking about a happy marriage of structure and content.

She attends Art4Artists (part of Cincinnati Recreation Commission's offerings) and is working with the Taft Museum's ARC program (Artists Reaching Classrooms).

A studio wall devoted to the Home series

What has she enjoyed most about CBAS?  She values the opportunity to exhibit work in our annual Bookworks exhibition and the forum the gallery walk-throughs provide for listening to her fellow book artists discuss their work. She loves Study Group—a great way to meet those who share her interest, to learn new things and to "refresh" the skills that she may not use regularly. Being part of the group continues to be a great encouragement in her evolution as an artist. She will be leading a Study Group session for the first time in 2015.

What is Judith's role on the CBAS Board?  She heads the Programs Committee. That means she's responsible for a visiting artist or two each year and for lining up a speaker/program for the CBAS Annual Meeting in the spring.

An "Idea Bank" (rocks, twigs, bones, etc.) provides inspiration

Where can you find Judith?  She is usually hosting open house at her studio at the Pendleton Art Center on Final Fridays. It is a visual treat to explore what's there—past and current work plus a list of ideas for future projects. You can also see what inspires her.

Not to be Missed: CBAS at Tiger Lily Sale

You are invited to join us for the Tiger Lily Press Annual Print and Calendar Sale on Saturday, November 8, 11 am - 5 pm, at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, 3711 Clifton Avenue. It's a great time to shop for holiday and special occasion gifts or just for yourself. You will find CBAS and Tiger Lily artists in the second floor auditorium, while the Autumn Air Art Fair will be happening on the main floor.

Remember: Tiger Lily Press produces a wonderful, limited edition, hand-pulled woodcut calendar with work by its artists only every other year. And this is the chance to purchase yours for 2015!

Weekend Workshop Wrap-up

Visiting Artist Beata Wehr (center, in stripes) gets us started

 A group of 15 CBAS members were hard at work and having fun during our September 20 and 21 workshop with visiting artist Beata Wehr. Saturday and Sunday were full of challenges and creativity as we were led by Beata to explore the avenues we might use to arrive at CONTENT for our books. Writing prompts and a discussion of design principles got us started.

There was time to share, time to work independently and time for one-on-one consultation with the instructor; all fitted together to make it a rewarding experience. Though not all books were completed in two days, our concepts began to take physical forms that will result in great finished books in the near future.
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CBAS thanks Judith Serling-Sturm for heading the Visiting Artist Committee and tending to all those details that meant smooth sailing for the rest of us. And CBAS is most grateful to Annie Bolling for use of a space for the workshop. Thanks to all CBAS board members who helped with set-up and clean-up and who kept us nourished with delicious snacks throughout. Your fellow CBAS members salute you!