Have you
ever wondered how other book art groups get started and how they operate? Our
member from York, England, Margaret Beech, recently shared that her local
group, Quarto, just created a blog. Along with that blog address (https://quartobookarts.blogspot.com/)
we asked Margaret to share how Quarto came about.
“It grew out
of a calligraphy group meeting in Newcastle who were interested in making small
books after taking one of my workshops. The group was founded in September
2001. There were 14 original members and around 20 now, but more like 14-16
regulars. Seven of those original members are still involved. We do have a
postal member in Melbourne, Australia. She was visiting a calligraphy
exhibition in Durham and met one of our members and took an interest.
Quarto meets
from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. four times a year. Every meeting starts with a morning
‘workshop’ from a member, then a packed lunch, usually followed by the book exchange.
We do all consider the heart of the meeting to be the book exchange. We sit
round a very large table and everyone is expected to talk about the how and why
of the making of their book. In the afternoon we will have another ‘workshop’
(from a member) – something not very challenging as we begin to run out of
steam. Very occasionally we have brought in a workshop tutor for a whole day
session. Paul Johnson has been twice to inspire us. One of the original ‘rules’
of Quarto was that if you attend the meeting, you should bring a book for the
exchange. That still applies although not so strictly adhered to as at the
start. We have a shared lunch annually during the meeting. This year it will be
in October to celebrate our 18th birthday.
We don’t
have officers or fees to pay as we get the room courtesy of one of our members
who is a prof at the University. We have
always had one member willing to co-ordinate meetings, keep in touch, and bring
tea/coffee etc. In the future we are hoping that that job will be shared three
ways. Our membership covers a wide geographical area, by UK standards. We meet
in Sunderland (northeast coast of England) and people travel from 30 miles to
the north, from York 75 miles to the south, and one member comes by train from
Leicester which must be 150 miles or more. On the whole, most of our members
live in and around Sunderland and Newcastle.
Several of
us teach workshops in our own right and some may participate in exhibits with
their calligraphy group although many fewer of our members are calligraphers
now. In the past we have been invited to exhibit as a group at calligraphy
festivals. Over the years we have had various collaborative projects where
everyone contributes to a finished book for each member. Because we only meet
four times a year these collaborations could take several years to be
completed.
