Opportunities Abound

Paul Johnson workshop, San Francisco Center for the Book

When this editor (Michele O.) first joined NORBAG I knew little about the art of making books. The monthly workshops helped me grow by leaps and bounds and I was always amazed at how creative our members were with their ideas—this is still the case today! I also had the good fortune to have a daughter who lived six blocks from the San Francisco Center for the Book and I took a number of one to two day courses that allowed me to fully immerse myself into the art of making books. Spending hours with a group of artists exploring the myriad topics involved in book arts is a luxury akin to long bubble baths and I highly recommend it. Since then I've enjoyed many in-depth workshops and would encourage those of you who might be interested in more extensive instruction to consider participating in the following upcoming or ongoing events, all recommended by members:

• The Newport Paper Arts Festival, April 15-17, 2011. Newport Beach Oregon. NORBAG members attend every year as students or teachers.
• Focus on Book Arts, June 22-26. Forest Grove, Oregon. NORBAG members attend every year as students or teachers. Housing is available on campus.
• San Francisco Center for the Book, ongoing 
• San Diego Book Arts, ongoing
• Art and Soul, venue varies
• An Artful Journey, Santa Cruz Mountains.

There are also classes a little closer to home:

• DJ Pettitt, Jacksonville, Oregon.
• Art for the Young at Heart, Arcata, California. Adults 50 and up. Taught by Maureen McGarry and a project of the Ink People. 
• Art is...You, September 22-27, Petaluma, California

Over Fifty and Love Books?

Humboldt State University's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) provides fun and stimulating classes for people fifty years or older. The instructors are wonderful, topics cover a wide range of interests, and there are no quizzes or tests. This blog editor took an OLLI course from Marcy Berstiner, Professor of Journalism at HSU, and learned how to create and maintain this blog.

There is a course offering of interest to book art enthusiasts titled, The History of the Book, taught by Scott Brown, owner of Eureka Books. Scott specializes in antiquarian books and maps and has also provided the venue as well as a lot of support for NORBAG's book exhibition during Arts Alive in Eureka. The course will be held the four Wednesday evenings in April, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm and the cost is $60 (members) or $75 (non-members).

Woodblock, 1568 Printing Press, Wikipedia.