Summer

2024

News from the Chapter Co-Chairs

Greetings, all. The announcement about the University of the Arts
closure was a shock and a sorrow to many of us here in the Delaware
Valley. Through the years, our members have benefited by our many
and myriad connections to UArts. We met in their spacious and well-
lit studios to attend workshops. The UArts hosted several DVC exhi-
bitions in their galleries. A number of our members obtained a mas-
ter’s degree in the book arts and printmaking program. We shared
knowledge and community. It is a tremendous loss to witness this
institution’s sudden end after 154 years.

We are reminded how important collaboration and community is.

The practice of art and craft is vital to the well-being of individuals, In this issue
to the creation and questioning of culture, and to the remembering of p.2 Valentines
history. Our chapter has 93 members and we are encouraged by that p.3 6 Questions, My Favorite
Tool
number. Thank you all for participating, we cannot do it without p.4 UPenn Materials Library
you! tour, upcoming exhibit
p.5 Materials Exchange
Kristin Balmer and Val Kremser p.5-6 Member News

Chapter Officers
Valeria Kremser &
Kristin Balmer
Chapter Co-Chairs
Tara O’Brien
Vice Chair
Lisa Scarpello
Treasurer
Rosae Reeder
Secretary
Jennifer Rosner
Exhibition Co-chair
Valeria Kremser
Webmaster
Sophia Dahab
Newsletter Editor
Karen Lightner
Newsletter Designer

Materials Library display at University of Pennsylvania.

Pressing Matter Summer 2024 p. 1

Valentines 2024
An interview with long-time contributor, Alice Austin
by Kristin Balmer

Every year I look forward to this collaborative project because I love receiving valentines. I was curious why
other people participate, so I interviewed someone who has been making and sending valentines since our
chapter’s first swap. Hopefully this will continue to be a popular project and I will get around to interviewing
every participant!
It was an extreme pleasure to sort through eight years of valentines to find all of Alice’s. We are such a tal-
ented and clever bunch!

Question: Why do you like participating

in the annual Valentine Art Swap?
Alice: I think it's wonderful to get personal
mail. I take the opportunity to make twice
as many as needed for the project and mail
out the extras to family and friends. It's a
good holiday to reach out to people, most
people don’t get valentines anymore.
Swapping valentines is something children
do, so it's interesting to approach it as an
adult. Also, Valentine’s Day is in the dead
of winter so it's fun to use red, a bright col-
or.
I like seeing what people send me. This
year I waited until February 14th to open
them, usually I open them up as I get them.
It was fun to open a big pile!

The Guild of Book Workers promotes interest in and awareness of the tradition of the book and paper
arts by maintaining high standards of workmanship, hosting educational opportunities, and sponsoring exhib-
its.
The Delaware Valley Chapter–one of ten chapters in the US–is located in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey
and Delaware tri-state area with activities centered in Philadelphia. Our diverse membership includes book
artists, book conservators, fine binders, calligraphers, librarians, paper marblers, teachers, photographers,
printmakers, and graphic designers.
The Delaware Valley Chapter offers a newsletter, workshops, lectures, exhibition opportunities, tours, and
social events. Membership is open to all interested persons and includes professionals, amateurs, and students.
Our website is: https://dvc-gbw.org/

Pressing Matter Summer 2024 p. 2

Six Questions - Abigail Guidry
1. How long have you been a member of the GBW?
I became a member at the end of March 2024.

2. Where are you from originally?

I'm from Lafayette, Louisiana, and have been living in Philadelphia for almost a year.

3. When did you realize you wanted to learn bookbinding?

I picked up some basic bookbinding in high school when I wanted to make some journals as gifts. I've always
been a crafter, so it wasn't too far out of my wheelhouse. I made a few signatures with copy paper, did some
basic (and crude) sewing, and used poster board wrapped in scrapbook paper for the covers. I learned more
"official" bookbinding in library school while taking a book history course in 2021, during which I also
learned papermaking.

4. What is your favorite book structure these days?

My favorite book structure is book objects and non-traditional bindings, though I don't yet have one of these
projects under my belt!

5. What are you working on right now?

I'm putting the finishing touches on my Material World book, which I'm making from the cotton covid masks
I made and wore at the beginning of the pandemic.

6. Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.

It often surprises people to find out that I make paper in my (fairly small) apartment instead of a studio space!
I make small sheets from recycled fibers, so even though it's not the most compact process, I can do it at my
kitchen table. The main downside to my process is that I sometimes find cat hair buried in finished sheets, but
I like to think that that adds character.

My Favorite Tool - Jen Zarro

This vintage Federal stainless steel knife with Bakelite

handle is a beloved tool. I use it for paper slitting,
mark-making, and measuring. I love how the blades of
these old, vintage knives are super thin and maintain
the same thinness for the entire blade length. They are
strong, slightly flexible, lightweight, and it's fun and
satisfying to upcycle and use items from the past in the
work we do today. Recently, I took an historic book-
making workshop with Jeff Peachey and was pleased
to see that he, too, employs these. In fact, he brought a
slew of them and urged us all to take one for the dura-
tion of the class. Among all the great tips I learned
from him was that this knife can be held gently against
a jig or textblock to make desired measure marks di-
rectly on bookboard–why bother with a pencil or rul-
er? Knives like this can often be found in thrift shops,
so keep an eye out!

Pressing Matter Summer 2024 p. 3

The DVC Takes a Trip to the UPenn Materials Library!
By Leslie Goldman

On Tuesday, April 16th, the Delaware Valley Chapter visited the

University of Pennsylvania’s Materials Library for a behind the
scenes tour to offer inspiration for the upcoming Material World
exhibition!
The Materials Library serves academics, designers, material scien-
tists, engineers, and artists (like this curious crew of book work-
ers!) as a hands-on resource for a vast array of materials. The col-
lection includes traditional and non-traditional samples of pig-
ments, building materials ranging from brick to drywall, leathers,
natural fibers, fabrics, glass and plastics.

Michael Carroll, the Assistant Director of the Fisher Fine Arts Li-
brary, pulled some highlights from the collection of over 7,000
material samples. We saw examples of Vantablack, Anish Ka-
poor’s “blackest black” that swallows over 99.9% of light and makes it impossible for the eye to detect undu-
lations or shadows. We were given mystery leather to identify including fish, stingray, and a bizarre leather
made of blood. There was a vast array of recycled building materials including colorful drywall made of post
-consumer packaging (ReWall), 3-D printed bricks, and mycelium-based products. We handled fabric made
of casein (a milk protein), a surprisingly soft yarn made from steel wool, and a 3-D printed “fabric” of what
looked like dragon scales. We saw shiny decorative bug parts, pressed sheets of mother of pearl, and thick
wood and stone composites that allow light to pass through. Inspiration accomplished! This Delaware Valley
Guild newbie is looking forward to seeing what the artists of the Material World exhibit have in store.
The Materials Library is accessible by appointment.

The Material World exhibition opens on September 4th

The books are in! Material World will be an exhibition exploring
the materiality of the book form. The challenge was to use non-
traditional mediums and structures. The results are amazing!

The exhibition runs September 4—December 9, 2024

There will be an opening reception September 12th.

Kamin Gallery and Lobby

Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center
University of Pennsylvania
3420 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA

Pressing Matter Summer 2024 p. 4

Our First Materials Exchange in Awhile
By Lisa Scarpello

On Saturday, March 9th, the DVC held a Materials Exchange for our members. Our host, Sharon Hildebrand
at the Library Company of Philadelphia, also made homemade scones and coffee was available. Members ar-
rived with items from their studios and set them up for display on a center table. Everyone took turns and se-
lected items for themselves. Materials up for exchange included all sorts of marbled and decorative papers,
maps, book cloth, tools, a marbling tray, portfolios, fabric, books on binding, and a surprise gift: a hand paint-
ed egg by Kristin Balmer. This event was so successful that the DVC plans to make it an annual event. During
the exchange, members also selected materials and made handmade birthday cards to be sent to our Chapter's
founder, Margaret Johnson, who celebrated her 100th birthday in April. Happy Birthday Margaret!

Sharon got an egg! All sorts of stuff was traded!

Member News
Maria G. Pisano’s book Caudex Folium is in the exhibit Towers Rising at the 9-11 Memorial and Museum in
NYC, marking 50 years since the 1973 dedication of the World Trade Center. "The Buildings have changed,
but the imprint remains the same." - The work will be on view for over a year.

Pressing Matter Summer 2024 p. 5

Member News continued
In May of 2024, Alice Austin and Cindi Ettinger had an exhibition, ReMAP, of their artwork at ArtSpace1241
in Philadelphia.

Vintage Philadelphia maps headed for a dumpster were intercepted by Alice Austin who shared the treasure
trove with Cindi Ettinger. For several years, the two artists have independently used the damaged maps as a
material element in their artwork. Alice prints her linoleum cuts of plants, birds, bugs and turtles on the maps.
Cindi uses the maps as a graphic element for her small collages.
Both artists create diverse artworks, reimagining and reconstructing the city plans.

Installation shot of Alice Austin’s work in ReMAP.

Artist bios:
Cindi Ettinger is a master printer and proprietor of the C.R. Ettinger Studio, founded in 1982, printing edi-
tions for many diverse artists. In her own artwork, Cindi uses her knowledge and skill of the print medium,
creating unique and unusual plaster-cast etchings. Her paper collages combine a variety of graphic elements
and letterforms, sometimes with her densely printed etchings.
Alice Austin is a printmaker, book artist, and painter living and working in Philadelphia. Inspired by the natu-
ral world, she creates linoleum prints from her drawings, using these graphic images in sculptural artist books
that often function without words. www.amaustin.com

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC recently purchased "Descendants," a unique artist book of
original drawings in ink and wash by Thomas Parker Williams. It is part of his series: Wordless: Painted and
Drawn Narratives. The cover features a pinhole photograph by Mary Agnes Williams. Artist Books of Thomas
Parker Williams - Descendants 2023,

Tom and Mary Agnes (collaborators on fine press editions under the imprint Luminice Press) currently have
a book in progress called "American Progression" that they will be submitting to the 2026 touring exhibition
and illustrated catalog Who is America at 250? Artists’ Books on the State of Democracy, co-sponsored by the
San Francisco Center for the Book (SFCB) and the CODEX Foundation. The exhibition curators are consider-
ing submissions only until August 1, 2024. For more information and to submit work, contact: whoisameri-
[email protected].

Karen Lightner, whose tunnel book William Bartlett’s Schuylkill Water Works, 1838 was exhibited in Books
as Life: The Philadelphia Center for the Book Member Exhibition at UArts in Jan-Feb 2024, sold a copy to the
Library at Swarthmore College. Then, when she went to the Print and Picture Collection at the Free Library to
request a digital file of the original image, they wanted to buy one too, as well as a tunnel books she had made
of the Central Library’s roof terrace in 1929!

Pressing Matter Summer 2024 p. 6