News
The latest happenings at Ewing Farm and beyond.
Spring Workshop Roster Published
An engaging roster of workshops and classes is now open for registration-go to “BAL Classes” and find what suits your spring fancy! You’ll have a chance to meet several of the instructors at our Open House on February 27, from 1-4 PM, 1915 N. 95th St., in Lafayette, CO.
FARMHOUSE GRAND OPENING
The Book Arts League welcomes everyone to the long-awaited Farmhouse Grand Opening at the historic Ewing Farm.
Come tour the recently-renovated farmhouse and learn about the Ewing Family homestead, settled in the 1880s. The site, now owned by the City of Lafayette, is being restored using grants from the State Historical Fund and the donations, volunteer labor, and fundraising of the Book Arts League.
In the farm’s bunkhouse, the Book Arts League has set up a working letterpress printshop that uses traditional typesetting and presses from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Come print a handbill on an antique printing press, try some bookbinding techniques, and see examples of contemporary book arts. Refreshments will be served. All ages are welcome!
- Saturday, February 27, 2010 from 1-4 pm
- Ewing Farmhouse and Bunkhouse
- 1915 N 95th Street, Lafayette, Colorado
Please park on Prairie Ridge Drive, at the first traffic light north of Arapahoe, and take the short walk through the park on 95th St to the farmhouse. For a map go to http://tinyurl.com/qcjg2y/
Come help us celebrate!
Ewing Farmhouse Grand Opening! Come help us prepare!
The first phase of restoration on the Farmhouse has been completed, and we are celebrating by holding a Grand Opening on Sat, Feb 27, from 1-4 pm. Save the date!
We need your help to prepare for the Grand Opening. We are holding 2 work dates to clean and set things up in the main room, and to prepare for the new workshops and other events to be held in the Farmhouse. The dates are:
Sat. Jan 30, 10-4pm
Sat. Feb 6, 10-4 pm (Note the Feb Printshop Open House is postponed until Feb 27)
It has taken years of hard work by dedicated volunteers to get to this point, where we can finally occupy both historic buildings while finishing up the restoration. Come and help prepare the Farmhouse for a new year of BAL workshops and events!
If you can help or have any questions, please contact us at this website. We would love to hear from you!
We also have a Wish List for things we could use in the Farmhouse. If you have any of these items you’d like to donate to BAL, please let us know.
WISH LIST FOR EWING (period furniture would be great!)
large desk/tables for sales area
sales/art display furniture (i.e. card racks, cases etc.)
chairs
bookshelves
flat files or other shelving
window treatments
Nice frames for pics of Ewing family history, BAL activities
throw rugs (especially rag rugs)
lamps
waste baskets
file cabinet
office supplies
YOUR HELP!
Ewing Update–Volunteers needed!
Phase 2 of the Ewing Farmhouse restoration will be completed around the end of October. Once it is done, the building will need to be painted inside and out. Through the efforts of dedicated volunteers, we have a local painter who will donate painting services for the Farmhouse exterior, and we have received donations and discounts from other local businesses for paint and paint supplies. In addition, we have other donations in process. We are grateful for all the hard work of the volunteers and will be posting our generous sponsors soon.
But we also need a few sturdy volunteers to help prep the Farmhouse exterior for painting. We will supply all tools and other supplies; all that is required is your presence and energy. We hope to start right away if possible.
We will also need volunteer help prepping and painting the interior.
If you think you can help out with either of these tasks, please contact us at this website.
We can really use your help, so do let us know soon!
This is the culmination of many years of hard work with the City of Lafayette, and means that we will be able to occupy both buildings for workshops and other activities while continuing the ongoing restoration. Please join us in completing this important phase of the project on the BAL’s home!
BAL at the Lafayette Peach Festival on August 22, 2009
We’ll be there with our small press and peach juice up to our elbows and all over our shirts. Come and see us on Saturday, August 22, in Old Town Lafayette, on Public Road between Cannon and Kimbark streets. The festival runs from 9:00-4:00.
Look for us in booth 13 (our usual spot) in front of Lafayette Appliance, between Cannon St and Chester St., just south of the alley–we are just a half block from peach smoothies!
“Paint the Farm” help needed
Work on the Farmhouse began in June, and the contractor is hoping to complete this phase sometime this fall. Although the restoration will not be complete (we are working on grants for that) we will be able to use the Farmhouse for workshop, outreach, exhibits, and other events.
Before we can occupy, however, we need to raise funds to paint the Farmhouse exterior and interior once the renovation is done, hopefully this fall.
We need some volunteers to come up with some “Paint the Farm” fundraising ideas and to start beating the bushes for local in-kind donations of materials and labor. This is a great opportunity to publicize the BAL and the Ewing restoration project to the larger community.
Please contact us if you can help with this effort. This is a big step forward for us —let’s do our best to greet the new year in a newly painted and restored Farmhouse!
Linkstitch class at Ewing
Brenda Gallager’s linkstich bookbinding class on January 17 was fully subscribed, with seven students making three books in three hours.
The students were enthusiastic about the class and looking forward to more in the future. Watch the calendar page for announcements of copper covers book, puzzle book, and polymer plates classes in the spring!
Linkstitch class participants Kari Bakken and Margo Smit
Ewing Farm workshops begin
On Saturday November 29th the Ewing Bunkhouse hosted its first workshop, Tracy Bellehumeur’s Tin Tunnel Book Ornaments class.
Mary Coleman and Erin O'Brien at the holiday ornaments class
Printing the League Christmas Card
BAL members and friends converged at the Ewing bunkhouse printshop on a pleasantly crisp fall afternoon for the Members’ Open House. David Ashley oversaw the printing of this year’s holiday card, a technical tour-de-force combining 21st and 19th century printing techniques. He gave a short description of the difficulties involved, and brought examples of creative lockup and makeready he employed.
David Ashley displays card lockup
Attendees enjoyed hot cider, sampled potluck snacks, and took turns at the press, while others folded cards and admired the newly-installed landscaping around the bunkhouse.
Brenda Gallagher (left) and Linda Peterson.
Laura Stinson collected pieces for the Ephemera Exchange, and these and other pieces brought by various members were presented in an informal show-and-tell. Particularly striking was a kimono-themed card designed and printed by David Ashley, and a collaborative postcard set including work by Kay Moller.