News
The latest happenings at Ewing Farm and beyond.
From Press to Pixels: Historical Tools and New/Digital Media
Monday July 19, 6:30–8 pm, Free
CU Boulder Campus
Norlin Commons room E113
(through the east entrance)
http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/about/map.htm
From Press to Pixels: Historical Tools and New/Digital Media
Is there really anything new about producing text and images? From fine letterpress printing to avant–garde experimentation in digital media production, historical media shapes the contemporary and e-media recapitulates the past.
Listen in on a discussion between Rob Barnes and Trace Reddell about media.
Understand the contemporary views of Trace Reddell, Director of the Media Studies Program at the University of Denver, and how the new field of digital studies pays tribute to five centuries of printing. Learn how craftsman Rob Barnes of Foils and Dies Vintage Pressworks in Denver, uses the experience of centuries of letterpress predecessors to bring fresh life to text.
Sponsored by the CU–Boulder University Libraries, Book Arts League, Friends of the Libraries, ATLAS Institute, English Department, Colorado Calligraphers’ Guild, and Center for Humanities and the Arts.
Contact: deborah.fink@colorado.edu, 303-492-8302
From Homer to BFF: about how we express ourselves
Sunday July 18th, 6pm, Free
CU Boulder Campus
Norlin Commons room E113
(through the east entrance)
http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/about/map.htm
From Homer to BFF: about how we express ourselves
a slide talk by Brian Allen, an interested amateur
A rapid ride from pre-history to a speculative future in the ways humans communicate. Socrates was not happy about the written word; calligraphic writing’s influence on early printed work; printing types through the centuries; the transition to digital; are our alphabetic symbols evolving into something different?
Brian Allen, who worked for over twenty years in digital font production, is a calligrapher and letterpress printer.
A Collaborative Class in Letterpress Printing
A Collaborative Class in Letterpress Printing
with Brian Allen (co-founder, with Julia Seko, of the Book Arts League)
Using a small project to demonstrate and to stimulate discussion and sharing, we’ll talk about the major aspects of letterpress printing from beginning to end. Brian will share resources, tips, and information gleaned from years of failure and success in commercial job printing.
Letterpress printers – this is a great opportunity to come and learn from a master craftsman – Brian Allen has worked in the field of typography for 30 years, variously as a typesetter, calligrapher, digital typeface production worker and letterpress printer.
Sunday July 18th, 1–4 pm
Book Arts League Ewing Farm Bunkhouse
1915 N. 95th St., Lafayette
$40 nonmembers and $30 BAL member
Details at: http://www.bookartsleague.org
Please contact Kay Moller to sign up: moller@colorado.edu
Please do NOT use the online application form for this workshop. Ignore the REGISTER link.
A Wayzegoose?!?
Is that how everybody buys letterpresses and other equipment?
The Rocky Mountain Letterpress Society and the Book Arts League are pleased to host a Letterpress/Book Arts Sale and Wayzegoose on July 10 at Ewing Farm. This is a local opportunity to get the equipment you need, meet book arts artisans, and exchange information with old friends and new.
WHERE: Ewing Farm, 1915 N 95th Street, Lafayette. Everyone, including sellers, please park on Prairie Ridge Drive across from the playground and take the gravel path to Ewing. See the map on the BAL website at www.bookartsleague.org Note that parking is prohibited on Larkspur Court, per our lease.
There will also be a print demonstration, and refreshments will be provided. Please come!
Book Arts League in the news
The Longmont Times-Call recently published a feature story on the Book Arts League and Ewing Farm — take a look!
May 15th bookbinding class at Ewing
Summer Workshops Open for Registration!
Follow the link to “BAL Classes” on the left. We are hosting top-notch instructors for six fabulous opportunities to expand your book arts repertoire in June and July.
Register soon–The Ewing Farm is a beautiful, unique environment for learning and practicing the book arts, and plenty of book artists are onto us!
The Edible Book Show and Tea was a great success!
Books Pondered, Then Eaten
The 11th annual International Edible Book Show and Tea took place on Sunday, April 11 around tea time at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. Several dozen “bookish” entries were created by artists of wide-ranging age and ability. All ingredients in the creations were to be edible, though were not required to be tasty. The entries in the gallery show were displayed and admired until a bell rang at 5pm, then most of the books were consumed and became history.
The event was sponsored by the Book Arts League, a non-profit community organization devoted to the arts of the book including workshops, art exhibits, and other inedible events open to the public <http://www.eatyourwordsboulder.com>. Look for our next Edible Book Show to happen again sometime around April Fool’s Day, 2011. ( Bonnie Mettler)
FARMHOUSE GRAND OPENING
The Book Arts League welcomes everyone to the long-awaited Farmhouse Grand Opening at the historic Ewing Farm, held on February 27, 2010
Gweneth Ewing cuts the ReBirthday cake – Lafayette Mayor Pro Tem Jay Ruggeri looks on.
The League welcomed many guests to the Farmhouse Grand Opening at the historic Ewing Farm in Lafayette. The recently-renovated farmhouse, which is the base of operations for the nonprofit community arts organization, was open for tours, hands-on bookbinding demonstrations, and sales of contemporary book arts. Refreshments were served to the family-oriented crowd.
A “Re-Birthday” cake celebrated 124 years of the building’s existence. With Ewing family members looking on, Gweneth Ewing cut the cake and Lafayette Mayor Pro Tem Jay Ruggeri spoke about the original homestead and the hand dug well. He thanked all the partners who have invested in our past in hopes of bringing a brighter future. He described the marriage of the Book Arts League and the Historic Ewing Homestead as “a match made in heaven–a perfect fit. These non-profit/all volunteer efforts will NOT ONLY bring good new energy to this historic landmark… but they ‘bring history to life’ by their historic preservation of THE BOOK.”
Book Arts League volunteers gave a printing demonstration in the adjacent Ewing Farm Bunkhouse, where the League has set up a working letterpress print shop that uses traditional typesetting and presses from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The site, 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. The Book Arts League’s mission is to promote the arts of the book through workshops, demonstrations, and outreach.
Brenda Gallagher
Gwenth Ewing, Julia Seko, Jay Ruggeri
Tom Parson demonstrates on a press in the bunkhouse
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!