‘Handmade & Bound’ Festival Announces Free Workshops

September 02, 2011

First edition of free book arts event unfolds Sept. 30–Oct. 1 at Watkins

(Sept. 1, 2011)

Handmade & Bound Nashville, a book arts festival for the entire family, will welcome dozens of vendors and feature a variety of workshops and lectures during the first edition of the free community celebration, set for Friday, Sept. 30–Saturday, Oct. 1, at Watkins College of Art, Design & Film.

Artists’ book, zine and comics authors, artisans, publishers, distributors and aficionados will buy, sell, trade and exhibit handmade and affordable publications and creations, as well as offer instruction and demos in miniature books, origami books, papermaking, printing, zine making, publishing, writing and bookbinding.

All events and activities are free and open to the public.

Sponsors for Handmade & Bound Nashville include Bongo Java, Jerry’s Artarama, Plaza Artist Materials, and Watkins Community Education department.

The festival launches Friday, Sept. 30, with a 6:30 p.m. reception celebrating the juried book arts and zine exhibition Encoded Structures: Interpreting the Story,on display in the Brownlee O. Currey, Jr. Gallery (through Oct. 28). Immediately following at 8:00 p.m. in the Watkins Theater is a screening of the award-winning 2004 documentary “$100 and a T-shirt,” a cultural analysis of the zine community directed by Joe Biel (51 min.).

In addition to the book arts marketplace on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Handmade & Bound will feature the following free activities for children and adults:

Papermaking with Annie Herlocker, Watkins adjunct instructor – throughout the day
Sidewalk mural drawing for kids of all ages with Watkins art students – throughout the day
Letterpress printing with Bryce McCloud of Isle of Printing – throughout the day
Proofpress printing with Cindy Marsh of the Goldsmith Press and Rare Type Collection at Austin Peay State University (APSU)– throughout the day
Wooden books demo by Jennifer Knowles McQuistion of Brown Dog Bindery
Fine bindings and gold tooling demo by Bob Roberts of Gilded Leaf Bindery
Zines for Kids & Teens workshop by Kale Edmiston of Little Hamilton Collective
Storytime for Children reading and fingerpuppets by Nathalie VanBalen, author of Garlic-Onion-Beet-Spinach-Mango-Carrot-Grapefruit Juice
Miniature Books: Accordion Popup workshop by Jennifer Knowles McQuistion of Brown Dog Bindery (no fee, but registration required)
“The Art of Saying Something Worth Saving,” a discussion of language and text in art by Amy Wright of Zone 3 Press
Quadraflip or Infinity Card workshop by Elizabeth Sanford, Watkins adjunct instructor (no fee, but registration required)
“Toward a Self-Sufficient, Long-Lived Zine,” a discussion of independent publishing by Todd Dills, editor, THE2NDHAND literary zine
Zine Readings open mic

A food truck “food court” with several of Nashville’s most popular rolling restaurants will be on campus Saturday.

A complete event schedule and vendor list will soon be posted available at handmadeboundnashville.com. To reserve space in the miniature book and card workshops, email [email protected]. For more information, contact the Watkins Library at 615.277.7427.

The Handmade & Bound festival is an official, registered event of Artober Nashville, a broadly collaborative promotional initiative designed to highlight, inform and inspire the community’s participation in the wide range of arts activities offered in the Nashville area during the month of October (www.NowPlayingNashville.com).

Handmade & Bound Nashville is presented by the librarians and staff of Watkins College of Art, Design & Film, plus the Watkins Community Education department and local librarians and book artists. Watkins is located at 2298 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard in Metro Center; free parking is available in the campus lot.

FAQ

· What’s an artist’s book? An artist’s book is a work of art realized in a book-like format. They are usually one-of-a-kind creations or published in small editions, and can employ a form other than bound printed sheet.

· What’s a zine? A zine (pronounced “zeen,” as in “magazine”) is a self-published, small circulation, non-commercial booklet or magazine, usually produced by one person or a few individuals. Zines range from small photocopied booklets, to handwritten or handmade booklets, to magazine-like publications.

Watkins College of Art, Design & Film receives funding from the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission and the Tennessee Arts Commission.

Images: Annie Herlocker