Handmade & Bound book arts festival
The second annual edition of Handmade & Bound Nashville, a celebration of artists’ books, zines, mini-comics and other independent publications, will unfold Friday, October 5, and Saturday, October 6, at Watkins College of Art, Design & Film. The free, family-friendly festival, which is presented by the Watkins Library and Community Education department, will feature hands-on activities in the book arts, demonstrations of techniques and crafts, and dozens of vendors and distributors, in addition to a juried gallery exhibition. Last year’s success has also spawned additional programming including a community art project. All events are free and open to the public.
New this year to Handmade & Bound, Vol. 2 is a community book sculpture, to be created by book artists and book enthusiasts at Watkins on Thursday, October 4. Volunteers of all skill levels are invited to come by from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to sort books and participate in the construction of a spiral-staircase sculpture (power tool tutorial available). The goal is to incorporate 1,000 books into the artwork, which will remain on display throughout October.
On Friday, October 5, the festival’s juried book arts and zine exhibition, Familiar Relics, will open in the Brownlee O. Currey, Jr. Gallery on campus with a reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Submissions are currently being accepted for Familiar Relics, with artists invited to submit works that speak both to the familiarity and the evolution of the book.
Per the exhibition theme: Books are no longer bound by paper substrate; digital books, downloadable print, and electronic media have all permeated our cultural landscape, altering the delivery of images and written words. Books are relics, yet constantly changing and with that change come new possibilities.
Details are available via the CaFÉ (Call for Entries) online artists’ submission system (www.CallforEntry.org) or the festival website, handmadeboundnashville.com. Entry deadline is July 1.
Curated by local book artists and instructors Annie Herlocker and Jennifer Knowles-McQuistion, Familiar Relics will run through October 20. A closing weekend reception and panel discussion on the future of the book in the face of new technologies will be held on Friday, October 19; more details to be announced.
On Saturday, October 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., creators of artists’ books, publishers and distributors of zines and comics, and book aficionados will come together to sell, trade and buy handmade and affordable publications, printed matter and book-themed creations at the book arts bazaar. The day will also feature demonstrations and hands-on activities for children and adults in printmaking, papermaking, book- and zine-making and screenprinting, as well as live music and food trucks.
For information including schedules, vendor table registration and exhibition submissions, visit handmadeboundnashville.com and Handmade & Bound Nashville on Facebook, or contact the Watkins Library at 615.277.7427.
The 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 (NowPlayingNashville.com).
Handmade & Bound Nashville, Vol. 2 is presented by the librarians and staff of Watkins College of Art, Design & Film, the Watkins Community Education department, and local librarians and book artists, and supported in part by a grant from the William N. Rollins Fund for the Arts of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
Joining as partners this year are the Nashville Public Library, whose Wilson Limited Editions Collection contains more than 800 limited edition books (library.nashville.org), and Turnip Green Creative Reuse, a nonprofit designed to divert useable material from landfills for creative endeavors through innovative programming (turnipgreencreativereuse.org).