May/June
Modern Nag Hammadi
3 Sessions // May 31 – June 7 (Tuesday and Thursday evenings)
6:00 – 8:30pm (EST)
Sign up by May 19 to receive your material kit!
In this workshop, we will explore how some of the earliest known codices may have been constructed. The best-known examples were discovered in a jar near the Egyptian village of Nag Hammadi in 1945. These mostly intact bindings date back to the 3rd or 4th century, but fragments of similar bindings date back further to the 2nd century.
These single signature bindings are held in their leather covers with the use of knotted leather tackets. The bindings also include ties at the head, tail and fore edge to keep the binding secure. During this workshop we will be using contemporary materials to build two models of these ancient binding structures.
Box Series
4 Sessions // June 14 – 23 (Tuesday and Thursday evenings)
6:00 – 8:30pm (EST)
Sign-up by June 2 to receive your material kit!
Boxes come in all shapes and sizes. In this workshop, we’ll look at just three examples: French-Tray with Drop Spine, Clamshell and Japanese Box Case. Students will learn how to assemble these three styles of boxes while also discussing the ways to measure for custom box-making. This workshop will give you the foundational skills to build and modify your own boxes and different ways of creating closures for boxes.
July/August
Secret Belgian Binding
4 Sessions // July 9 – 17 (Saturday – Sunday)
10:00am – 12:30pm (EST)
Sign-up by June 28 to receive your material kit!
The Secret Belgian binding, also known as Criss Cross binding, was developed by Anne Goy in the mid-1980s and is influenced by traditional Japanese binding styles. The binding is simple and easy to construct; it opens flat and is perfect for thinner text blocks. Students will construct 3 variations of this structure, including a style which uses Tyvek as the binding agent.
Focus on Clamshell
4 Sessions // July 26 – August 4 (Tues and Thurs evenings)
6:00 – 8:30pm (EST)
Sign-up by July 14 to receive you material kit!
A clamshell box is a common and elegant way to house and protect a binding. In this workshop students will learn how to measure and cut down materials to make two custom clamshell boxes to house books from their own library. The first box will be covered in full cloth, while the second box will have a leather spine with suede lining the inside. Each box will be finished with a printed label.
