Fore Edge Fair: An Online Artist Sale on May 4

Stay tuned! We will be spotlighting 20 selected artists’ books and zines that will be on sale in our first annual online artist book fair! This sale goes live May 4, 2026, at 8am, so mark your calendars!

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Submit Your Work for the 2026 MCBA Prize!

Applications for MCBA’s biennial book arts award are now live. Submissions accepted through May 31!

The MCBA Prize honors excellence in new work from across the dynamic spectrum of book art. Apply for a chance to win an award and be recognized for your work on an international scale.

Learn More and Apply
Apply For the MCBA Prize Internship!

If you have an interest in product photography and online product management, apply to join our team and support our biannual book arts competition.
The deadline to apply is May 31 at 11:59pm CT.

Learn More & Apply
Eternal Cycle (Residue)

Outlook Gallery
March 14–May 8, 2026
Eternal Cycle (Residue) by Florence Lanxuan Liu explores the transformation and discipline of identity, memory, and the collective body within social structures.

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Crossing the Line: The Passport Re-imagined

Main Gallery
February 7–May 31, 2026

Our current exhibition features works inspired by passports and other travel documents. Swing by MCBA to see the work in person!

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Become a Member

Explore our new membership levels with better benefits, deeper community connections, and expanded access to book arts!

As a member, you can support community access to the book arts through education, public programming, studio access for artists, and curated exhibitions.

Learn More and Sign Up
May & June Workshops Are Here!

Our May & June workshops include weekday intensives in papermaking, marbling, and letterpress! Plus, many new, exciting workshops.

Explore Workshops
The Shop at MCBA

Shop small and support independent artists. Check out hand-printed greeting cards, prints, journals, zines, artists’ books, and more artful gifts!

Shop Small
Book a Private Workshop!

Bring your group for a hands-on letterpress printing or suminagashi marbling workshop.

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Igniting creativity & community through the book arts.

Whether you’re pulling your first print or knotting your hundredth hand-bound book, we believe in your creative potential. As a nonprofit arts center with spacious studios, two galleries, and a book arts-themed shop, we provide access, educational opportunities, and room to explore.

Membership is More Than Perks

It’s connection and creative possibility.

Our freshly-updated membership program includes:

Digital wallet membership cards (coming this summer)
Member discounts
Early access to workshop registration
Invitations to behind-the-scenes events
Reciprocal access through NARM (Traveler’s and up)
And more ways to learn, make, and connect

When you join our family of supporters, you enjoy exclusive member perks! These include discounts, a head start on workshop sign-ups, invitations to a new annual Membership Mingle event, and more - all while championing our mission of making book arts accessible to all.

Annual Membership

Sustaining Membership

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Upcoming Workshops

Events

Introduction to Hand Bookbinding: Weekend

May 2

Workshop, In-Person, Beginner, Binding and Box Making

Introduction to Hand Bookbinding: Weekend

Workshop, In-Person, Beginner, Binding and Box Making

In this in-person workshop, learn foundational skills in bookbinding while making three book structures: pamphlet binding (single- and double-section), slotted tape binding, and a hardcover, flat-back book with three-piece case.

Workshop, In-Person, Beginner, Binding and Box Making

May 5

Workshop, Virtual, Beginner, Binding and Box Making

Box Building for Beginners: Virtual

Workshop, Virtual, Beginner, Binding and Box Making

Building boxes with high-density board, often called “book board,” is a time-honored tradition within book arts.

Workshop, Virtual, Beginner, Binding and Box Making

May 7

Workshop, In-Person, Printing, Beginner

Quick & Dirty Letterpress Posters (May)

Workshop, In-Person, Printing, Beginner

Learn about the history and power of the printing press as a tool for sharing information, and use a Vandercook printing press to print a message!

Workshop, In-Person, Printing, Beginner

May 12

Workshop, Virtual, Binding and Box Making, Intermediate

Mechanical Spine Binding

Workshop, Virtual, Binding and Box Making, Intermediate

In this virtual workshop, learn how to create a simple, non-adhesive binding with a mechanical spine that collapses when the book is opened on a flat surface.

Workshop, Virtual, Binding and Box Making, Intermediate

May 13

Workshop, Virtual, Binding and Box Making, Beginner

Summer Moon Flag Book

Workshop, Virtual, Binding and Box Making, Beginner

Create an original flag book—inspired by smiling moons and summer blooms—that showcases your painting and collage skills, in this virtual workshop

Workshop, Virtual, Binding and Box Making, Beginner

May 16

Workshop, In-Person, Printing, Beginner

Letterpress 1: Printing Basics (May)

Workshop, In-Person, Printing, Beginner

This in-person letterpress workshop offers an introduction to MCBA’s print studio—including key equipment, tools, and terminology—in addition to an opportunity to experience the satisfaction of printing a message through the hands-on process of letterpress printing.

Workshop, In-Person, Printing, Beginner

May 16

Workshop, In-Person, Beginner, Papermaking and Marbling

Phežúta Mniȟúha: Medicine Paper

Workshop, In-Person, Beginner, Papermaking and Marbling

This in-person workshop explores the incorporation of traditional Indigenous plant material with papermaking processes.

Workshop, In-Person, Beginner, Papermaking and Marbling

East Asian Side-Sewn Bindings 1: Traditional Patterns

May 16

Workshop, In-Person, Beginner, Binding and Box Making

East Asian Side-Sewn Bindings 1: Traditional Patterns

Workshop, In-Person, Beginner, Binding and Box Making

In this in-person workshop, we’ll focus on proper text preparation and traditional sewing patterns for side-sewn bindings.

Workshop, In-Person, Beginner, Binding and Box Making

Hand-Lettering 1: Art of Letters (Virtual)

May 20

Workshop, Virtual, Beginner, Related Arts, Design and Content

Hand-Lettering 1: Art of Letters (Virtual)

Workshop, Virtual, Beginner, Related Arts, Design and Content

Discover hand-lettering techniques through a guided approach to drawing letters and short words, and walk away with a poster featuring your own lettering alphabet or your favorite letter!

Workshop, Virtual, Beginner, Related Arts, Design and Content