Tuesday, August 20; 6:30-7:30pm CT
If you aren’t already trained to use our cutting equipment, here is your opportunity! Through hands-on training you will learn the capabilities of each piece of MCBA’s bindery cutting equipment, and how to use them correctly and safely. Completion of this training will allow you to rent this equipment and use it independently. This orientation was previously titled Cutting Equipment Training. Studio Labs are not eligible for Certificate credit.
with Mary Leikvold
Saturday, August 24; 10am–4pm CT
Accordion or concertina folds form the basis for many structures in bookbinding. In this in-person workshop, learn how to make an array of accordion-based book structures including the floating accordion, the pocketed- and the double-pocketed accordion book, the meander (or maze) book, and others. Examples of each structure will be available to examine. Discuss and explore ideas for generating content and for changing up and personalizing the structures. Participants will come away with a collection of intriguing structures and a new set of skills to further explore the art of folding paper and making books. Some experience with folding paper and/or making books is helpful but not required. Continue reading “Folding All the Accordions”
with Louise Fisher
Saturday, August 24; 10am–4pm CT
Discover the powerful possibilities of combining laser cutting and pressure printing on the Vandercook press! During this in-person workshop, learn how to design and fabricate laser-cut paper stencils for pressure printing. In the first half of the workshop, the instructor will give a tutorial in Adobe Illustrator for designing geometric patterns and file set-up for the laser cutting machine. Participants will then get hands-on experience making a pressure-printing plate from pre-made, laser-cut paper stencils and printing them on the Vandercook press. While MCBA does not have a laser cutter on site, instruction will be provided on where and how to access one in the Twin Cities area for future projects. Continue reading “Laser-Cut Letterpress: Stencils for Pressure Printing”
with Ellen Ferrari
Saturday, August 31; 10am–12pm CT
Be amazed by Shaheen Bilgrami’s Magical Day at the Mall and then amaze yourself by painting ON WATER! In this in-person workshop, preschoolers learn the art of marbling using specially prepared carrageenan water, alum-treated paper, and acrylic paint. Preschoolers build fine motor skills while they create colorful patterns with tools like forks, toothpicks, skewers, and straws. Then, discover art projects you can do with your marbled paper! Continue reading “Paper Marbling for Preschoolers!”
with Nikkolas Smith
Thursday, October 3; 6–8pm CT
Join us in welcoming visiting #1 New York Times Bestselling artist Nikkolas Smith—an Artivist, picture book creator, and Hollywood film illustrator—for an in-person workshop featuring Nikkolas’ concept of Artivism and digital-painting techniques. As an illustrator of color, Nikkolas creates art that can spark important conversations around social justice in today’s world and inspire meaningful change.
In this workshop, Nikkolas will share his Artivism journey, then help participants identify a topic on the theme of Artivism to address in their own artwork. Nikkolas will guide participants in creating a work of art while demonstrating his process, working alongside participants. Continue reading “Artivism: How Art Can Change the World”
