Saturday, November 1; 10am–4pm CT
Broaden your letterpress image-making vocabulary and experiment with type as image in this in-person workshop led by visiting artist Lynne Avadenka!
Letterforms, arranged together, prompt us to look for a word to convey meaning–to relay a message, to make the unknown known, to make a concept understandable. In this in-person workshop, investigate the way the letters and the spaces between them communicate meaning in new, unexpected ways.
Working with MCBA’s extensive wood type collection, we’ll explore several techniques that alter the appearance of type when it becomes an abstraction, including type-high rule, pressure printing, and circular and angular furniture. To begin, Lynne will share examples of her own work, then demonstrate techniques that participants will use in the workshop. The goal is to begin building a vocabulary of experimental techniques that participants can practice to enhance their work.
Lynne Avadenka (she/her, Detroit, MI) is known for her works that explore text and image, the physical and philosophical idea of the book, and the mystery and beauty of visual language. Lynne has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and a Kresge Artist Fellowship. She has taught at the Center for Book Arts, New York, and Penland School of Craft. Lynne was the Director of Signal-Return Detroit from 2013–2024. Her work is included in collections at The British Library, Detroit Institute of Arts, The Jewish Museum, Library of Congress, The New York Public Library, Museum Meermano (The Netherlands), The Watson Library at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and in over 50 special collections and university libraries.
This visiting artist workshop is offered in coordination with Just Letters, an exhibition featuring letterpress work that focuses on type as image at Bethel University’s Olson Gallery, October 30–December 19, 2025.
Level: Beginner. Experience is required. Participants must have taken Letterpress 1: Printing Basics or a similar introductory letterpress workshop before registering for this workshop.
Certificate: 6 hours, Category B or C
Pricing
Market Rate: $180 (10% discount for MCBA members)
BIPOC/Financial Scholarship Rate: $90 (10% discount for MCBA members)
Pay-It-Forward Rate: $270 (10% discount for MCBA members)
$25 materials fee
MCBA offers two scholarship types for workshops—Financial Hardship Scholarships and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Scholarships—to honor equity and increase access and artistic opportunities for those who have historically been underrepresented in the book arts. For individuals to whom these scholarships do not apply, register at the Market Rate or support MCBA's commitment to making scholarships available by registering at the Pay-It-Forward Rate.
