Workshops & Events
First Saturday Tour (August)
Join us on the first Saturday of each month for a free tour of our studios.
Suminagashi
Immerse yourself in the oldest form of marbling, suminagashi 墨流し (“spilled or floating ink”).
Letterpress 4: Guided Projects
Letterpress 4 focuses on planning and printing an edition (or a group of identical prints).
Stiff-Leaf Binding and Variations
The stiff-leaf binding is a non-sewn binding technique ideal for assembling printed sheets into a rigid, durable book.
Introduction to Marbling: August
Experience the magic of marbling firsthand with this in-person workshop!
Letterpress 1: Printing Basics (August)
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.
Beaded Books
Interested in expanding your bookmaking abilities by adding surface texture with beads?! This in-person workshop focuses on how to create and adorn book cloth with size 10/0 seed beads.
Beyond the Book: Ethiopian Books
Join us for Beyond the Book featuring Ethiopic codices from the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (HMML). Visiting artist Islam Aly will also share his contemporary Ethiopian bindings for a rich and engaging experience.
Historical Ethiopian Binding
This in-person, hands-on workshop introduces participants to Ethiopian binding, one of the oldest continuously practiced bookbinding traditions.
Woodcut Printmaking for Beginners: August
Experience the process of relief printing while carving and printing your own design in this in-person workshop.
European Papermaking: August
Learn the tools, terminology, and procedures of European-style papermaking in this in-person studio workshop.
Coptic Binding 1
Explore Coptic bindings, the most common form of link-stitch binding and possibly the oldest continuously used sewing pattern for books.
Marbling with Curves
Do you feel constrained by the forward-and-back motion of most traditional marbling patterns? With a few small tweaks to the combs you're using, clean circles, arcs, and more are all possible!
Letterpress 1: Printing Basics (September)
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.
Introduction to Hand Bookbinding: Evening
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.
Introduction to Marbling: September
Experience the magic of marbling firsthand with this in-person workshop!
Coptic Binding 1: September
Explore Coptic bindings, the most common form of link-stitch binding and possibly the oldest continuously used sewing pattern for books.
Coptic Binding 2
Take your Coptic binding skills further in this intermediate, in-person workshop focused on advanced techniques and project design.
Japanese Papermaking
Explore the tools and techniques of Japanese papermaking in this in-person workshop.
Introduction to Screen Printing: September
Get familiar with MCBA’s screen printing studio and practice the photo emulsion process, from positive creation and screen coating to exposure and reclaiming.
First Saturday Tour (October)
Join us on the first Saturday of each month for a free tour of our studios.
Quick & Dirty Letterpress Posters: October
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!
Suminagashi: October
Immerse yourself in the oldest form of marbling, suminagashi 墨流し (“spilled or floating ink”).
Plunge into Pop-Ups
Learn fundamental elements of constructing pop-ups--from design and construction to tools and materials!
Letterpress 1: Printing Basics (October)
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.
Introduction to Marbling: October
Experience the magic of marbling firsthand with this in-person workshop!
Book Repair: Broken Cloth & Paperback Books
In this in-person workshop, learn foundational techniques and methods to care for aged and damaged books.
Four-Flap Box
The four-flap box—sometimes called a "phase" box—is a fantastic structure used to protect a book from wear and tear.
Printing on the Handpress
250 years ago, printers composed and inked type to print the first copy of the Declaration of Independence on a handpress.
Woodcut Printmaking for Beginners: October
Experience the process of relief printing while carving and printing your own design in this in-person workshop.
Phežúta Mniȟúha: Medicine Paper
This in-person workshop explores the incorporation of traditional Indigenous plant material with papermaking processes.
Beyond the Book: Book Repair
Join us for Beyond the Book featuring Ethiopic codices from the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (HMML).
Hand-Lettering 1: Art of Letters (October)
In this in-person workshop, you'll 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!
Drum Leaf Binding
The drum leaf binding—developed by Tim Ely—is a simple yet elegant design that uses folio pages printed on one side and not sewn through the fold.
Letterpress 2: Setting Type (October)
This in-person letterpress workshop focuses on setting metal type and building familiarity with printing on the Vandercook press.
Watermarks & Assemblage with Handmade Paper
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.
Introduction to Hand Bookbinding: Weekend
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.
Introduction to Screen Printing: Weeknight
Get familiar with MCBA’s screen printing studio and practice the photo emulsion process, from positive creation and screen coating to exposure and reclaiming.
First Saturday Tour (November)
Join us on the first Saturday of each month for a free tour of our studios.
Book Artist Badge Day
Join us in MCBA’s studios for a day of book arts and earn your Book Artist Badge!
First Saturday Tour (December)
Join us on the first Saturday of each month for a free tour of our studios.
First Saturday Tour (January)
Join us on the first Saturday of each month for a free tour of our studios.
First Saturday Tour (February)
Join us on the first Saturday of each month for a free tour of our studios.
Fine Printing on the Handpress
From the original 15th century wooden handpress to the metal version designed in the 19th century, handpresses have been used to print everything from raffle tickets to the Declaration of Independence.
Letterpress 1: Printing Basics (July)
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.
Introduction to Marbling: July
Experience the magic of marbling firsthand with this in-person workshop!
Polygonal Book Forms
Explore a book structure made from equilateral polygons that are hinged together to function in multiple ways, in this in-person workshop.
And your very flesh shall be a great poem
Join us for a collaborative concrete poetry and low-fi printmaking workshop in MCBA’s studios, drawing on the history of concrete poetry, the work of screenprinter and text-combiner Corita Kent, and Walt Whitman's insistence that a just society is poetry's embodiment.
Digital & Analog Zines
Learn to fold six different styles of zines—from the classic 8-page structure to larger, more innovative booklets—then experiment with creating your own structures.
2025 McKnight Fellowship for Book Artists Panel Talk
We invite you to join us for a public artist panel featuring our two 2025 McKnight Book Artist Fellows, Ellen Mueller and Sarah Evenson, and the visiting arts professionals working with them throughout their fellowship year!
CBAA Meeting: Pivot(al)
Join us for Pivot(al), a national gathering hosted by CBAA: The Association for Book Art Education, taking place at 18 HUB locations across the U.S. on Saturday, June 13, 2026.
First Saturday Tour (June)
Join us on the first Saturday of each month for a free tour of our studios.
Doors Open Tour & Printing Activity
Join us on the first Saturday of each month for a free tour of our studios.
Jerome Book Arts Residency Artist Talk
Join us for an artist talk with the 2025-2026 Jerome Residency recipients, alter hakej, Genie Tran, and Essence Enwere.
Book Artist Badge Day
Join us in MCBA’s studios for a day of book arts and earn your Book Artist Badge!
Crossing the Line: The Passport Re-Imagined Reception
Join us for a reception for our current exhibition, Crossing the Line: The Passport Re-Imagined.
Press Play: Free Printing Event & Open House
Join us for Press Play, an annual open house that invites participants of all ages to experience letterpress printing and book arts through hands-on activities in MCBA’s studios.
First Saturday Tour Template (Month)
Join us on the first Saturday of each month for a free tour of our studios.
A Radical Alteration: Women’s Studio Workshop as a Sustainable Model for Art Making Gallery Tour and Reception
Join us for a gallery tour and exhibition recepetion for A Radical Alteration with visiting curator, Maymanah Farhat
Celebrating Elysa & Welcoming Courtney!
Join us as we celebrate Elysa Voshell's incredible leadership and officially welcome Courtney Gerber as MCBA's new Executive Director.
Artist Talk: In the Field
We're delighted to welcome Andrea Peterson to MCBA’s studios for a visit from northwest Indiana! Join us for an artist talk with Andrea Peterson, a papermaker who practices regenerative and sustainable methods on land that entwines her work and life.