Workshops & Events
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.
Binding Fan Fiction and Novels: Morning
Format and print fan fiction or a classic novel of your choice, then create a hardcover binding for your book, in this in-person workshop.
Binding Fan Fiction and Novels: Evening
Format and print fan fiction or a classic novel of your choice, then create a hardcover binding for your book, in this in-person workshop.
First Saturday Tour (November)
Join us on the first Saturday of each month for a free tour of our studios.
Letterpress 3: Two-Color Prints (November)
Letterpress 3: Two-Color Prints focuses on printing multiple layers and building printers’ confidence using Vandercook presses through practice.
Book Artist Badge Day
Join us in MCBA’s studios for a day of book arts and earn your Book Artist Badge!
Criss-Cross Binding (AKA Secret Belgian Binding)
Come learn this not-so-secret binding designed by Belgian bookbinder Anne Goy who named the structure “Criss-Cross Binding.”
Introduction to Marbling: November
Experience the magic of marbling firsthand with this in-person workshop!
Letterpress 1: Printing Basics (November)
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.
Woodcut Printmaking for Beginners: November
Experience the process of relief printing while carving and printing your own design in this in-person workshop.
Box Building for Beginners (In Person)
This in-person workshop is perfect for anyone new to book arts who would like to learn something a little different.
European Papermaking: November
Learn the tools, terminology, and procedures of European-style papermaking in this in-person studio workshop.
Letterpress 4: Collaborative Calendar (December)
Letterpress 4: Collaborative Calendars focuses on planning and printing editions (a group of identical prints) by planning and printing a 12-month, perennial calendar (applies to any year).
Hand-Lettering Holiday Cards
In this in-person workshop, you'll discover lettering techniques through a guided approach to drawing letters and short words, and walk away with a set of your own hand-lettered seasonal cards!
First Saturday Tour (December)
Join us on the first Saturday of each month for a free tour of our studios.
Refillable Journal with Handmade Bookcloth: Morning
Learn to make your own bookcloth using Japanese paper, cotton fabric, and wheat starch paste, in this hands-on, in-person workshop. Use the bookcloth to cover a refillable A6 journal with rounded corners, a recessed label, and stainless steel hardware.
Block Print Bandanas
In this in-person workshop, learn how to create repeating patterns and carve a linoleum block to print on fabric.
Letterpress Refresh: Winter Cards
Refresh your skills and build confidence in letterpress printing on the Vandercook press in this in-person, winter cardmaking workshop.
Refillable Journal with Handmade Bookcloth: Evening
Learn to make your own bookcloth using Japanese paper, cotton fabric, and wheat starch paste, in this hands-on, in-person workshop. Use the bookcloth to cover a refillable A6 journal with rounded corners, a recessed label, and stainless steel hardware.
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.
Introduction to Marbling: December
Experience the magic of marbling firsthand with this in-person workshop!
Introduction to Screen Printing: December
Get familiar with MCBA’s screen printing studio and practice the photo emulsion process, from positive creation and screen coating to exposure and reclaiming.
Zines as Resistance
Learn about the historical role of zines in political movements, celebrate zines as a tool for building community, and explore the perzine (zines that feature the authors’ subjectivity) as a form of resistance within the context of activism and organizing.
Screen Print Cards: December
Get familiar with MCBA’s screen printing studio and print your unique design on a set of cards!
Hot Foil Stamping on Kwikprint Machines
Foil adds rich gold, shiny silver, and wild holographic accents to prints and bindings. Learn how to use the hot foil stamping machines in MCBA’s bindery, aptly named Kwikprint machines.
Suminagashi: Morning
Immerse yourself in the oldest form of marbling, suminagashi 墨流し (“spilled or floating ink”).
Letterpress 2: Setting Type (December)
This in-person letterpress workshop focuses on setting metal type and building familiarity with printing on the Vandercook press.
Suminagashi: Afternoon
Immerse yourself in the oldest form of marbling, suminagashi 墨流し (“spilled or floating ink”).
Flag Books
Learn to make a Flag Book, an innovative and adaptable book structure that uses an accordion spine and attachable "flag" pages.
First Saturday Tour (January)
Join us on the first Saturday of each month for a free tour of our studios.
Introduction to Hand Bookbinding: Morning
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.
Letterpress 4: Collaborative Calendar (January)
Letterpress 4: Collaborative Calendars focuses on planning and printing editions (a group of identical prints) by planning and printing a 12-month, perennial calendar (applies to any year).
Quick & Dirty Letterpress Posters: January
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!
Analog Screen Print 1: Drawing on Screens
Stop looking at your computer screen and start looking at your mesh printing screen! Learn two of the simplest and most approachable ways to create a screen printing stencil, in this in-person workshop.
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: January
Experience the magic of marbling firsthand with this in-person workshop!
Letterpress 1: Printing Basics (January)
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.
Blizzard Books
In this in-person workshop, learn to make the Blizzard Book, an innovative book structure designed by book artist Heidi Kyle.
Book Arts Project Planning
Do you have an idea for a book arts project, but you aren’t sure where to start? Learn practical skills to guide you in taking actionable steps to move your project forward confidently, in this in-person workshop.
Foraged Fibers: Winter
Join us for this hands-on, in-person workshop where you'll transform Minnesota’s flora into stunning handmade paper.
Letterpress 2: Setting Type (January)
This in-person letterpress workshop focuses on setting metal type and building familiarity with printing on the Vandercook press.
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.
Analog Screen Print 2: Handmade Positives
Ditch the computer and come back to drawing by hand! This in-person workshop is designed for folks with basic screen printing experience who are ready to explore photo emulsion without relying on a computer or digital techniques.
Japanese Papermaking: January
Explore the tools and techniques of Japanese papermaking in this in-person workshop.
Box Building: Drawers & Dividers (In Person)
Create a box that has a lid with a hinge, a divided tray, and a drawer in MCBA’s studios.
Introduction to Screen Printing: January
Get familiar with MCBA’s screen printing studio and practice the photo emulsion process, from positive creation and screen coating to exposure and reclaiming.
East Asian Side-Sewn Bindings 1
In this in-person workshop, we’ll focus on proper text preparation and traditional sewing patterns for side-sewn bindings.
Modern Marbling 1
Take your marbling skills to a new level! In this in-person workshop, learn to make newly-designed, contemporary patterns.
Letterpress Refresh: Be My Valentine
Refresh your skills and build confidence in letterpress printing in this love-themed workshop.
Screen Print Cards: January
Get familiar with MCBA’s screen printing studio and print your unique design on a set of cards!
First Saturday Tour (February)
Join us on the first Saturday of each month for a free tour of our studios.
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!
Beyond the Book: Book Repair
Join us for Beyond the Book featuring Ethiopic codices from the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (HMML).
Phežúta Mniȟúha: Medicine Paper
This in-person workshop explores the incorporation of traditional Indigenous plant material with papermaking processes.
Woodcut Printmaking for Beginners: October
Experience the process of relief printing while carving and printing your own design in this in-person workshop.
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.
Plunge into Pop-Ups
Learn fundamental elements of constructing pop-ups--from design and construction to tools and materials!
First Saturday Tour & Printing Activity, with ASL
Join us on the first Saturday of each month for a free tour of our studios.
MCBA Prize 2026 Reception
Celebrate the MCBA Prize with an in-person toast and gallery reception.
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.
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.
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.