Book Arts & Artists' Books: A Workshop Series


Register for more than one Book Arts Series workshop at one time and receive 15% off the total cost! You must apply this discount yourself when registering and completing payment.

Bill Hanscom is a conservation technician at the Weissman Preservation Center, where he treats a broad range of special collections materials for Harvard Library. He is a graduate of the Book Arts/Printmaking MFA program at The University of the Arts, and an adjunct instructor in Book Arts at Montserrat College of Art.

The Book Arts & Artist's Books workshops are designed to be taken in any order and by students of all skill levels (with the exception of Bookbinding Basics II). While they will be helpful, the skills that you learn in each workshop will not be required or overly redundant in other workshops.

Bill Hanscom

Bookbinding Basics I

Location: Boston
$220 (Simmons GSLIS Alumni Price $175)
June 1, 2013, 9:00am - 5:00pm - PDPs: 7

Whether you're interested in exploring books as art, making blank journals or simply curious about bookbinding in general, this introductory workshop will help familiarize you with the materials and techniques of sewn book construction as well as the basic principles of book function. Students will make a series of models of elementary book structures including one, two and three section sewings, and a long stitch sewing. Hands-on demonstration will be illuminated by discussion of book cloth and paper (selection, folding, cutting, grain direction), adhesives (types, uses, tips for application), sewing (thread and needle selection, techniques), and structure (mechanics, strengths/weaknesses, incorporating content).

Required tools (to brought to workshop): bone folder, utility knife, 12" steel ruler, 12 x 18" self-healing cutting mat, awl (with a thin needle), scissors, and pencil.

Materials Fee (to be brought and paid day of workshop): $20


Books in Motion

Location: Boston
$220 (Simmons GSLIS Alumni Price $175)
May 18, 2013, 9:00am - 5:00pm - PDPs: 7

Create books that burst open, tumble, spin, sway and dance! During this workshop we will explore the possibilities of moveable parts within books. These elegant mechanical devices can stand on their own, in combination, or be used to enhance a variety of other book structures. We will explore the Flag Book, Blossom Book, Woven Flexagon, Exploding Map Fold Book, Jacob's Ladder, Volvelles, and basic Pop-up construction.

Required tools (to be brought to workshop): bone folder, utility knife, 12" steel ruler, 12 x 18" self-healing cutting mat, and pencil.

Materials Fee (to be brought and paid day of workshop): $20


Album Structures

Location: Boston
$220 (Simmons GSLIS Alumni Price $175)
June 29, 2013, 9:00am - 5:00pm - PDPs: 7

Albums provide a way to organize and protect collections of all kinds such as photographs and archival materials. In this workshop we will explore the construction and mechanics of a variety of album structures from the traditional to the intriguingly unconventional. Each provides a different approach to the album, as well as exciting opportunities for experimentation with embellishment with a wide variety of media, even becoming art objects on their own. Structures will include: a Simple Board Book Album, The Storage Book, Pocket Album, Spider Book, Multi-leaf Accordion, and Accordion Album.

Required tools (to be brought to workshop): Bone folder, Utility knife, 12" steel ruler, 12 x 18" self-healing cutting mat, & Pencil.

Materials Fee (to be brought and paid day of workshop): $20


Bookbinding Basics II

Location: Boston
$220 (Simmons GSLIS Alumni Price $175)
July 20, 2013, 9:00am - 5:00pm - PDPs: 7

Expanding on the topics covered in Bookbinding Basics I, this course will present more advanced sewing structures as we continue our investigation into the elements of bookbinding. We will cover topics such as supported vs. unsupported sewing, use of adhesives (or lack of) in book construction, and cover-to-textblock attachment. Participants will produce three bindings: the Cross Structure Binding, Coptic Binding, and a Simple Case Binding.

*Participants must have taken Bookbinding Basics I, or have equivalent experience.

Required tools (to be brought to workshop): bone folder, utility knife, 12" steel ruler, 12 x 18" self-healing cutting mat, awl (with a thin needle), scissors, and pencil.

Materials Fee (to be brought and paid day of workshop): $20


Enclosures for Preservation and Beyond

Location: Boston
$220 (Simmons GSLIS Alumni Price $175)
October 13, 2013, 9:00am - 5:00pm - PDPs: 7

Boxes, wrappers and slipcases are widely used to house and protect library and archival collections, but they also offer terrific opportunities for artistic exploration. Beyond the protective housing of original artistic works such as books or print portfolios, enclosures can be altered and embellished to complement, enhance, and conspire with their contents. Over the course of this workshop students will work to create a reference set of enclosures which neatly nest together.

Required tools (to be brought to workshop): bone folder, utility knife, 12" steel ruler, 12 x 18" self-healing cutting mat, and pencil.

Materials Fee (to be brought and paid day of workshop): $20


The Folded Book

Location: Boston
$220 (Simmons GSLIS Alumni Price $175)
November 16, 2013, 9:00am - 5:00pm - PDPs: 7

During a day of intensive folding, students will explore the intersection of origami and bookbinding. The techniques of traditional paper-folding will be put to work creating structures that draw inspiration from many corners of bookbinding. The accordion fold, the codex, albums, maps, and even boxes and envelopes will all make appearances. Your hands, supplemented by only the simplest set of tools, will transform flat sheets of paper through folding (and the occasional cut), resulting in a variety of elegantly simple and dynamic structures. Each offer many possibilities for experimentation with media and exploration of the reading experience.

Required tools (to be brought to workshop): bone folder, utility knife, 12" steel ruler, 12 x 18" self-healing cutting mat, and pencil.

Materials Fee (to be brought and paid day of workshop): $20


Register for these workshops here

Questions? Email us at gslisce@simmons.edu or call (617) 521-2803