Debra Disman

Artist

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Teaching Artist

Fanning the Creative Flame: Making Folded Fan Books

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To kick off my 2019-20 Artist Residency at the Sunland-Tujunga Library, supported by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, I led a Children’s Bookmaking program, where participants and their families learned the art of “Folded Fan Books”.

The folded fan book is comprised of an accordion spine, two covers and pages glued onto one side of each fold of the spine, to create a fanning out effect when the book is opened.

Over twenty participants joined us: children with parents, siblings and friends, supported by a library volunteer and the stupendous Sunland Tujunga Children’s Librarian, Kirsten, or “Ms. K”, as she is affectionately called.


Children enjoyed writing in and illustrating their books, whether in known or created language.


We were thrilled to see that hardworking parents got into into the act too, and enjoyed some creative time. It is common for makers to use the same or similar colors to what they are wearing.

 
Mothers and daughters worked side by side.

Creativity is a dish beautifully served up in community…

Sharing Shows: ARTISTS WHO TEACH

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I am excited and honored to be included in a number of current and upcoming shows across the US, and will be sharing about them in blog form, as well as in the EVENTS section of my website, as a way of further describing and chronicling my practice, honoring colleagues, and sharing gratitude for these opportunities and the people, organizations and institutions that make them happen.

I am thrilled to be a part of:

ARTISTS WHO TEACH

A National Juried Exhibition Celebrating Visual Art Educators.  This exhibition presented at several sites and includes lectures, workshops and events celebrating art educators.

Presented at:

Ellington-White Contemporary 113 Gillespie Street, Fayetteville, NC 28301
and
Fayetteville State University Rosenthal Art Gallery

September 14 – November 2, 2019

National Art Education Week is September 8 – 14th

As part of an ongoing commitment to promote the visual arts. Ellington-White Contemporary Gallery (EWCG)   showcases the arts as an essential part of a complete education, whether in home, school, or community. Students of all ages—from kindergarten to college to creative aging programs—benefit from artistic learning, innovative thinking, and creativity.

Celebrating National Arts in Education Week with this national exhibition is a way to recognize the impact of visual arts and share the message “that the Arts matter” with friends, family, and communities. During this week, the field of arts education joins together in communities across the country to tell the story of the impact of the transformative power of the arts in education. Celebrating National Arts in Education Week with this national exhibition is a way to recognize the impact of the visual arts and share the message “that the Arts matter” .

Through this exhibition, Ellington-White Contemporary Gallery celebrates,  advocates, and  brings attention to the cause of art education.

Here here!

I am showing “WINDOW TREATMENT“
2018
Sculptural Artists Book / mixed media: book board, file folders, hemp cord, assorted papers and cardstock, paint, wax

The piece is comprised of an accordion spine, front and back covers, and “flag” pocket pages through which cords are sewn, stitched, and threaded. The surfaces have been textured with torn and crushed papers, painted, and waxed.


Front Cover Exterior, closed


Interior, open


Exterior, open

Fairy Tales…Make Your Own Books

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It was a gift to be able to work with students every day for five weeks this past summer, and introduce them to the book arts as well as other media. As a teaching artist, we often only see students once a week, so to be able to watch them learn and grow on a daily basis was a thrill!


Surrounded by scads of art supplies, tools and materials, 5-6 year old students in our “Fairy Tales” and “Make Your own Books” classes had an ideal situation for creating!


This outstandingly creative young student in “Make Your Own Books” certainly did just that, using her flag book to try out all kinds of drawing and painting media while exploring color, shape, line and texture.


Each flag page held a different combination of media, including acrylic and watercolor paints, pastels, crayons and markers.


Students created books large and small, including tiny ones that would fit in a (albeit rather large) matchbox!


Mixed media reigned supreme, such as combining letter stickers with markers and paint pens.


Oops! Markers on the project, not on your fingers!


Making and embellishing file folder portfolios was our first project. Some students created so many books they made a second portfolio to hold them!

A brilliantly bookish and imaginatively magical time was had by all!
Goodbye summer program, until next year!

Children Create Unique Handmade Books

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It was a gift to be able to work with students every day for five weeks this past summer, and introduce them to the book arts as well as other media. As a teaching artist, we often only see students once a week, so to be able to watch them learn and grow on a daily basis was a thrill!

In our “Creating Unique Handmade Books” class, students aged 6-8 learned and created a variety of book structures while exploring all sorts of materials. They learned about folding, gluing, sewing, and book structures including accordion, single signature, flag book, and side binding.

At the end of our time together, parents were invited to celebrate their bookish achievements, and a good time was had by all!


We used a wide variety of materials to create our books, including all sorts of papers, ribbon, stickers, washi tapes, feathers, glues, drawing and writing tools and more!


The accordion or concertina fold is primary in many bookmaking structures. Students learned this process then applied it to several projects.


Our wonderful TA wrote personal notes to all the students!


Single signature (a gathering of pages sewn together through the fold) structures were fun for the students to create, because they looked to them like “real” books.


We invited families to join us the second to last day of class to see all the students had created.


This student adores pattern and collage and had an impressive array of books featuring these by the end of our class session.


Mother and daughter peruse her handmade books together.


A young student shines as she shares her accordion-folded and flag books with her parents.


Sharing books with Dad…this student created so many books he made a second portfolio to hold them all!

It was hard to say goodbye after such storied adventures this summer, but it is my hope that these students will continue to exercise their imaginations as they make books and develop their skills and creativity.
They are well on their way!

Inspired By Great Artists: Keeping the Faith

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One of the Great Artists my students were inspired by this past summer was the amazing Faith Ringgold, inventor of the “Story Quilt“.

Inspired by Faith, students created a “quilt” through the combination of felt, textiles, fabric and painting on canvass, embellished with buttons, “pom poms”, ribbon and more, then painted borders to add to their quilts.

As a side project, some students created painted compositions using their names. It was fascinating to see that they used the same color combinations in both.

Our End of Class Show…a line-up of Faith Ringgold-inspired textile collages

Students had their own “color stories” as well, which repeated throughout their works.

The students employed a variety of materials in create an impressive amount of detail.

 

The students, all girls aged 9-11, seemed to pour their hearts into this project, working on it for twice the time planned.

Inspiring!

“Building A World” together

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Working in cardboard, wood, re-purposed materials and both found and decorative objects, my 2nd and grade “Building a World” students this summer created places and spaces of fantasy, invention and wonder. Worlds indeed! Here the “high” and “low” of materiality and culture collide, mix, match, dialogue, integrate and buttress up against each other in energized ways that only the imaginations of children could conjure up. A visual feast!

Collaboration, consideration, connection and creativity…we had it all this summer and more.

An inCREDIBLE experience.