Join us and learn to create the fun and fabulous FLAG book!
Play with putting word and image together while learning bookmaking, visual art and craft skills.
All materials included.
Family Bookmaking
Making Books at the Compton Library
Join us and learn to create the fun and fabulous folded fan book!
Play with putting word and image together while learning bookmaking, visual art and craft skills.
All materials included.
Getting Lit: Making Matchbox Books at the Granada Hills Public Library
It has been exciting to lead programs at the Granada Hills Branch Library of the LAPL, as part of my Artist Residency there: “We Write the Book“, supported by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
In honor of Women’s History Month, I led a workshop on how to create mini “matchbox books”. Open to the whole community, participants included families, seniors, children, adults and youth. Participants used actual matchboxes as the container or “cover of their books, and folded accordion pages to place inside them. I had appropriately-sized images of the work of five amazing women artists, who the makers learned about, and used in and on their pieces.
Faith Ringgold of New York City, Yayoi Kusama of Japan, Liza Lou of Los Angeles, Frida Kahlo of Mexico, and Georgia O’Keeffe of New Mexico were featured, nd participants incorporated images of their work and the artists themselves into their projects, hopefully learning about them and being inspired in the process
Families work together.
Honored members of the Friends of the Library joined us.
Mother and daughter work side by side.
I couldn’t agree more!
Purple and pink…perennial favorites.
Kusama’s polka dots rule….
Kahlo graces the cover…
Our fearless, peerless teen librarian, Kristin Peers, joins the fun!
It is such an honor to serve this community as Artist in Residence, and get to know the families and individuals who frequent the Branch, as well as its awesome Staff.
Gratitudes!
Seeing Double Vision: Double Flower Bookmaking
It has been exciting to lead programs at the Granada Hills Branch Library of the LAPL, as part of my Artist Residency there: “We Write the Book“, supported by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
In honor of Chinese New Year, community members participated in creating “Double Flower” books (also known as “Exploding Books”).
Both adults and children learned to fold and “pop-out” the basic structure. They then made several and glued them together to create a long or short book of repeated folded forms that flatten into a single square. Finally, they had a blast adding covers and a tie if they wished, and embellishing their creations with all manner of materials.
Sisters with their folded up books: books closed..
Books open!
Taking the materials in another direction…
Mom gets into the act making her own Double Flower creation.
I also taught the “Turkish Map Fold”, (but that is another story…), and this intrepid maker was able to create one on her own!
Dad gets a gift from daughter…
The work of our hands…
Celebrating the beauty of the holiday, in community, creating together.
Double Flower Bookmaking Workshop
Celebrate Chinese New Year by making a Double Flower Book with Artist-in-Residence Debra Disman!
This program is for ages 10 and older, and is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
Freedom of Expression and More…
It has been exciting to lead programs at the Granada Hills Branch Library of the LAPL, as part of my Artist Residency there: “We Write the Book“, supported by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and freedom in all its forms, participants created “single signature” sewn and glued books, and then used their Freedom of Expression to develop and embellish the covers. A “signature” is a gathering of folded sheets that create pages for a book. Single signature bookbinding refers to a group of sheets (usually paper) folded in the middle and bound together through sewing through their folds.
Although our program was originally planned for teens and “tweens”, several families attended including a number of dads with children. We had a wonderful time!
Sister and brother enjoy the delight of adding to their books after working step by step sewing and gluing to create them.
The glory of patterns. This young participant is age 3!
She attended with her mother.
In the background, mom and dad look on, taking a well-deserved break and enjoying the fun from the sidelines as their children worked and played.
Father offers support and presence to his son.
Our fearless leader, Branch Manager Pam, enjoys some creative “play” time, adding washi (decorative paper) tape to her book.
There is something very satisfying about hand-sewing a book together. It feels real…permanent. The work of our hands on a whole other level.
Hopefully, these books will continue to be developed at home, and most importantly, used!