Debra Disman

Artist

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Flag Book

Bookmaking at Verdugo Hills High School

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I will lead bookmaking workshops with magnet (VAPA) English and Art students at Verdugo Hills High School in Tujunga, CA, supported by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Students will create one-of-kind FLAG BOOKS, and develop them through “found writing” they produce through pulling letters, words and sentences from existing print media sources such as magazines and other books.

I will work with Seniors in the VAPA English class, and Freshmen in the VAPA art class.

These workshops are for specific VAPA students at Verdugo Hills High School, and will take place in VAPA classes during school hours.

 

Creating in Compton

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It was wonderful to work with families to create books at the Compton Library.


Participants worked together to create the fun and versatile “flag book” structure.


Community members got to know each other in the library, through the work of their hands.


Siblings and Moms created in community.


Even the Staff got into the creative act.


Creating together brought smiles…


perhaps the greatest gift of all.

LACMA LOVE: The Art of the Book 3: The Flag Book

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We started off our Family Bookmaking Workshop series at The Los Angeles County Museum of Art with the Accordion Fold Book, then moved onto “The Folded Fan” book (my own nomenclature)  which also employed the accordion/concertina fold to great effect.

We completed our series with The Flag Book, a fun, versatile and quite kinetic structure “invented” by German-born and noted book artist Hedi Kyle.

We visited the Broad Contemporary Art Museum (“BCAM“), and looked at artist Barbara Kruger‘s monumental elevator piece, “Shafted“.

Students chose what view they wished to draw (or, sketch). then returned to the Park View Studio to look at our drawings, learn the Flag Book structure, create our books, then develop and embellish them!  (This last the reward, some might say, of the effort that went before).

Participants were encouraged to use text to develop their books, and see how this “found writing” technique could be read in different ways up and down and across their books. They had been able to observe the power of graphical text first hand viewing the Kruger piece.


Mother and daughter working together.


She came to our workshop with her grandmother…not pictured!


Summer teacher (all the way from Chicago!) and student, taking advantage of LACMA‘s educational offerings!


This wonderful duo attended all three workshops!


The grown-ups need an art-making break too!

Such a lovely group to work with.

We love you, LACMA!

Teen Flag Bookmaking at the Artesia Library!

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Join with other teens and learn to create the fun and versatile FLAG BOOK, which moves and grooves when you do! Add your own “found writing” (learn how) and have your say!

Led by artist Debra Disman.

All materials included.

Drop-ins welcome!

Flag Bookmaking at the Granada Hills Public Library

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Flag Bookmaking at the Granada Hills Public Library

We will be creating the fun, versatile and kinetic flag book structure at the Public Library!
Comprised of an accordion spine, covers and “flag” pages, this easy to make, yet fantastical book can hold writing, visual art, travel treasures and ephemera and more.,

The Los Angeles Summer Reading Challenge  2018 theme is:
“Reading Takes You Everywhere”, so join us to read, make, discover and explore at the Granada Hills Branch Library.

All ages welcome, all materials provided.

This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs  (DCA)

In Resonant Residence (14)

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In Resonant Residence (14)

I formally began Studio Residency at the Camera Obscura Art Lab

in Santa Monica Wednesday January 10th, and completed it Saturday, April 21, 2018.  I shared the sunlit space, located within a beautiful Mid-century building overlooking Palisades Park, Santa Monica Beach and the blue Pacific with textile artist and fellow Studio Artist-in-Residence Huong Nguyen.
“About the Art Lab and Camera Obscura

1450 Exterior
Vintage Camera Obscura
 
 
 
 
Step inside the Camera Obscura Art Lab and you’ll find a welcoming space with fantastic views of Santa Monica Bay and the Pier. The Camera is located in a midcentury time capsule in Palisades Park between Broadway and Santa Monica Blvd on what was once the site of the Pacific Electric Railway’s North Beach Station. Designed by noted architect Weldon J. Fulton (who’s work can be found around town including the classic Camera Obscura sign and font, the Montana and Fairview branch libraries, and the former Zucky’s building on Wilshire Blvd), the building’s exterior features walls clad in chunky Palos Verdes stone, glass walls, sloping roofs, and projecting canopies and rafter beams. It was donated to the City of Santa Monica by Marcellus Joslyn in 1955.”

The huge studio windows look out on palms, walkways and a huge assortment of passers by, strollers, park wanderers and beach combers. The Studio is a magical place to work.

My thirteenth workshop, April 7, 2018, Creating Sculptural Books offered participants an opportunity to walk a bit on the wilder side, and create something new while learning some skills in the process.

We began by constructing what I call the “fan book” structure…an accordion folded spine, with front and back covers, and pages added to the same side of each fold.

It is a version of the flag book, invented by renowned book artist Hedi Kyle, but employs full-sized pages that fan out from the spine in the same direction, rather then the zig zig alternating pattern of the endlessly inventive flag book.

Then folks added to that structure, used it as a jumping off point if you will.

Others focused more specifically on embellishment…this was the way “in” for them.

Book artist Rachel Curry made a big “traditional” flag book, and adorned it with patterns using paint pens.

Step-by-step into new territory, in a safe space.

Ingredients for discovery.