Debra Disman

Artist

Guild of Book Workers

Book/Art/Artifact on VIEW!

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GBW CALIFORNIA CHAPTERS 3RD MEMBER EXHIBITION: The Info!



Book / Art / Artifact will be open to the public starting Saturday, June 11 and runs thru Sunday, August 28th, 2022.  Please check their website for operating days and times.

The opening reception will take place at San Francisco Center for the Book on Friday, June 17th from 6-8 pm. This event is free to attend. Light refreshments will be served on the back patio; remarks will be at 7 pm. Masks are required while viewing the exhibition indoors; we are encouraging people to register for the opening reception at the following link: SFCB.org

WORKSHOP – Exhibition related

SFCB and CA Chapter of GBW are offering a one day workshop Leather Surface Decoration in-person workshop with Coleen Curry to accompany the exhibition on July 2, 2022

https://sfcb.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=4332

This link is live now and is offered to CA chapter members first until June 15 and then will be open to public.

EXHIBITION CATALOGS 

The catalog is available to order online through Lulu:

https://www.lulu.com/shop/rebecca-chamlee/gbw-ca-chapter-catalog-2022/paperback/product-m97542.html?q=GBW&page=1&pageSize=4

$9.68 plus shipping. (At cost)

Those exhibiting will receive a complementary copy in the mail.

All exhibition information can be found on https://sfcb.org/bookartartifact and on our chapter website  https://gbwcaliforniachapter.wordpress.com

EXHIBITIONISTA: “Book / Art / Artifact”

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I am thrilled to participate in the third exhibition featuring works created by the talented members of the California Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers at the San Francisco Center for the Book,

 

Book / Art / Artifact: Work from the CA Chapter of the Guild of Bookworkers

EXHIBITION DATES: Saturday, June 11 – Sunday, August 28, 2022

The exhibition Book/Art/Artifact showcases work from the California Chapter of the national organization the Guild of Book Workers. Book/Art/Artifact is the third major members’ exhibition; previous exhibitions have been presented at the Geisel Special Collections Library at the University of California San Diego (2016) and the Long Beach Museum of Art (2019). As with previous exhibitions, Book/Art/Artifact highlights a range of member expertise and imagination. Exhibited mediums include bookbinding, letterpress, artists’ books, and calligraphy. The exhibition introduces viewers to the idea that books are not only a collection of bound pages but also an expression of human creativity.

VIEW THE PRESS RELEASE

VIEW THE EXHIBITION CHECKLIST

PURCHASE THE EXHIBITION CATALOG

The exhibition Book/Art/Artifact showcases work from the California Chapter of the national organization the Guild of Bookworkers. Book/Art/Artifact is the third major members’ exhibition; previous exhibitions have been presented at the Geisel Special Collections Library at the University of California San Diego (2016) and the Long Beach Museum of Art (2019). As with previous exhibitions, Book/Art/Artifact highlights a range of members expertise and imagination. Exhibited mediums include bookbinding, letterpress, artists’ books, and calligraphy. The exhibition introduces viewers to the idea that books are not only a collection of bound pages but also an expression of human creativity.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS: Cathy Adelman, Yukimi Annand, Marlyn Bonaventure , Robin Brandes , Servane Briand, Carolee Campbell / Ninja Press , Rebecca Chamlee / Pie in the Sky Press, Coleen Curry, Insiya Dhatt, Debra Disman, Anna Embree, Jean Gillingwators, Karen Hanmer, Paula Jull, Marie Kelzer / Marie Kelzer Designs , Mark Kirchner, Brian Lieske, Elaine Nishizu, Patricia Owen, Todd Pattison, Jennifer Pellacchia, Beth Redmond, Sue Ann Robinson, Pamela Wood


Exhibition CATALOG designed by Rebecca Chamlee

 

Imagination, Experimentation and Play!

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Free your imagination, experiment, and….PLAY!

Join us for this art and bookmaking online workshop, source your own materials, and create your own exploratory masterpiece! Details in the flier below. 

Presented by The California Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers, part of the national  Guild of Book Workers, this workshop is a point of departure for anyone at any skill level who has a desire to explore the world of book arts in a safe, supportive and fun online environment.

Please contact me through the site contact form with any questions.
Hope to see you there!!!!

 

Folded Fan Sculptural Artists’ Book: A Vehicle for Imagination, Experimentation, and Play

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The California Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers presents:

A workshop led by Debra Disman
Saturday, June 5, 2021
1:00 – 4:00 pm, Pacific Time
Presented live via Zoom

The “Folded Fan Book,” Debra Disman’s personal name for this fun and versatile book structure, is comprised of
an accordion spine, two covers, and full size pages which “fan out” when the book is opened.
This structure can be treated as a traditional codex or built into a sculptural form limited only by the
ingenuity, creativity, and innovation of the maker.

Students will gather their own materials based on the supplies list provided and determine the size and content of their books,
inspired by examples of different ways this structure can be developed, reimagined, and used.

We will spend the first part of the workshop creating the basic structure, then take off into unexplored territory
where students can utilize their chosen materials to transform their books into personal explorations of their own histories
or potential futures. Will YOUR BOOK become a container of memory, visualization of an intention, a container of dreams, an excavated artifact?
Whatever participants choose to create, this book can become a vehicle for imagination, experimentation, and play.

Materials: Participants will supply and source tools and materials. The use of existing materials in your living/work space is encouraged.
A list of supplies will be sent one month before the workshop. The Zoom link will be sent the week of the workshop.

Skill Level: Open to all levels of experience

Registration: $50.00 USD for GBW members,
$60.00 USD for non-members.
Please register by May 15, 2021. The workshop will not be recorded.
There is a cancellation fee of 10% of the registration fee up to 30 days before the workshop. No refunds are given for
cancellations made within 30 days prior to the workshop. Registrations may not be shared and are non-transferable.

Please direct questions to
california@guildofbookworkers.org.

Debra Disman is a Los Angeles-based artist working
primarily in the form of the book, both as a solo
practitioner and in the public sphere of community
engagement. She creates work and projects which
push the boundaries of the book into new forms and
materials. Her work is shown in museums, galleries,
universities, and libraries across the U.S.
debradisman.com
Instagram

FORMATION

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I am beyond honored to be a part of  Formation, the Guild of Book Workers triennial members’ exhibition, which has begun a  two year national tour.
The GBW says it best:

Simply defined by Merriam Webster as “an act of giving form or shape to something,” formation can insinuate process, history, creation, change, beginnings, an arrangement, botany and landscape, personal narratives and impersonal storytelling. What makes us into the artists we are? How does our creative process influence the final product? What pushes us to continue to create? People, events, memories all combine to influence the art we make about the world around us, even if our work isn’t explicitly autobiographical.  The Guild of Book Workers’ 2018-2019 exhibition encouraged members to consider how the act of formation spoke to their artistic process.

An accompanying printed exhibition catalog, published this year as a special edition of the Guild of Book Workers’ Journal, will be available for sale at the venues and online at guildofbookworkers.org. The catalog features full color photographs and complete descriptions of each work; biographies of the artists; remarks from jurors Coleen Curry, Graham Patten, and Sarah Smith; and essays by Formation curator Jackie Scott and Guild of Book Workers President Bexx Caswell.

The Formation Exhibition honors the legacy of the book workers’ craft and celebrates some of the finest examples of book arts today. Founded in 1906, the Guild of Book Workers has over 900 members today and is the only national organization dedicated to all of the book arts, including bookbinding, conservation, printing, papermaking, calligraphy, marbling, and artists’ books. At a time when the masses are considering the materiality of the book and its presence or absence as a physical object, it is exciting to showcase the many hand crafts of the book form. The work presented in the Formation Exhibition is a vibrant and dynamic collection of Artists’ Books, Fine Bindings, Fine Press Printing, Calligraphy, and Sculptural Book Works that showcase both the history of the Book Worker’s craft, as well as contemporary interpretations of the book form. The Guild of Book Workers promotes interest in and awareness of the tradition of the book and paper arts by maintaining high standards of workmanship, hosting educational opportunities, and sponsoring exhibits.

Exhibition Schedule:

Minnesota Center for Book Arts
Minneapolis, MN
June 15–October 21, 2018

Robert C. Williams Papermaking Museum
Atlanta, GA
November 1, 2018–March 7, 2019

University of California, Los Angeles
Charles E. Young Research Library Lobby Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
March 15–May 25, 2019

North Bennet Street School
Boston, MA
June 5–July 27, 2019

University of the Arts
Philadelphia, PA
August 1–October 30, 2019

The Formation Exhibition features 51 works from 46 members that will travel across the U.S. from June 2018 through October 2019. The show opens at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It will be held at MCBA until the Guild of Book Workers’ annual Standards of Excellence Seminar in October 2018. Formation will tour the country, stopping at the Robert C. Williams Papermaking Museum in Atlanta, GA, UCLA’s Charles E. Young Research Library, the North Bennet Street School in Boston, MA, and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. A complete tour schedule is online at guildofbookworkers.org.

 

It was thrilling to see FORMATION featured in The COLOR Issue of  American Craft magazine.

I am looking forward to seeing FORMATION in LA:

University of California, Los Angeles
Charles E. Young Research Library Lobby Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
March 15–May 25, 2019

Please join us,  in FORMATION!

 

In “FORMATION”

By

In “FORMATION”

I am honored to be a part of  Formation, the Guild of Book Workers triennial members’ exhibition, which has just begun a  two year national tour! The GBW says it best:

Simply defined by Merriam Webster as “an act of giving form or shape to something,” formation can insinuate process, history, creation, change, beginnings, an arrangement, botany and landscape, personal narratives and impersonal storytelling. What makes us into the artists we are? How does our creative process influence the final product? What pushes us to continue to create? People, events, memories all combine to influence the art we make about the world around us, even if our work isn’t explicitly autobiographical.  The Guild of Book Workers’ 2018-2019 exhibition encouraged members to consider how the act of formation spoke to their artistic process.

The Formation Exhibition features 51 works from 46 members that will travel across the U.S. from June 2018 through October 2019. The show opens at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It will be held at MCBA until the Guild of Book Workers’ annual Standards of Excellence Seminar in October 2018. Formation will tour the country, stopping at the Robert C. Williams Papermaking Museum in Atlanta, GA, UCLA’s Charles E. Young Research Library, the North Bennet Street School in Boston, MA, and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. A complete tour schedule is online at guildofbookworkers.org.

An accompanying printed exhibition catalog, published this year as a special edition of the Guild of Book Workers’ Journal, will be available for sale at the venues and online at guildofbookworkers.org. The catalog features full color photographs and complete descriptions of each work; biographies of the artists; remarks from jurors Coleen Curry, Graham Patten, and Sarah Smith; and essays by Formation curator Jackie Scott and Guild of Book Workers President Bexx Caswell.

The Formation Exhibition honors the legacy of the book workers’ craft and celebrates some of the finest examples of book arts today. Founded in 1906, the Guild of Book Workers has over 900 members today and is the only national organization dedicated to all of the book arts, including bookbinding, conservation, printing, papermaking, calligraphy, marbling, and artists’ books. At a time when the masses are considering the materiality of the book and its presence or absence as a physical object, it is exciting to showcase the many hand crafts of the book form. The work presented in the Formation Exhibition is a vibrant and dynamic collection of Artists’ Books, Fine Bindings, Fine Press Printing, Calligraphy, and Sculptural Book Works that showcase both the history of the Book Worker’s craft, as well as contemporary interpretations of the book form. The Guild of Book Workers promotes interest in and awareness of the tradition of the book and paper arts by maintaining high standards of workmanship, hosting educational opportunities, and sponsoring exhibits.

Exhibition Schedule:

Minnesota Center for Book Arts
Minneapolis, MN
June 15–October 21, 2018

Robert C. Williams Papermaking Museum
Atlanta, GA
November 1, 2018–March 7, 2019

University of California, Los Angeles
Charles E. Young Research Library Lobby Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
March 15–May 25, 2019

North Bennet Street School
Boston, MA
June 5–July 27, 2019

University of the Arts
Philadelphia, PA
August 1–October 30, 2019

My contributions to the exhibition:

“Hang Out” , 2017. 10.25 x 25 x 8″, mixed media (Book board, canvas, watercolor paper, mulberry paper, hemp cord)

“Black Hang Out“, 2017, mixed media (Book board, canvas, watercolor paper, mulberry paper, hemp cord, acrylic paint)

I am gratified and privileged to participate and look forward to seeing the show when it is at the 
Charles E. Young Research Library Lobby Gallery, University of California, Los Angeles  March 15–May 25, 2019.

Join Us!