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Debra Disman

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Handmade Books

National Hispanic Heritage Month: A Bookish Celebration

October 4, 2018 By Debra Disman

In our recent program at the Granada Hills Branch Library of the LAPL,  23 participants created “folded fan” books, comprised of an accordion spine, front and back covers, and fan pages.  In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, they added their own “Picado Papel“, decoratively cut and punched papers, which added a special touch to their creations.

Families turned out, and parents worked closely with children to achieve their artistic visions! Especially heartwarming was the number of Dads who devoted themselves to supporting their sons and daughters through the process, while creating beautiful works themselves. And let’s not forget the Moms! It is wonderful to see adults give themselves over to the creative process. Parents, and all people, so need this time.

This workshop was part of my artist residency project: “We Write the Book“, supported by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Los Angeles.  Gratitudes!

 


Children’s Librarian extraordinaire, Alice Schock, engages with a young patron, artist and participant.


Like Mother, like Daughter…


The work of our hands…and creative ways of using shaped hole punchers to create Picado Papel!


Sisters and friends work together.


This young teen, age 13, took off with a Halloween theme.


Through careful work, discerning choices, and elegant handicraft, she designed a book that we hope she will keep forever!


This young maker transformed images of a noted Los Angeles mural of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and used the beautiful colors as a surface to create a repeated design with a butterfly-shaped hole puncher.


Piper and her Dad attended an earlier workshop, and were back again creating happily together.


Father and daughter work closely on her book. her Mom said that though she herself loves scrapbooking, she could never get Dad to do it. Now, maybe he might, after seeing how much fun cutting, pasting and arranging are!


Here is Mom at work on her own masterpiece, along with older daughter.


Sebastian and his Dad work side by side. spending precious time together.


Yellow blossoms drift across a luminous pink ground,  floating in a world of warm colors. Washi tape is used to good effect as a framing device on the covers.

 


Benny and Mom have fun. Who says one has to sit on chairs?


These two friends had a blast, and worked with very different color schemes in their projects.


This is Greer’s second workshop. She loves to work with her hands, and even contributed some extra  Washi tape  to the cause!


Our scrapbooking  Mom works on a mini-masterpiece. What patience it takes to punch out all those butterflies, then arrange and glue them to the cover!

But how worth is it was…here is her magnum opus…a treat for the eyes, heart and soul.

Thank You All.

 

Filed Under: Artist in Residence, Artists' Books, Student Work, Teaching Artist Tagged With: ARTIST IN RESIDENCE, Artist Residency The Granada Hills Library, ARTIST'S BOOKS, COMMUNITY BOOKMAKING, Concertina Fold Book, DCA, Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of LA, Family Bookmaking, Folded Fan Book, Handmade Books, Hispanic heritage Month, Latino heritage Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, Papel Picado, The Los ANgeles Department of Cultural Affairs, THE LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM, Washi Tape

PRAIRIE

September 10, 2018 By Debra Disman

 

“Prairie”, 2018

Inspired, I guess, by the Midwest landscape I was raised in…once all prairie lands, now leafy and not so leafy suburbs reaching to Chicago.

I began the piece, then realized what it was about, as pure a way of working as I can think of at this moment.

The color.

Illinois.
The Chicago suburbs.
Iowa.
Iowa City.

The fields.

The rolling hills.

The endless vistas with no water to speak of.

The place.

Texture.

The texture of a place.


Book board covers. Covers covered in torn strips of tissue paper.


Accordion-fold watercolor paper spine, covered with the same.


Jute cord sewn, stitched and falling.


Board pages become landscape.


Cover stitching.


Spine and page stitching.


Falling cord…


Other side.

“Prairie”, 2018
Book board, board, watercolor paper, tissue paper, jute cord

Filed Under: Artists' Books, New Work, Work Tagged With: Artists' Book/s, Fiber, Handmade Books, Midwest, Prairie, Prairie lands, Sculptural Artist book, Sculptural Book, Sculpture

“The Book as Art 2018: PULP”

September 6, 2018 By Debra Disman

The Book as Art 2018 is an exhibition organized by the Decatur Arts Alliance, the Georgia Center for the Book and the DeKalb Library Foundation.

This sixth year of “The Book as Art” is called:
Book as Art v6: Pulp
Juried by Lisa Beth Robinson, Stephanie Smith and Cynthia Nourse Thompson,
the show runs August 10–September 28  and is open during library hours.
It is held in The Periodicals Gallery of the Decatur Library,
215 Sycamore St., Decatur, Ga.

“A book begins as a small mass of material, formed and pressed into life by ideas, words, and machines. Pulp becomes paper, becomes thought, becomes word, becomes book, becomes sculpture.

Pulp is the impetus and endgame of these physical book objects. From the tactile complexity of handmade paper, to the sensational tabloid tales of pulp fiction, these objects, in an increasingly digital world, stubbornly survive.

These objects interpret the concept of the book and invite the viewer to look beyond the printed page to where word has become form.

Book As Art: Pulp is the sixth edition of this critically acclaimed artist book exhibition established by the Decatur Arts Alliance in 2013. Entries hail from across the United States and around the world, and from emerging artists as well as recognized masters in the genre. The Book As Art is pleased to present these examples from the finest in the field.” — The Book As Art 2018

I am honored to have two pieces in the show:

Profusion
Artists’ Book/Sculpture
2018, 8.75″ x 24.5″ x 7.75″, book board, paper, hemp cord, canvas


Inside


Detail


Outside

and

Burning Bush
Artists’ Book/Sculpture
2018, 7.5″ x 11″ x 5.5″, book board, paper, hemp cord, canvas


Inside


Detail


Outside

I wish I could see the show.
Los Angeles is just too far away from Georgia!

If You can, please do!
And don’t miss the
Closing Reception | white glove night
Friday, Sept. 27 | 6-8 pm
Join us for one last look at these works of book art. And we’re putting away the “do not touch” signs. Volunteers will provide participants with white gloves to allow firsthand exploration of the books in the exhibition. ––The Book as Art 2018

Sounds like black tie optional, white gloves required.

I hope many view and enjoy before that time.

Kudos to the jurors and organizers on what looks to be a sublime effort.

GrAtItUdEs

 

Filed Under: Artists' Books, Exhibitions, New Work, Work Tagged With: Artist, Artists' Book/s, Book as Art, Book Form, Cynthia Nourse Thompson, Decatur Arts Alliance, Decatur Library, Fiber, Handmade Books, Lisa Beth Robinson, Sculptural, Sculptural Artists' Books, Sculptural Books, Stephanie Smith, The Book as Art v6: Pulp, The Periodicals Gallery of the Decatur Library

Let’s Make Books at the Bell Library!

August 31, 2018 By Debra Disman

Learn to create the fun and fabulous “folded fan” book in community at the Library with artist Debra Disman.
Create a book that can open, read and displayed in different ways!

This program is designed for children aged 5 – 12.

All materials included!

Tagged With: ARTIST'S BOOKS, Bell Library, Bookmaking, Bookmaking for Children, Books made by Hand, Community Artmaking, Family Bookmaking, Folded Fan Book, Handmade Books, LA County Libraries, LACO, Library Art programs, Los Angles County Library System

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

August 21, 2018 By Debra Disman

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!

Filed Under: Artists' Books, Student Work, Teaching Artist Tagged With: Art in the elevator, ARTIST'S BOOKS, Barbara Kruger, BCAM, Bookmaking, Broad Contemporary Art Museum, Community Arts, Concertina fold, Family Bookmaking, Flag Book, Found Writing, Handmade Books, Hedi Kyle, hedy Kyle, LACMA, LACMA Education Department, LACMA Family Class, Muesuem art classes, Museuam arts workshop, SHAFTED, THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART

Teen Flag Bookmaking at the Artesia Library!

August 21, 2018 By Debra Disman

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!

Tagged With: Artesia Library, ARTIST'S BOOKS, Bookmaking, Books made by Hand, Community Artmaking, Flag Book, Handmade Books, LA County Libraries, LACO, Library Art programs, Los Angles County Library System, Teen, Teen Bookmaking

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