"Make Your Own Books!"

THE INTERSECTION-Where Art and Community Meet: Flag Bookmaking at 18th Street Arts Center

April 7, 2025 By Debra Disman

Working with the 18th Street Arts Center Community.
Making Flag Books.

On April 1st, 2025 (no joke).

A sublime experience.

Loved every minute.

Share the experience:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/u-Oe8zYKArc
Animator Stephen Siemens Works his Flag Book
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fQl1I-KdJT0
Poet Susan Suntree and her Alter

Intersection: where art and community meet with Debra Disman!

March 31, 2025 By Debra Disman

Intersection: where art and community meet with Debra Disman

April 1 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

FREE!

Intersection: where art and community meet with Debra Disman
Tuesday, April 1st | 5PM – 7PM
18th Street Arts Center
1639 18th Street. Santa Monica, CA 90404
Free + Open to the Public

Formally Happy Hours and Potlucks, these gatherings are dedicated to gathering our community around good food, conversation, and art. Please stop by for a bite and chat with our community and spotlight artist: Debra Disman.

Please join us to create & learn, express & enjoy together! Debra Disman will lead us through the making of fun and fantastic “Flag Books”, made of an accordion-folded spine and intimate flag pages onto which you can inscribe your own text, found or otherwise, imagery or any combination of these to tell your own story of the present moment as you are experiencing it. All materials will be provided but if you would like, please bring ephemera and memorabilia to personalize to your book.

Intersection: where art and community meet with Debra Disman

March 14, 2025 By Debra Disman

Intersection: where art and community meet with Debra Disman
Tuesday, April 1st | 5PM – 7PM
18th Street Arts Center
1639 18th Street. Santa Monica, CA 90404
Free + Open to the Public

BOYS MAKING BOOKS!

March 15, 2023 By Debra Disman

I was thrilled to teach “Make Your Own Books” through the City of Santa Monica’s CREST Enrichment program during January and February 2023!
I had a fantastic class of all boys who worked together beautifully, learned enthusiastically, and displayed great creativity and passion for their book projects!

Here is what one Mom said of her son’s experience with bookmaking:

“Owen is so sad he will be missing the last class this week as we are out of town. I wanted to share how much this class has changed Owen. He is obsessed with making books now and holds his own comic book club…daily…with his Dad and I. He carries them everywhere. He shows everyone.”

This was thrilling for me to hear…it is what a teaching artist lives for!

Below are they boys in action during our after-school program:

Be The Change Book Festival: Bookmaking Workshops II

March 6, 2023 By Debra Disman

I was thrilled to lead three bookmaking workshops at the Glendale Central Library as part of Glendale Library Arts and Culture
on Saturday, February 25: 10:00am – 11:00am, 1:00pm – 2:00pm, 3:00pm – 4:00pm

“Make Your Own Books with Debra Disman – Bookmaker and ReflectSpace Gallery exhibiting artist”

Glendale Central Library – ReflectSpace Annex
I worked with families, individuals and groups who learned how to create fun and fabulous handmade books using folding, cutting and gluing techniques.

Presented as part of:

Be the Change Book Festival – Be the Change Series at Glendale Central Library

Held Saturday, February 25: 10:00am – 4:00pm

A marvelous day-long event which celebrated diverse voices in reading at the Book Festival with author talks, local book vendors, food trucks, DJ, and activities for all ages.