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Debra Disman

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Paul Johnson

“We Write The Book” “Box of Fireworks” Bookmaking Workshop at the Northridge Library!

May 18, 2025 By Debra Disman

I was thrilled to lead a “Box of Fireworks” bookmaking workshop at the Northridge Branch Library on May 17th, 2025 in honor of Springtime, Community, and the magic of folded and glued repeated forms!  I learned this bookmaking structure from the British artist Paul Johnson, at the Long Beach Museum of Art.

Paul Johnson is a book artist and teacher in the United Kingdom. He is best known as a pop-up and movable book artist and for his work as a teacher of book art and children’s literacy. Johnson, the founder of the Book Art Project, an initiative that teaches writing to children through book making, has made books with over 200,000 children and over 25,000 teachers worldwide.

Attended by participants of all ages including families, I was thrilled to see the explosively colorful and exciting projects our participants created, and their joy in working in community.

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I am an artist-in-residence at the Northridge Branch Library, conducting bookmaking workshops and events for the local community and library patronage from February through May 31, 2025, on selected Wednesday afternoons, 3:30-5:00PM, and Saturdays 11:00am – 12:30PM

Free to community, all materials included!
PLEASE JOIN US for our CULMINATION event 11Am- 1PM Saturday May 31st.

Filed Under: Artist in Residence, Artists' Books, LIBRARIES, Student Work, Teaching Artist Tagged With: art-making workshops for families, Artist Residency, Book, Book as Art, Book Structures, BOOKBINDING, Bookmaking, Books made by Hand, books of repeating forms, Bos of Fireworks bookmaking, Box of Fireworks book structure, Community, Community Artmaking, COMMUNITY BOOKMAKING, DCA LA, DCA-funded artist residency, Families Making Books, Family Bookmaking, Folded and glued Books, Handmade Books, Intergenerational Arts workshops, LAPL, Librarians, Los Angeles Public Library, Making Books Together, mixed media books, Module books, NEAR Residency, Neighborhood Engagement Artist Residency, Northridge, Northridge Branch Library, Paul Johnson, repeating forms, running stitch, Self-expression, The Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Los Angeles, THE LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM

In Resonant Residence (6)

February 14, 2018 By Debra Disman

In Resonant Residence (6)

I formally began Studio Residency at the Camera Obscura Art Lab

in Santa Monica Wednesday January 10th.  I share the sunlit space, located within the 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.

Fourth Workshop, February 3, 2018:
Making the Fireworks Book, A whimsical pop-up book project, designed by UK Book Artist, Paul Johnson, who derived it from an Eastern European paper engineer, who was inspired by…you get the picture. We are links in the chain. A long chain, potentially, that folds up and then “explodes’ open…like fireworks…

Fireworks Book Workshop!

Folding

Adding pop-ups to the pop-up folds…

Cutting…

and pasting…

Adding the “wings” (pop-ups folding out, and in…

Color and pattern…

“s-t-o-p???”…No- keep going!

Putting it all together.

 

Filed Under: Artist in Residence, Artists' Books, Student Work, Teaching Artist Tagged With: Art Lab, ARTIST IN RESIDENCE, Artists" Book, Bookmaking, Camera Obscura, Camera Obscura Art Lab, Creative process, Fireworks Book, Folded Books, Makers, Materials, Pacific Palisades Park, Paper Engineering, Paper Marbling, Paul Johnson, Pop-up Books, POP-UPS, SANTA MONICA, Santa Monica Beach, Scrolls, Studio Residency at Camera Obscura Art Lab at 1450 Ocean, Teaching Artist

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