“We Right The Book” I

I am honored to serve as Artist in Residence at Verdugo Hill High School in Tujunga,  CA (Los Angeles) for a group of 42 Senior English class Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) students.

Our project is entitled, “We Right the Book“, and is supported by an Artist in residence grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.  I am working with the students on a series of bookmaking projects during weekly workshops held right in the classroom from September – December, 2017. The students are also assisting with bookmaking workshops held for the community at-large in the Sunland-Tujunga Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.

The project is designed to offer participating students an outlet for feelings, thoughts, hopes and dreams related to their upcoming transition out of high school, and into the next epoch of their lives.

We started with the basics: Accordion Fold Books, created from folding equidistant sections of material. We used “bright tagboard” for the folded pages, and assorted posterboard and railroad board for the covers.

An industrious maker adds tiny butterflies to the cover of her book.

A writer!

Tiny pieces of text work together to form the title…the piece is held closed with hemp cord.

Choosing a length of cord to enhance book.

Angelica layers materials into her folded page.

We have a wonderful group of boys in the class…talented and detailed makers!

Two girls work together (upper left of image)  making the most of materials, space and each other!

Working with letters, and seeing/absorbing their visual quality.

He is able to let others into his world through the book.

Paper world…

Our wonderful VAPA English classroom teacher, Amy Leserman.

Now that we have learned the basics of accordion folding, it is time to move into the fun and versatile Flag Book structure!
Stay tuned for “We Right The Book” II