Event Info
This in-person, one-week intensive workshop takes place at CBA on Tuesday–Saturday, June 21–25 from 10am–4pm:
- Tuesday, June 21, 10am–4pm
- Wednesday, June 22, 10am–4pm
- Thursday, June 23, 10am–4pm
- Friday, June 24, 10am–4pm
- Saturday, June 25, 10am–4pm
Please Note: Registration for this workshop closes on Tuesday, June 14 at 11:59pm.
About the Workshop:
This one-week intensive on letterpress printing is taught by artist and CBA Instructor Sarah Nicholls.
Students will receive an overview of the history of letterpress, and an in-depth, hands-on immersion in the practice of printing, while producing their own work on CBA’s Vandercook presses. This workshop will offer a thorough introduction to studio tools, ink mixing, press operation, typesetting, image-making techniques, and edition printing. It is great for beginners or those who wish to gain additional experience with presses and refine their skills.Topics covered include working with both wood and metal type, adding decorative ornaments and borders, how to register multiple colors in one print, and experimental printmaking techniques on the Vandercook, including pressure printing and monoprinting. Students will come away with a wide variety of sample prints and small editions of their work to keep or share.
This class is ideal for anyone interested in the history of printing and design, people who want to print simple text-based projects such as business cards, posters, and/or poetry and prose, as well as artists who want to learn to incorporate letterpress, relief printing, or text-based work into their practice.
This workshop is a combination of our Intro to Letterpress course and our Intro to Typography on Press (Letterpress 2). Class size is limited to ensure an optimal student-to-teacher ratio. Register now before the remaining spots fill up!
Required Materials:
All staff, artists, students, and guests are required to show proof of vaccination upon entering CBA and must wear a mask covering the nose and mouth at all times. If you have a medical or religious exemption, please email corina@centerforbookarts.org.
- Pencil and paper for taking notes
- Please wear closed-toed shoes and clothes that can get stained or dirty
All other materials and tools will be provided by CBA at no additional cost to the students.
About Sarah Nicholls
Sarah Nicholls is an artist, printmaker, and writer whose work combines language, image, visual narrative, and time.
Her ongoing projects on climate change, urban ecology, and the history of science and technology include a series of letterpress pamphlets as well as participatory programs like guided urban/nature walks.
Nicholls’ limited edition artist’s books are in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, Columbia University, and Stanford, among others.
Her work has received support from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Brooklyn Arts Council, and the Puffin Foundation, and she has participated in residencies at BRIC House in Brooklyn, the Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts, and Guttenberg Arts in New Jersey.
Nicholls teaches letterpress and book arts at Pratt Institute and Parsons School of Design in New York City as well as the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
All images courtesy of the instructor.
Class size is limited to ensure an optimal participant to Instructor ratio. Register now before spots fill up! Registration for this workshop closes on June 13 at 11:59pm. Participants are required to comply with CBA’s Covid-19 health and safety measures.
