New Generative Measures: More Research and Writing for Artists’ Books Summer 2023

Event Info

This online workshop takes place on Zoom on Thursdays, July 20 and July 27, from 5:30-8:00pm Eastern Time.

• Thursday, July 20, 5:30-8:00pm
• Thursday, July 27, 5:30-8:00pm

Please Note: Registration for this workshop closes on July 13, 2023 at 11:59pm.

About the Workshop:

This online class at Center for Book Arts is taught by Instructor Ellen Sheffield.

This workshop continues the focus of the previous Generative Measures workshop but takes a deeper dive into more non-traditional approaches to developing original content for artist’s books. Through exploring multiple research tools and responding to creative writing prompts, each participant will design an artist book project to be completed on their own schedule. During the first session students will excavate places like digital archives, public records and family histories to find a compelling concept for an artist book. In the second session students will play with diverse writing methods from literary movements like Dada, Oulipo, Language poetry, and Post Modern literature for communicating our stories through the time-based structure of an artist book.

Concept driven projects take time to develop. Artists can often use support and guidance in getting started by creating a blueprint for producing a meaningful artist book. Completing exercises will build skills in navigating the plethora of digital archives now available. As a content based workshop each participant can zero in on what sparks their interest and through responding to prompts with writings in draft form they learn how data can become “story”. This workshop is for visual artists who want to learn more about research and enhance their writing skills and for writers who want to expand their writing practice into the artist book genre.

Required Materials:

• A dozen 3″x 5″ notecards
• Pen or pencil
• 6 to 8 sheets of 8.5″ x 11″ paper or a sketchbook w/ at least 8.5″ x 11″ size pages or larger
• Two 11″ x17″ sheets of paper (can be copy paper)
• Scissors or x-acto knife
• Vintage and contemporary magazines for collage
• Paper ephemera/photocopied photos

About Ellen Sheffield

Ellen Sheffield is a visual artist, poet and teacher based in Gambier, Ohio and Point Richmond, California. Her works on paper and artist’s books play with image and text intersections to create unexpected readings. Collaborations with poets, experiments with found text and working with visual scores are some of the ways she engages with themes of place, memory and language perception. She recently finished 14 years of teaching Book Arts in the Kenyon College Art Department and continues to teach virtual workshops for arts centers around the country.

All images courtesy of the instructor.