Volume 11, Number 3
Apr 1987

GBW Standards Seminar

Reprinted with permission from the CACG Newsletter, Oct. 1986 (Chicago Area Conservation Group).

The Center for the Book at the University of Iowa hosted the Guild of Bookworkers Sixth Seminar on the Standards of Excellence in Bookbinding October 3-4, 1986. Scott Kellar, Book Conservator at Northwestern University, showed book enclosures of various designs. Paula Gourley, Director of the MFA program in bookbinding at the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa, demonstrated paper marbling using gouache. Bill Anthony, Conservator at the University of

Iowa, continued a presentation begun at last year's Standards Seminar on binding books in full leather. He focused this year on doublures, end papers, and methods of applying leather hinges. Michelle Rome-Hyacinthe, a fine binder from France, showed examples of modern French fine bindings and demonstrated some French forwarding techniques.

The format of this year's seminar differed from that of previous years. Rather than divide the participants (approximately 100) into four groups, requiring that each presentation be given four tines over the two-day period, the University of Iowa Audio-Visual Department, using two video cameras, projected the demonstrations onto a large screen for simultaneous viewing by everyone. The same cameras recorded the demonstrations. These tapes will be edited and made available to Guild members.

An open house Thursday evening enabled participants to see the facilities of the programs comprising the Center for the Book. These are the Windhover Press with Kim Merker, the Papermaking program with Tim Barrett, the Conservation Lab with Bill Anthony, and the Art Department's Offset Press program with Jim Snitzer. Some visited Barrett's new paper research and production facility located at the UI-Oakdale campus. It is housed in an old laundry building at what was formerly a tuberculosis sanitarium and looks like it was really made to be a papermaking shop!

The Friday evening reception heralded the opening of the "Guild of Bookworkers 80th Anniversary Exhibit," which features examples of the best quality work in the book arts: calligraphy, artists' books, conservation binding, fine printing, book models, and fine binding.

The Standards of Excellence Seminars are sponsored annually by the Guild of Bookworkers to promote discussion and exposure to work of the highest standards of workmanship in the book arts.