Event Alert:
Thursday, May 21, 2009, from 6-9pm
The Western NY Book Arts Center Grand Opening
468 Washington St (at Mohawk)
Buffalo NY 14203
When I first set foot in The Western NY Book Arts Center last year I was enlisted to help carry trays of metal type from one side of the room to another. Located in the former Slotkin Department Store in downtown Buffalo, the place was dusty, crumbly and had seen better day. I was helping font-maker Rich Kegler move cabinets, tables, and ancient printing equipment so he could paint the floor. He had a vision of a future that would include the past. He thought people could still appreciated old school letterpress printing and he was correct. This Thursday, the space is officially reborn as the Grand Opening of the The Western NY Book Arts Center is finally arrived with a member's show. Rockin'
This Thursday, May 21, 2009, from 6-9pm the Center is open to all, as font-meister Rich Kegler's vision becomes a reality. Come on down to the opening and see the space transformed with a gallery, bookshop, event space, working print studio, reading library, printing museum & more. The opening will feature music, drink, food, art and artists- everything you need for a good time.
Located at 468 Washington Street, on the corner of Washington and Mohawk- the next block over from the Mohawk Place- this opening is a sneak peak of the future of the WNYBAC. The following day, Friday May 22nd, the center be officially open with regular hours from 12-6 pm, on Wed-Sat. In addition, the bookshop will be open and will offer book making supplies, art papers, books, stationary, and fine art.
The Grand Opening of WNYBAC kicks off with this first members' exhibition. There has been quite a few other events going on there over the last year including several during last year's Typecon- but this is the official 'opening.' This event will feature established and emerging artists, craftspeople and self-published authors, such as Jozef Bajus, Gerald Mead and Diane Bond. I am lucky to be included, as I have a piece in the show that has been hanging in my living room for the last 9 years. It is a mix of acrylic, press type, graphite and glaze. The painting titled "Four Letter Words," was from a period where I was experiment with powdered graphite, paint and hand-kerning presstype. They used to teach typesetting theory by using press type to set headlines back in pre-computer design school. I thought by reviving this painting, maybe I can get some inspiration to paint again- which has been lost from my life for several years now. I think it is time to get it back into action.
I am excited to go down and see the show and I am extra excited to have some art in this show. Come on down & check it out. It is good to have a another art gallery in town and you'll get a chance to see old school print equipment from back in the day when printers were craftsmen and much time was spent setting character after character, setting the letters, words and spaces in a book by hand.
Hope to see you there. Don't let your kids touch the lead.
For more information on the event:
www.wnybookarts.org
info@wnybookarts.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=147304730227
The family spent the afternoon printing. This morning we went to the Western New York Book Arts to learn about printing with wood type, the way they did it hundreds of years ago. Today's hands-on class was to combine wooden block type letterforms into animal shapes. See some photos from our experience below.
