Queensland Bookbinders Guild


	Queensland Bookbinders' Guild Inc.
	PO Box 3009, Tarragindi, QLD 4121, Australia
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VISIT TO HERITAGE COLLECTION State Library of Queensland 16th June 2010

QBG members who attended the display of rare books on Level 4, State Library of Queensland, on Wednesday 16th June admired many fine exhibits and praised the organizational aspects of the visit.

Our host for the occasion was Helen Cole, Curator and Senior Librarian, Australian Library of Art, nationally recognized for her expertise in artists’ books and rare books. With Anne, her assistant, she displayed the books twice. A week before the Guild visit, June McNicol and Noel Adsett viewed the collection enabling June to prepare an information sheet containing interesting snippets about the books, biographical, technical, historical notes, some mentioning connections in the past with the work of the Queensland Bookbinders’ Guild. The books were displayed again, ready for the arrival of QBG members on Wednesday 16th June at 6 pm.

On the night of the visit, Helen spoke on each exhibit and referred to the detailed information from the library catalogue which accompanied each of the 29 items. June explained the research she had carried out on each book and distributed her prepared notes. The 28 people who attended were thus well briefed for their viewing of the books which lasted for more than an hour. The display included interesting connections with the Guild’s history. Margaret Lock, now living in Canada, had started her ‘Lock’s Press’ in Brisbane and was an active and skilled member of the Guild. She printed “How Much Land……….?” bound by Robin Tait, also a Queenslander. She was trained by James Brockman in the United Kingdom, and years ago demonstrated techniques to QBG members in Brisbane. Hugo Peller, a leading Swiss binder, came to Canberra in 1984 as a keynote speaker at the first National Conference of Craft Bookbinders and later came to Brisbane where he gave workshops such as bradel binding, limp vellum binding and strip onlays. Hugo Peller’s binding, “Nahen” was displayed. Fred Pohlman, a current QBG member and expert bookbinder went to Ascona to study with Hugo Peller and perfected the strip onlay technique. One of Fred’s bindings, “Accent & Hazard” was exhibited.

The splendid miniature, less than 30 mm high, with tiny hand-sewn endbands and printed endpapers, attracted much attention. Its title was “Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam”, illustrated by Barbara J Raheb in 1984.

People who attended responded differently when asked for their favorite or the book they found most interesting. I was fascinated by “The Highgrove Florilegium”, bound in 2008 under the supervision of James Brockman. It is a magnificent volume recording the plants in the garden of Prince Charles. The book is 67 cm long, half-bound in red goatskin with leather on the spine and foredge and paper hand-marbled in an antique spot design, with French hand-sewn endbands. The title label is set into the front board. It has printed pictorial endpapers with a red leather joint. Careful inspection of the joint shows sewing stations for six tapes.

The President thanked Helen Cole for her preparation and presentation, June McNicol for her detailed handout and members for their attendance and keen interest.

Noel Adsett

PAPER ARTS @ THE WINTER SCHOOL at Ballarat, Victoria, 10th - 16th July 2011

PAPER ARTS @ THE WINTER SCHOOL, is a new venture being coordinated by the owner of FIBRE ARTS AUSTRALIA, Glenys Mann. The event will concentrate on the paper arts including book making, bookbinding, printmaking, box making, collage, encaustic, lithographs and assemblages. There will be 9 tutors from Australia, Germany, New Zealand and USA happy to share their talents and techniques with like minded people.

Workshops will be held over 6 days with full accommodation available at the Ballarat Grammar School, where the event is being held. There will be a chance to work with one tutor for 5 days, to hear the tutors stories of their own individual art practice with slide lectures. You will also be visually stimulated by exhibitions of amazing works from all over the world.

For more information about this event, please visit http://fibrearts.viviti.com/winter-school The site has details of tutors and what they will be teaching during the week. There is also a downloadable enrolment form.

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