Cartonera Commonplace Book
With Julia Seko and Gregory Robl
Cartoneras are books from small alternative publishers, in contrast to the large publishing corporations. Originating in Latin America, they come out of a history of political/social action, artistic vision, and making do with the resources available.
In this one-day class we’ll make a small cartonera-style book that will become your very own unique artifact to keep and use as a Commonplace Book. The class will create and letterpress print a large broadside. Each person will have a “panel” to design and print, and the broadside will have a common theme that we’ll select as a group. We’ll fold the broadside to become one of the signatures in the book. The covers will be corrugated cardboard, in keeping with the tradition of cartoneras.
Cartoneras are often hand-painted, so each person will create the art on the covers of their books. Finally we’ll bind our books in the Coptic style, using the single needle method. The size of the books will be about 6 x 4 inches, just the right size for carrying around, ready to receive your thoughts, quotes, drawings and anything else you want to put in your book.
Learn how to make a beautiful, low-tech book with sustainable materials. No experience is necessary for this fun and playful introduction to printing and bookbinding.