At the crossroads.

BOOK ARTS ACADEMIC EDUCATORS WORKING GROUP MEETING

THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA

JANUARY 13-14, 2006

On January 13 and 14, 2006, over fifty book arts educators met at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, for a program organized and co-chaired by Kathy Walkup, professor and director of the Book Arts Program at Mills College in Oakland, California, and Steve Miller, professor in the Book Arts Program at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The initial planning for the meeting began at the close of the Wellesley College Artists' Books Conference in June 2005, when Miller and Walkup announced a breakout session after the closing program for those interested in developing a working session for book arts educators who work in academia. Miller volunteered to host a meeting at the University of Alabama. One of the main topics would include discussions about forming a professional organization for academic book arts educators.

The 2006 Book Arts Academic Educators Working Group Meeting was preceded by five other irregularly scheduled gatherings: the 1984 Inaugural Collegiate Book Arts Conference at the University of Alabama; the 1988 Collegiate Book Arts Conference at Colorado College in Colorado Springs; the 1990 Connections & Collaborations at Arizona State University in Tempe; the 1994 The Next Wave: Books at the Intersection of Icon & Artifact at Mills College; and the 1999 Book Arts 2000 & Beyond, also at Tuscaloosa. The 2006 program organizers were careful to note that although the participants respect the efforts of other members and institutions who comprise the diverse national and international book arts educational scene, this conference was specifically organized to address issues of those who work in academic programs.

The first day included meetings of five interest groups. The Historians and Librarians group discussed how to include the history of the book in teaching: how does current work get into teaching, the history of "now," and strategies for creating interdisciplinary models for book arts and librarianship. The Infrastructure group discussed the methods and challenges of building a book arts program. The Publishing Program group discussed four different, models for a publishing program: apprenticeship, laboratory, faculty-led, and professional practice. The group also discussed how to establish and run a press. The Curatorial Exhibitions group discussed the schism between museum and library collections, the need to reach out to art librarians, and the need for criticism in book arts. The Teaching Strategies group talked about forming a comprehensive curriculum including successful teaching strategies, teaching criticism and writing about artists' books, organization of class critiques, teaching structure, and selecting books for class readings.

The second day offered open sessions to allow participants to create discussion topics of interest. A few named sessions were created, including Graduate Programs, Assignments for Learning Concepts, and Where Do We Go Next? The Graduate Programs group discussed selection of thesis advisors, how graduate critiques are run, thesis exhibitions, two-year versus three-year programs, and the costs of graduate school. The Assignments for Learning Concepts group discussed how students learn to use their own voice in their work, and how to constructively use writing assignments, group projects, and collaboration. The Where Do We Go Next? group discussed whether and how academic book arts educators might benefit from forming a professional organization and included specific needs of book arts educators in academia versus other environments.

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An ad hoc committee of twenty-one participants was formed and from this group a steering committee will research topics including establishing by-laws; creating a name, acronym, logo, and mission statement; drafting an organizational structure; holding annual working group meetings and conferences; and explorations of nonprofit status options.

The conference concluded by opening the floor for comments. Many participants expressed enthusiasm for the "working session" as opposed to typical or traditional lecture-style format. Additional comments addressed the need to create an archive and an oral history record, recruiting and mentoring of students, and fomenting optimism for a new professional organization.

TONY WHITE is interim director of Reader Services, an Arts & Architecture Librarian, and assistant professor at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.

see

Podcasts of interviews with eighteen conference participants can be found on Steve Miller's Web site at www.bookarts.ua.edu/podcast/podcasts.html.