BOOK ARTS & LETTERPRESS: COURSE SYLLABUS

Transcription

1 BOOK ARTS & LETTERPRESS: COURSE SYLLABUS Instructor: Aaron Cohick Office: The Press at CC, Taylor Hall Office Hours: M F, 1 PM 5 PM Office Phone: (x6376) aaron.cohick@coloradocollege.edu Colorado College AS 110 Topics in Art: Book Arts & Letterpress The Press at CC, Taylor Hall M - F: 9 AM 12 PM 2012 Summer Session Block C: 7/12 8/3 COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course provides an introduction to the basic skills and problems of designing, printing, and binding books by hand. The class is structured on a sequence of technical, formal and conceptual units: Typographical Conventions, Form & Structure of the Book, and Text/Image/Sequence/Multiples. We will be learning the foundational elements of letterpress printing: typography, hand typesetting, page composition, and how to set up and print on a Vandercook proofing press. We will also learn a variety of bookbinding techniques, ranging from very simple books made by cutting and folding a single sheet of paper, to completely hand sewn and bound hardcover books. You will be learning a great many new techniques and approaches, but you are also encouraged to incorporate any other materials that you have experience with into the work that you do. That s one of the great things about books they can contain just about anything. This is an informal, experienced-based course. How much you get out of it depends on how much you put into it. Ideally the class will function like an art laboratory where everyone is working, sharing ideas and learning together. Beyond the concepts and skills essential to making books by hand, it is hoped that this course will promote critical thinking about, and a direct, hands-on engagement with, books and other textbased media that inform our lives and culture. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Each student is expected to participate fully in the life of this class. This means: the completion of assigned projects on time, regular attendance, a sense of studio etiquette and participation in class discussions and critiques. You will be graded on: 1) Attendance & Participation 2) Assignments

2 ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION This course is based around two things: the effort and process of actual artmaking, and the discussion and critique of those artworks. Thus, it is of the utmost importance that you are in class and actively involved while you are here. You will receive a participation grade (out of 10 points) for every day of class. Participation grades are factored according to the following criteria: 1) Attendance: Late -3, Half Day -5, Full Day -10 2) Preparation: Coming to class unprepared, w/out material and/or assignments -5 3) Focus: Are you working while in class? Did you participate in critiques and discussions? If you miss an entire day of class, you will receive a zero for participation on that day. Absences can be excused, which means that the missed class will not be factored into your participation grade. Only illness, family or religious obligation, or severe personal crisis will be accepted as valid excuses. Missing more than 3 days of class, excused or not, means that you need to make special arrangements with me to make up missed work. If you miss class it is your responsibility to me and find out what you missed. You are still responsible to be prepared on the day that you return to class. Occasionally you will be required to come to class in the afternoon. Generally this will be from 1 3 PM, and the days are marked on the class schedule. We may need to add some afternoon sessions, and I will let you know as far in advance as I can. Your participation grade is very important, as it makes up about one third of your final grade. It is quite easy to receive the maximum participation grade come to class on time and prepared, and be working on your projects and/or participating in discussions and critiques while you are here. ASSIGNMENTS The main focus of the class is the production of various long-term projects. This is when you will be making actual pieces of actual art. You will have some class time to work on these projects, but a large part of the work on them will be done outside of class. I will provide you with handouts that will give detailed explanations of the individual assignments. The assignment guidelines are fairly flexible and I am open to adjusting them to your particular needs and interests. If you have an idea for a project that doesn t quite fit in the given guidelines, talk to me about it and we can figure out how to get it all to work. I want you to spend your time making work that you are excited about making. Attempts to expand the boundaries of the class are a good thing. That being said, it is important that your piece still addresses the basic goals of the assignment, so be sure to check with me. Completing all of the assigned projects on time with a reasonable degree of craftsmanship and care, and regular attendance is the minimum expectation. I will allow you to re-do any project without penalty for a higher grade as long as you turn the initial assignment in on time and show your best effort. It is always better to come to class with a project that you may not be satisfied with than to come with nothing or to not come at all. Each project must be completed and turned in on time unless prior arrangements are made with me. The grade of a project will drop one letter for each class period that it is late.

3 GRADING POLICY For each assignment you will receive written feedback from me (most likely via ), along with a grade rendered as points, a percentage, and a letter. Each project will be graded according to its specific parameters, and any new criteria for grading will be explained at the time the assignment is given. Below is a list of general criteria that you should keep in mind with every assignment. 1. Technical a) Technical requirements: specified size, edition number, materials, etc. b) Overall level of craftsmanship: craftsmanship should be such that it enhances, rather than detracts from, appreciation of the work 2. Formal a) Composition: arrangement of formal elements over the entire piece as well as individual pages b) Gestalt: unity, impact, is the effect greater than the sum of the parts? 3. Conceptual a) Intention/Concept: Is the idea of the project strong and/or compelling? Is it put together well? (This is conceptual craftsmanship ) b) Communication: does the project reflect the intentions of the artist? c) Innovation: Did you push the idea, or did you settle on easy, cliché answers? The following list may be considered as grounds for extra points: a) Extraordinary aesthetic sense b) Boundary pushing/breaking c) Unusual conceptual or technical invention d) Going the extra mile e) Dramatic improvement from previous work The grade for the assignment is the percentage of points that you receive from the total points possible. If you get a 46 out of 50 points on a project, that is equivalent to a 92%, or A-. The percentage to letter grade breakdown is as follows: 96% 100%: A 95% 90%: A- 89% 87%: B+ 86% 84%: B 83% 80%: B- 79% 77%: C+ 77% 74%: C 73% 70%: C- 69% 60%: D 59% and below: No Credit Small projects and in-class exercises will normally be graded for completion, so you either get all of the possible points or a zero. The long-term projects are the most important part of your grade. Your Final Grade is determined by how many points you score on 1) all projects and exercises, and 2) attendance & participation. At the end of the semester I add up all the points that you have accumulated and then divide that number by the total number of points possible. That result is then converted to a percentage, which is then converted to a letter for your Final Grade.

4 TOTAL POINT VALUES Unit I: Typographical Conventions 50 points Unit II: Form & Structure of the Book 50 points Unit III: Text/Image/Sequence/Multiples 50 points Unit IV: Final Project 100 points Book Presentation: 25 points Fun Book: 30 points Type Drawing: 20 points Library Dérive: 20 points Typesetting Exercises: 20 points Bookbinding Exercises: 20 points Attendance & Participation: 170 points max (10 points per day, with total adjusted to account for excused absences) That makes 555 total points. Top grades will be awarded for a combination of design excellence, conceptual depth, engaged and intelligent participation in discussion, active involvement with the projects, and individual improvement. I am happy to answer any questions that you might have about grades, be they specific questions about grades that you have received, or about the grading policy in general. It is also important to remember that the grades themselves are not the goal. They are a marker of how hard you pushed yourself in the class. Education is not about rewards for playing by the rules it s about education. MATERIALS LIST Most of the materials that we will need for this class we already have at The Press. The list below includes some basic supplies that are always good to have on hand. The textbook, notebook, and 3 ring binder are absolutely necessary. Your course lab fee covers a lot of the paper, ink, and other supplies that we will be using in the class. If you want something specific that we don t have on hand, you are responsible for purchasing it yourself. Required Text: Lupton, Ellen, Thinking With Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students, 2nd Edition, (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2010). Note: The textbook is available in the bookstore, and is on reserve at the Tutt Library. There is also a great companion website to the book, which is linked to ubder OTHER RESOURCES on PROWL. Readings from other sources will be posted on PROWL. Supplies: Three ring binder for all class handouts Notebook #11 Xacto knife handle and 5 or more blades Pens and pencils for sketching and taking notes Scissors

5 ACCESS TO THE PRESS AND TAYLOR HALL Taylor Hall is open from about 7 AM to 7 PM, Monday through Friday; however, you have 24 hour access. If you need to get in after hours (nights and weekends) and you find that the front door is locked, call Campus Safety at , and they will come and let you in. They will probably want to to see your school ID, so make sure that you have that with you. You will be given the door code for The Press itself. OTHER RULES Don t cheat. Don t worry. Look hard. Think hard. Work hard. Participate. Be kind. Rock out. COURSE SCHEDULE: WEEK 1 This schedule can (and probably will) change IN CLASS DUE DAY 1 Thursday 7/12 Class orientation, Syllabus General studio orientation, Safety SPECIAL COLLECTIONS at 10:45: Look at all of these crazy books! ASSIGNMENTS: Reading 1, Type Drawing, Library Dérive DAY 2 Friday 7/13 Discuss Type Drawings and Library Dérive books Typography discussion Bookbinding 1: Single Sheet Books & Pamphlet Stitch ASSIGNMENTS: Reading 2, Fun Book Project, Find text for typesetting Reading 1 Type Drawings Library Dérive READING 1: Textbook: Thinking With Type, Chapter 1 Letter and Chapter 2 Text PROWL: Jameson, A.D., Viktor Shkovsky wants to make you a better writer, part 1: device & defamiliarization from the blog HTMLGiant READING 2: PROWL: Bright, Betty, Introduction, from No Longer Innocent: Book Art in America , (New York: Granary Books, 2005), PROWL: Drucker, Johanna, The Artist s Book as Idea and Form, from The Century of Artists Books, (New York: Granary Books, 1995), PROWL: Rothenberg, Jerome, Pre-face, from A Secret Location on the Lower East Side: Adventures in Writing , by Steve Clay and Rodney Phillips (New York: Granary Books, 1998), PROWL: Smith, Keith, The Book as Physical Object, from A Book of the Book: Some Works & Projections About the Book & Writing, edited by Steve Clay and Jerome Rothenberg, (New York: Granary Books, 2000),

6 COURSE SCHEDULE: WEEK 2 This schedule can (and probably will) change DAY 3 Monday 7/16 IN CLASS Fun Book Critique SPECIAL COLLECTIONS at 10:45: Reading discussion, Book Type Analysis AFTERNOON: Typesetting Demo & Exercises ASSIGNMENTS: Typesetting Exercises DUE Fun Book Reading 2 Text to set DAY 4 Tuesday 7/17 Assemble class broadside designs Press set-up & printing demo AFTERNOON: finish printing demo ASSIGNMENTS: Typographic Disruptions, Reading 3 Typesetting Exercises DAY 5 Wednesday 7/18 SPECIAL COLLECTIONS at 9:15: Book History Page Layout discussion Book Planning Demo AFTERNOON: Bookbinding 2: double-signature pamphlet ASSIGNMENTS: Book Presentation, Reading 4 Reading 3 DAY 6 Thursday 7/19 Discuss Reading 4 and books-as-objects Bookbinding 3: Stab Bindings ASSIGNMENTS: Formal Book Reading 4 DAY 7 Friday 7/20 In-progress critique of Typographic Disruption project Work Day! on Typographic Disruption and Formal Book projects Guillotine demos in small groups Typographic Disruption: design variations, full text Subject of Book Presentation READING 3: Textbook: Thinking With Type, Chapter 3 Grid. PROWL: Bringhurst, Robert, Shaping the Page, from The Elements of Typographic Style, (Vancouver: Hartley & Marks, Publishers), READING 4: PROWL: Carrión, Ulises, The New Art of Making Books, from Artists Books: A Critical Anthology and Sourcebook, edited by Joan Lyons, (Rochester: Visual Studies Workshop Press, 1985),

7 COURSE SCHEDULE: WEEK 3 This schedule can (and probably will) change DAY 8 Monday 7/23 IN CLASS Critique of Typographic Disruption project Begin Case Binding: fold, sew, back DUE Typographic Disruption project DAY 9 Tuesday 7/24 Discussion of Formal Book mock-ups Image/Text/Sequence discussion Case Binding: construct covers ASSIGNMENTS: Image/Text/Sequence/Multiples project, Reading 5 Formal Book mock-ups DAY 10 Wednesday 7/25 Critique of Formal Book Projects Discussion: Production & Reception AFTERNOON: Image making/printing demos Formal Book project Reading 5 DAY 11 Thursday 7/26 SPECIAL COLLECTIONS at 9:15: Book Presentations Finish case binding Work time, other demos as requested ASSIGNMENTS: Final Project, Reading 6 Book Presentation DAY 12 Friday 7/27 Critique of Text/Image mock-ups and discuss distribution plans Discuss Reading 6 Work Day Text/Image: Mock-ups and Distribution Plan Reading 6 READING 5: PROWL: Darnton, Robert, What is the History of Books? from The Case for Books, (New York: PublicAffairs, 2009), PROWL: ILSSA, Impractical Laborers Unite! and NYFA interview. READING 6: PROWL: Young, Karl, Notation and The Art of Reading, from A Book of the Book: Some Works & Projections About the Book & Writing, edited by Steve Clay and Jerome Rothenberg, (New York: Granary Books, 2000),

8 COURSE SCHEDULE: WEEK 4 This schedule can (and probably will) change DAY 13 Monday 7/30 IN CLASS Critique of Text/Image project Future of the Book primer Begin Coptic binding AFTERNOON: Discuss Final Project proposals ASSIGNMENTS: Reading 7 (Future of the Book) DUE Text/Image project Proposal for Final Projects DAY 14 Tuesday 7/31 Future of the Book discussion with Special Guest Steve Lawson Finish Coptic binding Reading 7 Distribution of Text/Image Project DAY 15 Wednesday 8/1 In-progress critique for Final Projects Work Day! Final Project: Mock-ups DAY 16 Thursday 8/2 Work Day! DAY 17 Friday 8/3 Critique of Final Projects Studio clean-up All type must be put away by the end of the day Final Projects READING 7: PROWL: Mod, Craig, Post-Artifact Books & Publishing, PROWL: Bridle, James, Walter Benjamin s Aura: Open Bookmarks and the future ebook,