Arts @ Wells College

Week One, July 11-15, 2022

Marbling on Paper and Silk with Stephen Pittelkow
Great class for beginners!
Marbling is a unique method for making beautiful decorative paper. Water-based colors are dropped onto a liquid bath, combed into geometric or fantasy patterns and then printed on paper. Students will learn all the elements of this historic craft and will gain experience with over 30 patterns as well as in-depth knowledge of materials and color. We will also fill the really big tank and marble silk scarves. The results are always stunning and experimentation is encouraged. Please note this class has a $75 materials fee.

Biography
Steve has been marbling for nearly 40 years. Steve’s interest in marbling stems from a long time interest in book binding. His papers are known for bright colors and precise patterns. Steve has taught previously at the Wells College Summer Institute, the Morgan Conservatory, Cleveland, the Penland School of Craft, the Metropolitan Museum, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, and many other book arts centers and colleges and universities as well as locations in Europe. His papers appear in many collections and are frequently used by book artists. Steve especially enjoys teaching the magic of marbling to students of all ages.

---

Tooling on Leather with Samuel Feinstein
During this week-long class on leather and book decoration, students will learn the fundamentals of tooling on leather in blind, with gold leaf utilizing home-made shellac glaire, and with different color pigment foils, as well as an incised leather technique and adding color that can be either subtle or really pop. The primary focus will be on line-work, one of the most important and versatile design elements that can be used in everything from traditional to contemporary designs. Students will also have time to use the tools in the Wells collection, branching out into other tooled decoration, and culminating in a final, completed, leather plaquette with the techniques covered.

This is an introduction for beginners as well as a step forward for those who would like to build on their existing knowledge.  The goal of this workshop is to familiarize you with the processes involved and prepare you for further practice. Please note this class has a $175 kit fee to be paid to the instructor.

Biography
Samuel Feinstein trained formally at the North Bennet Street School program under Jeff Altepeter and Martha Kearsley. Since graduating in 2012 he has been in private practice specializing in fine and design bindings, luxury clamshell boxes, new bindings in period style, and gold finishing for other binders.  His work can be seen on his website: SamuelFeinsteinBookbinding.com  

---

Western Papermaking with Tom Balbo
Paper is something many of us take for granted, but learning to make paper brings about an entirely new understanding of its vast artistic possibilities. This course will focus on western production techniques using different fibers including cotton, abaca and flax. Pulp painting and deckle box techniques will also be explored. Tom describes this class as a sharing of knowledge from his forty years of papermaking on both a production level and artistic level. Students will leave with lots of hand-made paper. Please note this class has a $80 kit fee to be paid to the instructor.

Biography
Tom Balbo is the founder and artistic director of the Morgan Conservatory. He is a Cleveland-based artist whose work has been collected for well over 30 years. Graduating from Baldwin-Wallace College with a BA in 1977, he completed his MFA in Studio Arts at Syracuse University in 1980 where he was awarded a Syracuse University Fellowship Grant and a Ford Foundation Grant. In 2007, Tom teamed up with noted Cleveland-area artists and national hand papermaking artists to improve and conserve the art of paper & book arts educational programming in the US. Knowing that these were art forms worth preserving, the Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory and Educational Foundation officially opened its doors in October 2008.

---

Woodblock on the Letterpress with Heather O’Hara
Great class for beginners!
Woodblock printing is a simple, expressive, and versatile medium. In this week long intensive, we will examine different strategies for creating multi-color relief prints. The course will cover all aspects of designing, carving, and printing wood blocks, with a focus on using the letterpress to create consistent editions. Participants will learn to prepare blocks for relief printing, to create designs for multicolor prints, to use and care for carving tools, and to print using Vandercook proof presses. Each participant will design and print a two-color edition with the opportunity to add additional color blocks or to complete a second edition as time allows. We will also organize an in-class print exchange with a typeset colophon and folded paper portfolio cover. At the end of the week, each participant will take home a completed personal edition as well as the class exchange portfolio. Please note this class has a $100 materials fee.

Biography
Heather O’Hara is the owner of Burdock & Bramble, creating original block print greeting cards that can be found at independent retailers across the US. Before starting Burdock & Bramble in 2014, Heather was the head printer for Plunger Press. Heather has taught printmaking and book arts classes for over twenty years, including two years as the Intro Bookbinding instructor at Wells College. She has been a resident at the Roswell Artist in Residence program and at Women’s Studio Workshop. Heather studied at Carleton College and holds an MFA in printmaking from Cornell University. See burdockandbramble.com.

Week Two, July 18-22, 2022

A Printer’s Palaeography with Jesse Marsolais
Before the invention of letterpress printing, all books were written out by hand in script styles unique to the locations in which they were made. To sell their books to a reading public accustomed to these scripts, early printers followed Gutenberg’s example of designing typefaces that simulated calligraphy, first the Gothic blackletter and later the romans and italics popular in Renaissance Italy. Many of the typefaces to be found in traditional letterpress printshops carry that calligraphic influence into the present day, but even the most carefully designed typeface can only approximate the expressive freedom found in letters made by the human hand.

Using the typefaces in the Wells printshop as our points of departure, students will explore the calligraphic prehistory of letterpress printing. We will cover a range of historical scripts and the tools that made them, from hand-cut reed- and quill pens used in manuscripts to the flat brush at monumental scale.

Biography
After graduating with a BA in creative writing from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, Jesse Marsolais began a six-year hot-metal apprenticeship under John Kristensen at Firefly Press, Boston. Later he received a grant to study lettercarving in stone with Nicholas Benson at the John Stevens Shop. Since 2013, Jesse has been the proprietor of Marsolais Press & Lettercarving, a commission-based workshop offering traditional letterpress printing and hand-carved lettering in stone and wood. He also teaches book arts at Yale University and is the Printer at the Jonathan Edwards College Press. See marsolaispress.com.

---

Box Making: Exploring Shapes with Stephen Pittelkow
Spend a week making three or more boxes of various shapes and sizes. Armed with compass and ruler, explore shapes beyond square. From one-piece pyramids to lantern shapes and hexagons and others, we’ll make boxes that are as useful as they are beautiful—all with embellishments you design. A little geometry, some careful measuring, and a bit of glue and a beautiful box is ready to store your treasures. Let’s make unusual boxes.

Biography
Steve has been marbling for nearly 40 years. Steve’s interest in marbling stems from a long time interest in book binding. His papers are known for bright colors and precise patterns. Steve has taught previously at the Wells College Summer Institute, the Morgan Conservatory, Cleveland, the Penland School of Craft, the Metropolitan Museum, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, and many other book arts centers and colleges and universities as well as locations in Europe. His papers appear in many collections and are frequently used by book artists. Steve especially enjoys teaching the magic of marbling to students of all ages.

---

Stereoscopic Photography – Building on a Victorian Invention with Diego Ruiz
Since The Victorian Era, stereoscopy has been used as a tool to document the world around us in 3D. In this hands-on photography course, we will examine 19th century 3D images and viewing devices and uncover their power to mimic natural human sight.

Participants will craft artistic 3D imagery and explore factors specific to the 3D realm, including composition and mechanical execution, to create high end results.

A mix of classroom and computer lab time will prepare us for outdoor photo walks. Images will be processed in specialty software and printed for review. Students will leave with stereo cards of their finest work and several stereo viewing devices.

Participants should have basic familiarity with their own camera. A DSLR camera is ideal but mirrorless or any camera with the ability to shoot in manual mode will work. A limited number of DSLR cameras will be on hand for those who wish to reserve one.

Detailed information at StereoscopeJourney.com

Biography
Diego Ruiz lives in Interlaken, New York and is a creator of 3D books and imagery, apostle of the trade, and curator of obscure stereoscopic knowledge of the19th century. His work has received recognition from the National Stereoscopic Association, International Stereoscopic Union, and the Photographic Society of America.

A background in Electronics and a working knowledge of materials and mechanics has served him well in developing systems to advance his stereoscopic photography techniques.

Extensive 3D shooting under challenging and varied conditions across the United States has made Diego a resource for practical knowledge in the Stereoscopic field.

---

---

Additional Information

LOCATION

All classes will be held on the picturesque campus of Wells College, 170 Main Street, Aurora, New York 13026. Wells College is located on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake in the heart of the Finger Lakes region. The area is well known for its natural beauty, lakes, waterfalls, charming small villages, farms and wineries. The Wells College Book Arts Center is located in Morgan Hall, and houses one of the finest teaching collections of book arts equipment in the country.

SCHEDULE

Participants staying on campus should plan to arrive on Sunday afternoon between 4:00 and 6:00 pm. Dinner for those who have purchased all meals will be at 7 pm. Those not staying on campus should plan to arrive Monday morning in time for class. Classes run Monday though Friday, 9 am to noon and 1:30 to 4:30 or 5:00 pm. Departure is the following Saturday morning by 10 am. Participants will receive an introduction letter from their instructor before the course begins giving instructions.  

TUITION AND FEES

Tuition for one week is $1000. Participants may register for one class only per week. Please consult the sections below on accommodations, meals, airport shuttles and course supplies.

ACCOMMODATIONS

On-campus dormitory accommodations are in private rooms with a shared bath at $400 for the six nights. The cost includes all linens and internet access via campus WIFI. Still, participants should consider bringing a comfortable pillow, and those who are driving may benefit from bringing an electric fan. Off-campus lodging options include The Inns of Aurora, bed and breakfasts and major hotel chains 20–40 minutes from campus. Please note that Verizon has the strongest cell phone signal on campus, and other carriers my be spotty.

ACCESSIBILITY

We regret to say that the Book Arts Center is not currently handicapped accessible, although the dormitory is. Please contact us if you think this would prevent your participation.

COVID POLICY

Wells College is currently requiring masks to be worn on campus. Should the campus policy change, your instructor still has the right to require participants to wear a mask while in their class. Wells College reserves the right to test any or all visitors at any time, and to quarantine anyone who tests positive for covid. Please help us keep everyone safe!

MEALS

Participants are encouraged to eat on campus to enjoy the fellowship of communal meals. Three options are available: breakfast, lunch and dinner; lunch only; or eating off-campus. We will have a vegetarian choice at every meal. A continental breakfast will be served Saturday morning before departure.

SCHOLARSHIPS

We are pleased to be able to offer a limited number of scholarships to participants, with preference being given to current and recent Wells students. Applicants should send a letter of interest and two letters of support to Robert LoMascolo, Summer Institute Coordinator by April 20th, 2022. Email rlomascolo@wells.edu or mail to Wells College Book Arts Center, Attn: Robert LoMascolo, 170 Main Street, Aurora, New York 13026. Applicants should include if they have any prior art and/or book art experiences (no experience is necessary), reason for interest in the institute and the courses they are most interested in attending. Students should include where they are going to school and what year/class they are in.

INTERNSHIPS

The Institute offers four internships to college and graduate participants in the book arts, with preference being given to current and recent Wells students. Although these are non-paying internships, each intern will be able to participate in two courses while assisting instructors and other participants. Applicants should send a letter of interest which includes their prior art and/or book art experiences, reason for interest in the internship, and at least one letter of reference to Robert LoMascolo, Summer Institute Coordinator by April 20th, 2022. Email rlomascolo@wells.edu or mail to Wells College Book Arts Center, Attn: Robert LoMascolo, 170 Main Street, Aurora, New York 13026. Please note this internship can be used towards the Wells book arts major and minor.

COURSE SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS FEES

We are working hard to provide as much as possible without raising prices, but participants may be required to bring certain tools or supplies, pay a materials fee, or purchase a kit from their instructor. Instructors will provide a list of required and recommended tools and supplies. Participants will be responsible for purchasing their own supplies when stipulated. If there is a material fee for your course, it is listed in the course description.

AIRPORT SHUTTLE

There will be a one-time pick-up and drop-off at Syracuse’s Hancock International Airport for $60. A Wells van will pick up participants at Hancock airport at 3:30 pm on Sunday afternoon; the van will drop participants off at the airport by 10 am the following Saturday morning. The drive from Aurora to Hancock Airport is approximately one hour and fifteen minutes; remember to allow at least an hour to get checked in and through airport security.

DEADLINES & DEPOSIT

We encourage early registration since our courses are limited to 8–12 participants. The $100 portion of your registration is a non-refundable deposit and is due at registration. If you wish to pay only the deposit portion of your registration now, you must do so by registering using the mail-in registration form below. The remaining tuition and any fees are due by June 25^th, 2022. If you pay on-line, you will be charged the full cost upfront.

REFUND POLICY

You may cancel your registration until June 15th and receive a refund minus the non-refundable $100 deposit. After that date, there will be no refunds. Should we need to cancel a course for any reason, you will be notified and offered another class or a full refund. We cannot be responsible for non-refundable airline tickets or any other costs.

QUESTIONS

Contact Robert LoMascolo, Summer Institute Coordinator. Email is the best way rlomascolo@wells.edu, or leave a message at 315-364-2961 and your call will be returned.

---