What we've been up to for the last 5 weeks

Built-in-groove, sewn-on-cords, and leather drumleaf bindings made by my all-star group of students in Binding II at the Corcoran.

Summer classes

I'm teaching the following classes this summer. All are currently open (even Binding II- although it's a graduate level class one can register via Continuing Education).


--Fukuro-toji (aka pouch books) workshops at the Freer-Sackler Smithsonian Gallery of Asian Art with other teaching artists from Pyramid Atlantic, June 22, 23, 29 and 30. These workshops are to accompany their lovely exhibition "Hand-Held: Gerhard Pulverer's Japanese Illustrated Books." Register here: http://www.asia.si.edu/events/workshops.asp.

--Binding II at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in the Art and the Book Masters Program. Starting July 7 and running for 20 sessions in 10 weeks. Covering traditional and contemporary use of leather in bookbinding, including sharpening and use of tools, leather paring, forwarding and finishing of a variety of structures. http://ce.corcoran.edu/courses/Summer/book_arts (should be posted soon).

--Do-It-Yourself Polymer Plates at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center on July 13 and 14. Info here (scroll down): http://www.pyramidatlanticartcenter.org/art_programs/register/letterpress.html#letterpress

--Book Arts Basics with Corcoran Continuing Education, 5 Sundays, 10am-2pm, starting July 14. http://ce.corcoran.edu/courses/Summer/book_arts


I'm currently super busy preparing for these classes including making this sharpening jig to use in Binding II with a belt sander:

Featured on Flash of the Hand

I'm the "Book Artist of the Month" on this bookbinding blog. Lots of other interesting things about binding as well.
http://www.herringbonebindery.com/blog/2013/03/02/march-book-artist-of-the-month-sarah-mcdermott/

Book + Print classes

I'm teaching two sections of a Printmaking Survey course for Corcoran Continuing Education that start this coming week and run for the whole semester. We will cover relief, intaglio, and basic lithography.  http://ce.corcoran.edu/course/PR1220/Printmaking-Survey
I'm also teaching a 12 week bookmaking class at the Arlington Arts Center starting in February. https://www.arlingtonartscenter.org/making-artists’-books-–-cover-cover
All of these classes have spaces in them and are open for general enrollment.

Reading at 601 Artspace (NY, NY)

Yesterday my friend Joanna Ruocco read while I simultaneously showed slides of our collaborative work. It was one of the first times I have projected images of books as though they were not books, just isolated images. It was interesting to see how the (read) text and image combinations worked and which were more successful than others. 

Sunday, January 20, 2013, 6-8 PM
Plummeting Appliances, Dying Verbs, Enslaved Automatons, and Other Objects: Writers Talk
with Louis Chude-Sokei, Joshua Cohen, Matthew Derby, Jim Krusoe, Joanna Ruocco, and Sarah McDermott 
Co-organized by Ben Bush
















more info on the participants here: 
http://www.601artspace.org/Plummeting-Appliances-Dying-Verbs-Enslaved-Automatons-and-Other

Demonstration at Pyramid Atlantic

I'm excited for the Pyramid Atlantic Book Arts Fair this weekend and am honored to be among awesome demonstrators such as Dennis O'Neil, Lee Marchalonis, current PA resident Allison Bianco (check out her great large-scale etchings/screenprints), and Denise Bookwalter, not to mention all the talks and exhibitors (such as SP Weather Station, Great Basin Press, Robin Price, and Guild of Bookworkers). I'll be demonstrating sewing on handmade paper tapes on Sunday afternoon at 3.
Check out a list of the demonstrations here:
http://pyramidatlanticbookartsfair.org/the-weekend/demonstrations/

Some photos from last week's CBA Bradel Binding workshop

Text-block

Weaver's knot

Making the case

Gluing out

Casing in

Preparing to nip

Photos by CBA/Sarah Nicholls