Artist and educator María Verónica San Martín will present a wide variety of bookmaking techniques for children. Attendees will explore the concept of three-dimensional books inspired by materials, methods, and perspectives that will be presented by the instructor. The class will focus especially on the art of storytelling as a means of portraying historical events. In addition to bookbinding and printmaking, attendees may also use other art forms, such as drawing, painting, or collage. 

The instructor will demonstrate engraving techniques for printing such as linoleum, stencil, and pochoir, and will demonstrate bookbinding techniques such as a flag book, dos-a-dos and pop-up structures. By the end of this course, students will reflect on what they created, and will take home their own book arts creation.

Artist Books for Children is presented in collaboration with the Center for Book Arts as part of the Vera List Center Forum 2021: As for Protocols. Presented in tandem with Day Two of the VLC Forum dedicated to Nepal Picture Library, founded by Jane Lombard Fellow NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati, this workshop continues our conversation on feminist approaches to children’s books, examining the space of these books as potential sites of knowledge building, while considering the protocols of addressing issues of serious sociopolitical import for younger generations.

This workshop is free and requires no special materials, but the instructor suggests some of the following.

Materials list
Blank and color paper
Double-sided tape
One 2×4 linoleum block from Blick
PVA glue or Elmer’s glue + trays
Brushes and brayer
Scissors, pencils, crayons, or paint
Wax paper (kitchen paper)
Book cloth (suggested but not mandatory)
Toys like Legos, Pokémon cards, etc.
Coins, leaves; anything that has texture

The Vera List Center Forum 2021 is presented as part of the center’s 2020–2022 focus theme, As for Protocols. It is curated by Carin Kuoni and Eriola Pira, and convened with the support of Re'al Christian, Camila Palomino, Adrienne Umeh, Nelly Kobanenko, Ash Moniz, and Molly Ragan. Partner organizations are The Clemente, UnionDocs, and Weeksville Heritage Center.

The 2020–2022 Jane Lombard Fellows are: Jorge González, NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati, Emeka Okereke, and Underground Resistance.

Owed to a Certain Emptiness: Infra-structuring the Conflictorium is presented at The New School as part of the Vera List Center Forum 2021: As for Protocols. It celebrates Avni Sethi, recipient of the Vera List Center 2020–2022 Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice. 

The Vera List Center Forum 2021 and free admission to all events are made possible by major support from Jane Lombard and the Kettering Fund, as well as The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Boris Lurie Art Foundation, Dayton Foundation, Ford Foundation, Kettering Fund, the Native Arts and Culture Foundation, Pryor Cashman LLP, The New School as well as members of the Vera List Center’s board and other individuals.