Book Arts

Anthony Warhol pop-up book laid open to a page with photo and negative of a woman. In the center fold, a folded Hunts tomato paste can pops up.

Special Collections hosts a variety of workshops and events exploring book arts and the history of the book for the Middlebury community.

Book Arts is the field of art that involves the creation of works that use or refer to structural and conceptual properties of books. Our Book Arts collection contains artists’ books, or works of art in the form of books. Search the library catalog for “book arts” and find pop-up books, flipbooks, and more.

Two women hold feather quills and test writing with them during a workshop.

Workshops

Special Collections hosts a variety of workshops and events exploring book arts and the history of the book for the Middlebury community. We explore elements of book construction and production – parchment, paper, ink, binding, calligraphy, and printing – to introduce students to the history of books and offer hands-on instruction in historic and contemporary bookmaking.

We also offer zine making workshops. A zine [zeen], shorthand for a magazine or fanzine, is a small-batch, self-published work, usually produced by-hand, via a photocopier, with images, texts, or collage. Visit our Zine guide for more information.

Request a Workshop