Study

Every year two types of scholarships are awarded at the American Academy of Bookbinding awards scholarships: Open Scholarship and AAB Fine Binding Scholarship. The first one comes in the amount of $1000 that can be applied toward tuition. The latter one is a $3000 award, which can be used to cover tuition and housing fees. For the students who can show financial need there is also a Tuition Assistance option that covers $400 for a one-week course and $800 for a two-week course.

In 2015 I was honored to receive an Open Scholarship that made possible to visit two summer classes at the American Academy of Bookbinding. This support was crucial for me and I’m not sure if it was possible for me to go to Telluride whence the Scholarship wasn’t awarded to me.

Three weeks at AAB were an inspiring time and became a defining moment for me as bookbinding teacher and as a person. I’ve met wonderful people there and every day was full of discoveries.

If you are thinking about studying bookbinding in one-week or two-week format, this may be a great opportunity for you.

Applications are due March 1, 2017.

Please find the detailed description of scholarships below. If spring classes doesn’t suit you, AAB also offers classes in summer and autumn. Links to the AAB web site are in the end of the post.

Open Scholarship Opportunities

The AAB is fortunate to be able to provide open scholarship opportunities in the amount of $1000. These scholarships are awarded to both new students and students who had attended AAB before. Successful applicants represent a broad range of students, particularly younger individuals and those from other countries for whom coming to AAB creates a financial burden. Applications are due March 1.

AAB Fine Binding Scholarship

To learn and develop skill in the field of fine bookbinding is a challenging pursuit for the serious student, requiring years of study and hours of dedicated hands-on work. The American Academy Fine Binding Scholarship was created in 2013 to assist one individual per year who has shown initiative and is committed to the long-term development of their skills with the goal to reach a professional level and contribute to the larger bookbinding community. The scholarship is based on merit and is intended to create an opportunity for a student to attend AAB courses in Telluride who may need financial assistance in accomplishing their goal.

The Fine Binding Scholarship is a $3000 award to be applied toward tuition and housing fees at the American Academy of Bookbinding in Telluride. The award is flexible in that the recipient has the ability to apply funds solely towards tuition, or alternatively, tuition with a limited component for housing. In addition, the successful candidate will receive a $300 allowance for materials purchased at AAB. Applications are due March 1.

Tuition Assistance

The American Academy of Bookbinding offers tuition assistance for all AAB classes in Telluride. AAB has limited funds available to students who demonstrate financial need and an interest in education. This program is separate from the Fine Binding Scholarship Fund, and a different application process must be completed. Applications are due 45 days prior to the first day of class but may be submitted any time.

Applicants may apply for tuition assistance for one class, either a one-week or two-week class. Maximum allocations to qualified applicants for tuition assistance will be either $400 for a one-week class or $800 for a two-week class. The amount of assistance offered will be determined by the number of qualified applicants and the availability of funds.

Spring Classes Schedule

Fine Leather Binding In Miniature

Gabrielle Fox  |  April 24 – May 5

Creating a fine leather miniature book requires a unique approach to binding. Though many of the materials used in binding full-sized and miniature books are the same, the challenges and solutions, the handling, preparation and hand skills needed are often quite different.

This comprehensive two-week miniature binding course will give beginning and intermediate students a concentrated and in-depth binding experience for structures less than three inches. Students will acquire and hone traditional skills and gain the command of materials required to produce elegant full leather bindings of miniature books. Each student will complete at least one full leather miniature binding.

The course will pay particular attention to basic skills: sewing, endpaper construction, board shaping, edge treatments, headband weaving, leather paring and covering. An exploration of onlay techniques and tooling with hand tools designed for miniature binding will also be options, depending on available time and individual student experience and ability. Structural and material choices, and design considerations will be integrated throughout the course.

Creating a Panel Cover Structure

Monique Lallier   |   May 8 – 12

Monique Lallier developed and created her first panel binding in 1986 on L’Écorce et le Vent, now in the special collection at the Morgan Library in New York City. This style of binding has since become an example of one of the many innovative approaches to binding that Monique is known for. AAB is pleased to offer this unprecedented opportunity to learn the unique panel cover structure from the one who originated it.

The panel cover binding structure offers an opportunity to introduce a sense of surprise and an architectural element to the traditional codex form. The leather covered panel sets in a recess on the cover board and is hinged at the foredge of the binding. It opens toward the spine to reveal an environment of surprising materials, techniques and design of the maker’s imagination. Working within the technical requirements of the binding structure, students will arrive with a simple design they have created beforehand. Initially, for the purpose of learning and with Monique’s guidance, the design will be implemented on a plaquette. If time allows, students may wish to duplicate their design using different material choices to reinforce their understanding of the structure. The focus of the class will be to learn the techniques and structural differences in creating an aesthetic, operable panel for the cover of a binding.

Exploring Doublures

Monique Lallier   |   May 15 – 19

Create unique and stunning doublures to jazz up your bindings. This one-week course will cover a variety of techniques to craft stunning doublures for your bindings. Monique will explore various methods to prepare the boards for doublures including: edge to edge leather, sunken suede, silk and moiré, doublures decorated with onlays, inlays or tooling. Monique will also explore non-traditional materials to use for doublures such as metal or wood veneers. Students will make a series of plaquettes to learn the techniques that can then be used for future project reference. They may also bring a book prepared to Monique’s specifications if they would like to apply doublures to the book.

Gold Tooling

Don Glaister   |   May 22 – 26 

Perfectly executing gold tooling on the surface of leather bindings has been a goal (often elusive) of bookmakers for centuries. Done successfully, gold tooling is magic. Done unsuccessfully, gold tooling…isn’t. This five-day class will introduce students to fundamental techniques and practices that will enable them to successfully transform drawn designs on paper to sparkling gold designs on leather. Students will learn to prepare drawings, cut and handle gold leaf, and do blind and gold tooling. While work in class will be on designs with straight lines, the techniques learned will be applicable to designs with curved lines as well. No tooling experience is necessary to enroll in this class, though some experience with leather bookbinding is desirable.

Fundamentals / Intermediate Fine Leather Binding

Don Glaister   |   May 29 – June 9 

This is an entry-level leather binding class for the Fine Binding and Integrated Studies Programs as well as an intermediate class for continuing Fine Binding students. In this class, students will learn and develop an understanding of traditional bookbinding techniques, beginning with a laced-on, leather covered board structure. The class will introduce and further acquaint students with techniques needed in future fine binding and specialty courses at the Academy. Students will become familiar with hand sewing using a sewing frame, rounding and backing, limited edge decoration, weaving headbands, as well as leather paring and applying leather to their books.

The focus of the class will be on learning and reinforcing sound bookbinding techniques with special emphasis on working with leather. All students will complete at least one full leather book in the course. Some more experienced students may be introduced to simple design techniques such as embossing and other surface treatments if time allows. No fine binding experience is needed for beginning students. Those new to AAB who wish to take the class as an intermediate student must first send samples of their work for evaluation. This course and may be repeated as needed or desired.

Read More

• AAB Financial Aid page
• Spring Classes Schedule (at Telluride)