Publication Studio at the Henry: A week in pictures

Last week we hosted David Knowles and Patricia No of Portland-based Publication Studio, our first publisher-in-residence for Shelf Life, the Henry’s look at independent publishing and contemporary bookmaking. It was a busy week for Publication Studio, what with co-founder Matthew Stadler’s book tour dinner at the Sorrento Hotel on Wednesday; another talk by Matthew at Shelf Life on Thursday; printing, assembling, and binding artist Lucy Pullen’s book on the weekend; and a rebind event on Sunday afternoon that kept Patricia busy at the gluing machine all the way up until the museum closed. At every other moment Publication Studio was designing books, binding new ones, meeting with artists, filling orders, or taking questions from curious visitors and fans eager to meet them in person. I was thrilled to have them here, and it’s been a huge pleasure to work with both David and Patricia on two new books for the Henry. (One with the artist Lucy Pullen and the other with artist Matthew Offenbacher.) When I walked into the now-empty-seeming space this past Tuesday, all I could think was, “David! Patricia! COME BACK!”

Enjoy this pictorial look back on Week 1. Thank you, Publication Studio, for helping us kick off Shelf Life with a bang!

{Hover your mouse over the pictures for captions!}

 

Fortunately Shelf Life won’t stay quiet all week. Just wait till we get to this Sunday…

 

Shelf Life is the Henry’s summer ode to BOOKS and READING. From July 1 – October 15th, the Henry has invited book lovers from various fields — independent publishers, librarians, poets, writers, designers, and, most importantly, readers — to share with us what they do and why they love to do it. For a complete list of Shelf Life related programming, please visit this page.

SHELF LIFE: Matthew Stadler, co-founder of Publication Studio, speaks at the Henry on July 7th

Tonight I had the extraordinary pleasure of hearing author Matthew Stadler, co-founder of Publication Studio (our publishers-in-residence at the Henry) speak at the second-to-last stop on his ‘NAFTA’ book tour to celebrate the launch of his latest novel, Chloe Jarron’s La Cucaracha. Accompanied by musical guest (and insightful interviewer) John Roderick and paired with an incredible meal by chef Michael Hebb, this event hosted about 50 guests in the penthouse of the Sorrento Hotel — 50 believers or converts to the philosophy of books as public space and literature as a platform for community.

I used to be a voracious consumer of books; the summer between 3rd and 4th grade a friend and I went to the public library every single day and every single day on the walk back to her house or mine, we read a book. (Books aren’t very long when you’ve just finished 3rd grade.) We held the book out in front of us, keeping one eye on the page and one eye on the sidewalk. Tripping was to be expected. Even the threat of oncoming cars could not make us close the book and wait the 20 minutes it took to get home. It was a hungry summer, and I’ve always remembered how I felt — never quite satisfied — eager, even anxious, to get to the next story, next book, to read.

That was decades ago. My reading life has tapered off precipitously since then. But suddenly, after hearing Matthew speak so movingly and eloquently about books, about literature, about writing, and about the work of Publication Studio — that desire to get into a long and well-crafted text, to invest myself fully into it, to fall head-over-heels in love with language, even to talk to someone else about what I’ve been reading — all those feelings are coming back. Suddenly, I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book.

Rather than paraphrase the many passionate and stirring things that Matthew said, you’ll have to come by and hear it for yourself! Seattle, we are lucky that Matthew will be here another day because he’ll  be at the Henry Thursday night, at 7 pm, for a talk provocatively titled, “What Good Are Bookstores?” He’ll speak about the origins of Publication Studio, the Portland-based print-on-demand publisher and vanguard of a new model of publishing, and offer thoughts on what’s next for the state of literature and bookmaking. The talk will take place in the Henry lobby, the site of Shelf Life, and currently the location of Publication Studio’s temporary Seattle storefront. Expect an intimate setting, where you’ll be sitting among Publication Studio’s book binding equipment (which they hauled up here from Portland!) as well as among copies of (freshly) finished books. AND: this talk is free and open to the public. Join us!

Publication Studio is in residence at the Henry from July 5 – 10. Matthew Stadler, co-founder of Publication Studio  and an award-wining writer, will give a talk Thursday, July 7th, at 7pm. Bring in your tattered books on Sunday, July 10th, starting at 1 pm, and Publication Studio will rebind them with brand new covers. (Fee: $7/book) Click here for more information on these and other Shelf Life programs.

Publication Studio kicks off Shelf Life, aka the Henry’s summer ode to BOOKS and READING. From July 1 – October 16th, the Henry has invited book lovers from various fields — independent publishers, librarians, poets, writers, designers, and, most importantly, readers — to share with us what they do and why they love to do it. For a complete list of Shelf Life related programming, please visit this page.

SHELF LIFE: An interview with Patricia No from Publication Studio

Continuing with the coverage on our ongoing Shelf Life exhibition, Publication Studio, the lovely publishers-in-residence, have been hard at work bringing fresh books made daily to the shelves of the Henry Art Gallery (and you gotta love those shelves). I had the chance to chat with Publication studio co-founder Patricia No about her work with Publication Studio and the role of books in general. The following is a transcript of our conversation, and due to hardware failure, a paraphrasing of the second half of our conversation afterwards. As always, come check out Publication Studio in-person. They’ll be at the Shelf Life space through July 10.

Patricia No enjoying the Shelf Life studio space, now with coffee table!

- – - – -

RYAN DIAZ
So I guess we can begin. Could you state your name?

PATRICIA NO
Sure, I’m Patricia No.

RD
And you’re from?

PN
I’m originally from upstate new York, in Rochester. I also went to school in upstate and then I went to Bard and studied writing there. That’s where I first became interested in literature. My senior year I wanted to bind my thesis by myself, so I took a bookmaking class, I kind of fell in love with the book as an object at that point. Then I moved to Portland, had a bunch of different jobs and I was working at an architecture firm when I met Matthew Stadler. We decided to do this project together, which we originally called an experiment to see if it would work as a way to be a publication studio.

Installing Now: SHELVES FOR SHELF LIFE (and typography nuts)

Artist Jason Wood is here this morning installing the shelves for Shelf Life, which opens July 1st (tomorrow!) in the lobby space at the Henry. My jaw dropped when I saw them.

As a book lover, book designer, type nut, and big fan of bookshelves in general, I’m all …… swoon.

Later today we’ll be installing the first rotation of books from the Book Arts Collection from Special Collections at the UW Libraries. (These books will be housed in vitrines — not on these letter-shelves!) Curated by Sandra Kroupa, University of Washington Book Arts and Rare Book Curator, this first display (with two more to come!) will focus on multiplicity — in both the text and ways of reading a text. Next week we’ll be welcoming Publication Studio, the Portland-based publisher, who will bring their combination workshop and storefront to the Henry lobby from July 5th – 10th. The lobby space will be open for visitors during regular museum hours on those days (starting at 1pm on  Tuesday, July 5th). Watch Publication Studio make ‘fresh books daily’, chat with David and Patricia, or stop by Thursday evening, July 7th, for a talk by co-founder Matthew Stadler titled “What Good are Bookstores?” starting at 7pm. (Admission to the talk is free.) Matthew is currently on a North American book tour for his new novel, Chloe Jarren’s La Cucaracha, and will be at the Sorrento Hotel the previous night for dinner and conversation. (More details here.) On Sunday, July 10th, Publication Studio will host a REBIND event, where you’re invited to bring in your old, tattered copies of books and for $7 Publication Studio will re-bind them with sturdy new covers.

Shelf Life is the Henry’s summer ode to BOOKS and READING. From July 1 – October 15th, the Henry has invited book lovers from various fields — independent publishers, librarians, poets, writers, designers, and, most importantly, readers — to share with us what they do and why they love to do it. For a complete list of Shelf Life related programming, please visit this page.

Upcoming Shelf Life Events

Shelf Life is well on its way to the Henry’s lobby! And we’ve got the dish on all its awesome events!

• The Emancipated Spectator
  (A series of casual discussions focused around the themes explored in The Talent Show. Student Tech Lounge, Free with admission)
  Thursday, July 21, 2011, 7:00 – 8:00 PM: Broadcast yourself, part 1 (Video and TV)
  Thursday, August 25, 2011, 7:00 – 8:00 PM: Broadcast yourself, part 2 (Art, Entertainment and Reality)

• What Good Are Bookstores?
  (Guest Matthew Stadler from Publication Studio looks under the hood of literature’s future by asking “what good are bookstores?” Lobby space, Free with admission)
  Thursday, July 7, 2011, 7:00 – 8:00 PM 

• Rebind
  (Bring in your old, tattered, much-loved paperbacks and have Publication Studio re-bind them into a sturdy new volume in standard manila folder covers. Lobby space, fee is $7.)
  Sunday, July 10, 2011, 1:00-3:30 PM 

• Book Arts: Performance Exhibitions
  (Join special collections librarian Sandra Kroupa for a brief history of the book followed by an animated performance of books selected from the University of Washington Book Arts Collection. Lobby space, Free with admission)
  Sunday, July 17, 2011, 2:00 – 3:00 PM
  Sunday, August 7, 2011, 2:00 – 3:00 PM
  Sunday, September 18, 2011, 2:00 – 3:00 PM
  NEW DATE! Sunday, October 16, 2011, 2:00-3:00 PM

 

• Gentle Reader
  (Gentle Reader is a conversation between the reader and the book. We will convene monthly to discuss specific texts. Lobby space, Free with admission)
  Sunday, July 24, 2011, 2:00 – 4:00 PM
  Sunday, August 21, 2011, 2:00 – 4:00 PM
  Sunday, Sunday 11, 2011, 2:00 – 4:00 PM 

• Poste Restante c/o Eric Fredericksen
  (Guest Eric Fredericksen, curator of Poste Restante, will give a talk on the contemporary state of the object in art. Lobby space, Free with admission)
  Thursday, September 29, 2011, 7:00-8:00 PM 

If none of these events work for your schedule (highly doubtful, but ya never know), then feel free to stop by during Henry’s opening hours and peruse the rotating display of independent publications.

Shelf Life runs from July 1st through October 16th in the Henry’s Lobby Test Site.

July 6 at the Sorrento Hotel: Meet and Eat with Matthew Stadler, co-founder of Publication Studio

 

Publication Studio co-founder Matthew Stadler, five-time novelist and winner of numerous writing awards and fellowships, will be in Seattle to celebrate the publication of his newest novel, Chloe Jarren’s La Cucaracha, with a party and sit-down dinner at the Sorrento Hotel on Wednesday, July 6th, at 7 pm. This event features a menu and food prepared by Michael Hebb (specifically carne en su jugo, “meat in its own juice”, a Mexican staple) and includes guest musician and interlocutor John Roderick. Guests will receive a special made-that-day copy of Chloe Jarren and enjoy stirring conversation with Matthew while in the glamorous setting of the Sorrento’s penthouse. A Publication Studio collaboration with One Pot and Third Place Press, this Seattle dinner will be the 11th of the twelve cities across North America that make up stops on Matthew’s NAFTA 2011 book tour.

For more information about Matthew’s tour and to purchase tickets to the event at the Sorrento, click here. To hear Matthew’s thoughts from the road, read his tour diary here.

AND! — if you’re hungry for MORE Matthew, he’ll be speaking at the Henry on Thursday, July 7th, at 7 pm as part of Shelf Life. The title of his talk is “What Good are Bookstores” and admission is free.

Publication Studio will be in the Henry lobby from July 5th – 10th and open to the public during regular museum hours on those days (starting at noon on Tuesday, July 5th). Stop by and see books get made, purchase books, and chat about books and publishing with David and Patricia. On Sunday, July 10th, Publication Studio hosts a REBIND event, where you’re invited to bring in your old, tattered books and for $7 Publication Studio will re-glue them with sturdy new covers.

Publication Studio kicks off Shelf Life, aka the Henry’s summer ode to BOOKS and READING. From July 1 – October 15th, the Henry has invited book lovers from various fields — independent publishers, librarians, poets, writers, designers, and, most importantly, readers — to share with us what they do and why they love to do it. For a complete list of Shelf Life related programming, please visit this page. Join us, won’t you?

Publication Studio, Maker and Destroyer of Books, comes to the Henry

In a couple weeks we’ll be welcoming Publication Studio as they temporarily transplant their publishing practice from a Portland storefront to the Henry Art Gallery. As part of the program Shelf Life, the Henry’s summer ode to BOOKS and READING, Publication Studio will be stationed in the lobby space between July 5-10 and will go about their day-to-day work of making ‘fresh books daily’ and doing the things they do as the vanguard of the independent press.

Founded in 2009 by Matthew Stadler and Patricia No, Publication Studio began as a print-on-demand publisher equipped with little more than a small laser printer, a hot glue binding machine, and a desire to make books with writers and artists whose work they love. Two years later they have ‘sibling studios’ in five other cities around the U.S. (started by like-minded individuals who grew to love the Publication Studio philosophy and bought publishing equipment of their own), added designer David Knowles to the team in Portland, and just recently produced their 10,000th book.

Besides the lack of waste that comes with making books only when customers want them, Publication Studio is notable for the attention they give to a book as it moves from idea to object to screen. To Publication Studio, a publication involves the creation of a public, which they actively cultivate as part of the ‘social life’ of a book, both online and off. Most of their titles are uploaded to a digital commons where readers can comment and annotate pages. In addition, Publication Studio hosts dinners, readings, talks, and events that encourage continued conversations about publications and that bring authors into contact with readers.

For a detailed description of a day-in-the-life of Publication Studio, check out this feature at DesignObserver. To learn even more about the Publication Studio philosophy, check out this interview with BookForum (where Michael Miller named Publication Studio “the most innovative and philosophical new independent press”) and this article at Publisher’s Weekly.

THE DETAILS: Publication Studio will be in the Henry lobby from July 5th – 10th and open to the public during regular museum hours on those days (with slightly shorter hours on Tuesday, July 5th). Stop by and check out their books, chat with David and Patricia, or stop by Thursday evening, July 7th, for a talk by co-founder Matthew Stadler titled “What Good are Bookstores?” starting at 7pm. (Admission to the talk is free.) On Sunday, July 10th, Publication Studio will host a REBIND event, where you’re invited to bring in your old, tattered copies of books and for $7 Publication Studio will re-glue them with sturdy new covers.

Publication Studio kicks off Shelf Life, aka the Henry’s summer ode to BOOKS and READING. From July 1 – October 15th, the Henry has invited book lovers from various fields — independent publishers, librarians, poets, writers, designers, and, most importantly, readers — to share with us what they do and why they love to do it. For a complete list of Shelf Life related programming, please visit this page. Join us, won’t you?

Bookforum interview with Matthew Stadler, co-creator of Publication Studio

Hey Hankblog readers!!! I’m Jenna, the new Henry intern for the summer. Just wanted to introduce myself as a new Hankblogger! I’m a recent Art History graduate from the University of Washington looking to infiltrate the art museums world. To start off my many future blog posts: 

Check out Publication Studio’s Matthew Stadler in a new Bookforum interview.

Publication Studio will be one of the upcoming Shelf Life’s numerous guests after its opening, July 1st.

Shelf Life is an ongoing conversation exploring contemporary independent publishing. Located in the lobby of the Henry, Shelf Life will host visiting small presses, lecture-performances, writers-in-residence, pop-up shops and discussion groups.

Shelf Life guests represent a wide range of activity in the fields of independent publishing and bookmaking. Publication Studio Portland, a three-person storefront press, will relocate their publishing operations to the Henry lobby for a weeklong residency.

In preparation for their visit, read about its co-creator’s take on the future of publishing and the creation of Publication Studio.