Artist and tour guide keeps the old ways of bookmaking alive

Physical media like vinyl, CDs and even DVDs are all coming back into fashion, but the ancient technique of bookmaking never went out of style in Minneapolis.

The Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) is one of a kind in the state and likely the nation. With over 12,000 square feet of room, the space itself is a combination of three buildings. Even the architecture was built with books in mind, said Laura Brown, resident instructor and partnership coordinator at the MCBA.

“It was designed by architects that worked with a book artist who thinks a lot about buildings as books and sort of the combination of those two things,” she said, adding that it is the “largest, most comprehensive center of its kind in the world.”

So what exactly are book arts?

“We think of it really expansively here,” Brown explained. “It can be anything that has to do with the media of making the different parts a book.”

The letters, numbers and spaces in textbooks, novels and newspapers of a certain time used to all be set by hand and printed via a technique called letterpressing. Each letter was carved onto a block that teams of people would proof-read and then ink and press onto paper for mass production.

The center offers classes and studio workshops including letterpress printing, Japanese papermaking and screen printing. During the Immigration Customs and Enforcement surge this winter, it became a hub for printing posters.

While Brown facilitates tours and classes, she said her favorite part of the job is helping people discover different avenues to art.

“I love sharing things with people,” she said. “They get to understand that being an artist can mean a lot of different things.”

This conversation is a part of our Job Interview series, where we talk to everyday Minnesotans about the rewards and challenges of their work. This following interview has been lightly edited for style and clarity. Click on the audio player to hear the interview.

Official title: Partnership Coordinator & Resident Instructor

What I actually do: I give tours and teach workshops

What you love about your work: I love that I get to be here every day, and I have great coworkers, and I get to tell people about MCBA and get them excited about it, hopefully.

The hardest part: I mean, does anybody really love email?

The hardest thing is saying no, because I can't do everything. Trying to figure out ways to do as much as I possibly can without burning out or overdoing.

What I’ve learned: People think that they’re not artists because they can’t draw representationally, and people come here and they get to be creative and they get to do things that have nothing to do with drawing and they get to understand that being an artist can mean a lot of different things.

Listen to the radio version of this “Job Interview” by clicking the player above.

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