Purgatory Pie Press Exhibition

October 15- December 2, 2024
at NYPL's gallery in the West Village ::  Hudson Park Library 

Explore a variety of basic folding and stitching techniques from instant books and simple popups, thru accordion, pamphlet, stab stitch, and long stitch bindings.
For artists (and other people) interested in learning to construct books, as well as zine makers, AND blank books makers who want to add content.
We will focus on structural approaches to artists’ books–plus creative exercises based on Surrealist games and Oulipo and other approaches to generate ideas.
Curators reflected on what it means to be “American.”
“What is American culture today, and what does an American look like?”
They asked the viewer to consider the question with them starting through the eyes of the artists in this exhibition.
Esther K Smith and Dikko Faust demonstrated vintage equipment that can print in relief on non-paper substrates such as upcycled clothing, gave glimpses of their voluminous archive, and reflected on the art form’s evolution. They opened cabinets of wonders, including photo-engravings for advertisements dating back 130 years, Hebrew wood type from a long-shuttered Yiddish poster printer, and an entire drawer of ampersands.

For those unable to join us for the session, the lecture was recorded and is on the
Grolier Club's Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/user4535612.

Happy Type High Day  -- 9/18

Dikko Faust took this photo to celebrate!


Enjoy a unique New York City WALKING TOUR highlighting 19th & 20th-century architectural typography on apartment buildings, manhole & vault covers, paint-on-brick advertising signs, and more. Make your own rubbings of found typography. Then back at CBA, work with wood type and typographic elements to make your own signs on the Vandercook presses. All levels welcome.This series explores the history of typography from the 1820s to the present using lectures, show-and-tell examples, and demonstrations. Sessions include: Alphabet History through Type Inventions with Five New Type Forms from the 1820s, Wood Type and Metal Type: Manufacture and Best Use Suggestions, Chromatic Wood and Metal Type, Printing Magazines: 19th through Early 20th Century, Crystal Goblet vs. Dada: Avant Garde vs Classical Reformist Design.
Explore the history of 19th and 20th centuries type using Center for Book Arts very own collection of metal and wood types. From early inventions of moveable metal type to avant garde ventures in typography, this workshop will offer you a wealth of knowledge regarding the complex history of typography. Don’t miss this opportunity to not only learn about the history of type, but also the chance to learn hand type setting metal and wood type on the Vandercook printing press. This workshop is perfect for designers, printers, and anyone interested in letterforms; no previous experience required! Fun Fact: CBA’s printshop has over 300 typefaces and almost 700 fonts.
Making books makes kids powerful.
A great course for teachers, parents, and adults who work with children and artists of all ages who want to use these easier forms in their own work.
Explore simple book structures, folding and stitching, and make books that children could make in classrooms, community centers, home schools, after school and summer programs- or on their own. From accordions, and simple pop-ups, to hole punch flip books, stitched books, decorative papers and more! Make quick models and even develop some into finished books.
No experience necessary- just bring nimble fingers and an open mind.This course concentrates on nontraditional, experimental, and painterly uses of letterpress. Students explore moiré and interference patterns by shifting type set-ups and using multiple printings. Students examine the type experiments of avant-garde movements, such as Dada and futurism, and innovative printers from the 19th and 20th centuries. Sessions begin with demonstrations, followed by supervised studio time to work on independent projects.   No previous printmaking experience required.
Registration closed Make 5+ artist books from start to finish. Make quick models and then develop them into books. Reuse your prints! Make one-of-a-kind books, collaborative group books—and limited editions—as well as sketchbooks, albums, etc. Each session will focus on a different structure, building skills as the class progresses. Accordion and other folded structures—including flag books—simple pop-ups, stab stitch & flip books, single signature stitching and multisignature books.Guest artists, discussions about selling work—and how artist books can help interest curators in collecting your other works.
This series will explore the history of typography from the 1820s to the present using lectures, show-and-tell examples, and demonstrations. 
Sessions include:Alphabet History through Type Inventions with Five New Type Forms from the 1820s, Wood Type and Metal Type: Manufacture and Best Use Suggestions, Chromatic Wood and Metal Type, Printing Magazines: 19th through Early 20th Century, Crystal Goblet vs. Dada: Avant Garde vs Classical Reformist Design.  In this workshop on improvisatory letterpress printing, students will study four letterpress techniques: feathering, rainbow rolls, found-object printing, and purgacolor. The course will also cover other aspects of letterpress printing, including onlay, interlay, underlay, color mixing tips, press maintenance, proofing, editioning, managing order, and more. Dikko will display examples of his work from Purgatory Pie Press. Students should have some hand type and letterpress experience. Registration  CLOSED Students will learn about typographic history while printing on t-shirts and other cotton fabric items. Printing will be wood type only on CBA’s R.Hoe & Co Washington Press (made in the Bronx in the late 1800’s) with hand rollers.



The Manhattan Fine Press Book Fair is a one-day fair known as the Shadow Fair. It is a less-formal, less expensive fair, held during the same weekend as the New York Antiquarian Book Fair at the Park Avenue Armory. The fair takes place in the school of St. Vincent Ferrer, located right around the corner from the ABAA fair at the Park Avenue Armory.

Booklyn Artist Book Fair 2020 in the 41st Greenwich Village Book Fair
at PS3 :: 490 Hudson St, NYC 10014  

 

PPP Studio Sale

Saturday/Sunday December 14+15 2019 :: 12 noon-4pm  @B.A.T.
Bring a teeshirt and we'll letterpress print W0od TyPe on it

Walt Whitman's Words: Inspiring Artists Today

October-December 2019
Center for Book Arts, 28 W 27th St, New York, NY 10001

Purgatory Pie Press commission piece – pop-up by Sam Ita

Odds and Ends Art Book Fair

Friday December 6, 2019 11:30am - 4:30pm
Yale University Art Gallery New Haven, CT

Small Business Saturday:: PPP Studio SALE

Saturday November 30, 2019 :: 1–6pm  @B.A.T.

When Artists Enter the Factories walk-through

DJA’DE DISSECTED installation

October 18- November 22, 2019
Brooklyn Army Terminal Building B

Dikko Faust’s version of the oldest known wall painting -- 11,000 years old -- four 17 foot panels, enlarging 9 inch page spreads from Purgatory Pie Press Dja’de accordion book. Our piece in the site specific exhibition: When Artists Enter the Factories

Open House New York

Saturday/Sunday October 19+20, 2019 :: 12 noon-4pm
PURGATORY PIE PRESS and other ArtBuilt artists studios open to the public.

A Night of Animation & Flipbooks

Tuesday September 24, 2019  7:30pm - 9:30pm
Esther K Smith spoke about letterpress and handmade flip books