West Chicago's Gallery 200 Welcomes Artists from the Book and Paper Arts Guild
For a group of artists that meet in west suburban Lisle, a passion for handmade papermaking and a need for continued sources of learning and friendship led to the creation of the Book and Paper Arts Guild. Their exhibit, on display at Gallery 200, 200 Main Street, West Chicago from September 6 – 30, 2012, demonstrates the versatility of the medium combined with the creativity of the members in a series of collaborative and personal works titled “This is Paper!”
Artist Cheryl Mahowald, a Warrenville resident, is a Gallery 200 member and co-founder of the Guild. She had been a student of papermaking and bookbinding at College of DuPage and explained that the Guild was initially formed in 2001 to fill a void after those classes were no longer offered. “I know that I personally felt like I was working in a vacuum. So the Guild was started as a way to stay involved with like-minded people. After a couple of years with College of DuPage, we branched out and started meeting at area libraries and members' homes,” said Mahowald.
A philosophy of the Guild is that members teach members as a way to “give back” to the group. For example, Ginni Guzior, an eight year member and resident of Orland Park, hosts an annual papermaking workshop at her home, where members spend the day learning new techniques with a variety of natural fibers such as cotton, abaca, flax or esparto.
Barbara Erickson, a resident of Plainfield and co-founder of the Guild, explained that member artists learn, teach and help one another. “I believe this sharing of ourselves is what carries this group forward. Moreover, each time an artist creates a piece, she reveals a portion of her identity. Perhaps this is why members of this group come to know each other so well,” said Erickson.
A favorite event has become the annual collaborative, a project where typically 20 or so members work toward one concept to create a final work. In the end, each member has a completed work comprised of parts from each of the contributing members. Said Guzior, “I love doing collaboratives. It's interesting to see how each person puts themselves into it or tackles the problem from their own perspective.”
Erickson echoes the sentiment regarding the collaborative works. “These are truly treasures. We each have a little piece of each other when the collaborative is completed. It's always a bit of a challenge to find an answer to the collaborative theme, and the process of producing twenty duplicates can be laborious. But the results are always thrilling,” said Erickson.
The Guild holds monthly meetings which are a combination of lectures by professional guest speakers, hands-on demonstrations and projects taught by members. The December and June meetings are reserved as social gatherings. There have also been field trips to local exhibits such as a book collection at the Morton Arboretum or the calligraphy show at the Newberry Library.
According to Mahowald, the artists' backgrounds have become more diversified since the inception of the Guild. What originally started as a group of papermakers and bookbinders now includes fiber artists, jewelry makers, educators, calligraphers and collage artists. “It is a very eclectic group. The focus is still on books and paper, but a lot of techniques and processes translate from one media to the other,” said Mahowald.
For Bonnie Jaswith, a Lisle resident and Guild president for the past two years, the transition to book and paper arts provided a natural art outlet while winding down her interior design business after 30 years. With the evolution of electronic books, she sees a need for printed books to evolve as well. “While the printed book can have illustrations, the designed page and book [itself] becomes an art expression of a thought or story,” said Jaswith.
Sue Oelrich, a five year Guild member and resident of Carol Stream, joined the Guild after learning about it from a friend. She enjoys working with people that share her passion for paper and book arts. “At various times in my life, I've taught calligraphy, marbled paper and silk, made paper and bound books. The Guild gives me the opportunity to pull all those aspects together and make new friends,” said Oelrich.
Guild artists participating in the “This is Paper!” exhibit include Barbara Burt, Barbara Erickson, Ginni Guzior, Bonnie Jaswith, Geri Kinnear, Gerrie Kamm, Joan Lucht, Cheryl Mahowald, Patrice Nelson, Sue Oelrich, Cindy Oldin, Mary Hagerty Sabo and Mary Warner. A comment by Nelson, a four year member of the Guild and resident of Clarendon Hills, summed up the overall sentiment of the participating members. “The women in the Book and Paper Arts Guild are some of the most enthusiastic, interesting and creative people that I've ever met.”
The artists will be available at a free Opening Reception of art, including refreshments and live music by Mandy Rakow, on Friday, September 7, 2012 from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. at Gallery 200. The exhibit will include their personal works as well as their collaborative projects. Information about membership in the Book and Paper Arts Guild will also be available. Regular Gallery hours are Thursday and Friday 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information, call Gallery 200 at (630) 293- 9550 or visit www.gallery200.org.