Bookbinding. Chicago Hand Bookbinders. Twelfth Anniversary Exhibition. Art Institute of Chicago. Ryerson-Burnham Library, March 3, 1991.

Wraps, bound with string and twig. Copy 82 of 500. Fine condition. Catalog for traveling exhibit at five libraries beginning with The Art Institute of Chicago, 1991–1992.  Color photographs and descriptions of beautiful hand crafted books by Francis Archer, Robert E. Ash, Helen Bogan, Ken Bradley, Laura Brown, William Drendel, Amy Grogan, Trisha Hammer, Deborah Howe, Robin Howell, Scott Kellar, Mary N. Kennedy, Barbara Korbel, William Minter, Ernest Mond, Patrice Murtha, Audrey Nuffenegger, Teresa Pankratz, Norma Rubovits, and Zareen Sirajullah. Catalog designed by Trisha Hammer and Richard Weaver. 23 double leaves with inset plates.  Not issued with ISBN number.  Summary:

The exhibition catalog for the Twelfth Anniversary Exhibition of the Chicago Hand Bookbinders, held March 3, 1991, at the Art Institute of Chicago’s Ryerson and Burnham Libraries, documents a juried showcase of contemporary fine binding created by members of the Chicago Hand Bookbinders guild.

Purpose and Context

Produced to accompany the anniversary exhibition, the catalog celebrates over a decade of the guild’s dedication to the craft of hand bookbinding. It situates the organization within Chicago’s broader tradition of book arts, highlighting the city’s longstanding engagement with printing, typography, and fine press culture.

Contents and Structure

The catalog typically includes:

• An introduction or foreword outlining the history and mission of the Chicago Hand Bookbinders and the significance of the twelfth anniversary milestone.

• Descriptions of exhibited works, often listing binders’ names, the titles and authors of the bound texts, materials used (leather, cloth, handmade papers), and decorative techniques (gold tooling, onlays, inlays, embossing).

• Artist statements or brief notes that provide insight into design inspiration, technical processes, and interpretive approaches to the texts.

• Photographic documentation of selected bindings, emphasizing craftsmanship, structural innovation, and aesthetic detail.

Themes and Artistic Focus

The exhibition reflects key concerns of contemporary fine binding in the late twentieth century:

• Respect for traditional techniques alongside experimental design

• Interpretive binding, where the exterior design responds conceptually to the literary content

• High standards of craftsmanship, including precision sewing structures, carefully chosen materials, and refined finishing

The catalog demonstrates how bookbinding operates at the intersection of craft, design, and literary appreciation—transforming printed texts into unique art objects.

Overall Significance

As both a record of the 1991 exhibition and a snapshot of Chicago’s book arts community, the catalog documents the vitality of regional craft guilds and their role in sustaining traditional skills within a contemporary artistic context. It serves scholars, collectors, and practitioners as a reference for late twentieth-century American fine binding and as evidence of the continued relevance of handcraft in an increasingly mechanized age.