events

Another hectic work day is about to begin. The commute has been an exercise in frustration and when I finally emerge from the clogged subway stairs I need to make a quick dash to get to the office on time. Hurriedly passing Bryant Park I notice out of the corner of my eye a group of people purposefully moving slowly in unison. Risking a late start I take some time to see what they are doing. The movements are graceful and the participants seem much more relaxed than me. Overhearing a conversation between some passersby, I learn they are practicing Tai Chi. What is it about anyway and why can I never feel that relaxed that early in the morning?

Are you interested in finding out what Qigong and Taiji (Tai Chi) are about and how they are practiced? Do you have some experience but want to learn more? Either way, you should check out a program being held at the Mid-Manhattan Library on Tuesday, October 7, starting at 6:30 p.m. titled Nurturing Health via Qigong and Taiji with Yang Yang, Ph.D.  read more »

Stephen King hailed A Three Dog Life as, “The best memoir I have ever read.” Very true, my own mother wouldn’t talk to me, after I had journeyed far & wide on a Metro-North train to visit her, until she had turned the last page! “Just a minute,” she said, opening her front door for me and simultaneously marking her place in the book with her finger, “I’ll hear all about your life in the City after I finish this book; go fix yourself something to eat.” Curious about what could possibly be keeping my mother from me, her favorite and only daughter, I scooped the book up immediately upon her setting it down and proceeded to read straight through the night.

If one word can be used to sum up this book it is courage, as defined by Theodore Roosevelt when he said, “Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.”  read more »

Everyday here in the Milstein Division, we get questions from all over the city and around the country about the history of New York City. Questions range from the very specific, “What was the weather in Manhattan on May 7th 1864?” to the dauntingly vague, “My great-grandfather lived in New York, his name was Patrick Murphy. Could you send me information on him?” Fortunately, the library’s collection of reference material on New York City history is astounding and rare is the question that goes unanswered. But for those who don’t have direct access to our print collection and are interested in researching the history of our great metropolis, I invite you to a free research class at the library this week.  read more »

Have "modish travelling-costume," will travel! (Image from NYPL Digital Gallery)

Connecting with enthusiastic craft-loving people is a big part of why I enjoy teaching my Handmade Then and Now class at the Library. And this weekend I will have the good fortune of talking with even more yarn devotees at Knitty City, where I've been invited to teach knitters and crocheters how to get the most out of the Library's collections. I'm more than glad to take my little Handmade show on the road.

Knitty City is a bright and cozy shop on the Upper West Side. It is brimming with books, yarns, hooks, needles, patterns, and friendly staff. The staff is knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and very welcoming. They know their fiber arts and have given me great advice and encouragement on sock making and yarn choice. In my class I will provide helpful hints on navigating New York Public Library as a whole, I'll share tips on searching for patterns (both new and vintage), and I'll bring along some examples to share. And if I've gotten far at all in my first attempt at socks (I'm following Cookie A's Hedera pattern, I'll bring my work along to share with you all. So please bring your own knitting too, and join us!

Saturday, June 21, 1:00pm
Knitty City
208 West 79th (between Broadway and Amsterdam)

Mark your calendars for May's round of classes! (Image from NYPL Digital Gallery)

I was just browsing the Library's May events schedule and am happy to report that Library branches across the city will be offering lots of craft classes for a variety of ages this month. Search the calendar for these keywords--knitting, needlecraft, craft, origami, jewelry, crochet--and you'll find knitting circles, children's needlecraft lessons, my own HandMade Then and Now, origami classes, jewelry making instruction, and more. So come to the Library and join our community of handmakers.

Yes, a slice of pie will sustain him nicely during his upcoming shopping and socializing at the Spring Fling! (Image from NYPL Digital Gallery.)

Come one, come all, to the latest addition to the city's calendar of craft events: the Bust Magazine Spring Fling Craftacular! It's this Sunday, April 27th, from 11:00am to 9:00pm at The Warsaw (261 Driggs Avenue in Williamsburg). The event promises photobooth fun, handmade crafts aplenty, food and drink, and dance as well.

This event is organized by Bust, a mag that has long encouraged its readers' latent crafty and DIY tendencies with regular features on making great stuff. Its latest issue (available at the Library in Room 108, the DeWitt Wallace Periodical Room), includes a sweater pattern, a tutorial on making your own flocked wallpaper, and details on how to subscribe to the Pie of the Month Club (created by an artist and pie lover who designs and sends out recipe cards each month). Really, what's not to like about pie recipes delivered to your mailbox?

The Library has years and years of back issues of Bust, so come in anytime to take a trip down alternative women's magazine memory lane.

Ahh, school days. (Image from NYPL Digital Gallery.)

As you might imagine, I am always on the hunt for interesting Library resources both old and new to share with the great wide world of the handmade. And next week I'll be giving a free one-hour class on how you too can use the Library's resources to satisfy your own crafty curiosities.

On Wednesday the 16th, at 2:15pm, please join me at the New York Public Library's Celeste Bartos Education Center at South Court. I will talk about how the Library's books, magazines, and databases can both inform and inspire you in your own handmade work. I'll bring along samples of pattern books and magazines, histories, and wonderful old craft books to share too. There's no need to register--just come on in and join me for this crafty show-and-tell.

Here are the details:
Wednesday April 16th, 2:15-3:15pm (classroom will open at 2:05pm)
First Floor, South Court Classrooms
New York Public Library
Fifth Avenue & 42nd Street

One last note: I'll teach this class two more times (at 2:15pm on May 21st, and at 2:15pm on July 16th), so please mark your calendars for one of these dates if you are interested but can't come next week.

This scene would take mountains of wool to recreate. (Image from NYPL Digital Gallery.)

I have lately been admiring the crocheted coral and other sea creatures designed by jpolka. But I did not know of the application of crochet to the hard science of the sea until I read about hyperbolic crochet, a means of creating complex models of hyperbolic planes using the basics of crochet--hook and yarn. The resulting works can be gorgeous as well as enlightening. Cabinet Magazine (available online and at the Library) featured in its Issue 16 Margaret Wertheim, director of the Institute for Figuring, Daina Taimina, and David Henderson, three leading thinkers in this field. The article provides a friendly introduction to hyperbolic crochet, and it is illustrated with examples of the crocheted works by Taimina. Wertheim is currently at work curating a woolly New York Reef, and contributors are invited to take part.

And, on Tuesday, April 8th, at 7:00pm, craft will collide with science at the American Museum of Natural History, when Wertheim talks with Kate Holmes, a marine biologist at the museum. As described on the museum's site, the evening's topic will be "the plight of coral reefs and the art of 'hyperbolic crochet,' a fusion of handicraft, mathematics, marine ecology, conservation activism, and collective artistic practice." Entrance fees will be $15.00 per person, or a reduced $13.50 per member, student, or senior citizen. You can read more about the evening on the museum's events page.

I hope to see you there! In the meantime, you can get tips on creating your own hyperbolic creatures at the the Institute for Figuring's website.

(This Japanese embroidery pattern is up for grabs at the NYPL Digital Gallery.)

New York City's Museum of Arts and Design has long been interested in ways that traditional crafts turn up in contemporary artists' and designers' work. The museum's current exhibition "Pricked: Extreme Embroidery" gathers the work of artists who employ traditional hand-made embroidery methods to create provocative, humorous, and unexpected works of art.

At 6:30pm on January 31st, needlework will meet narrative in a reading and book arts presentation, co-sponsored by the Center for Book Arts. Artists Jen Bervin (whose works we have at NYPL), Andrea Dezso, and Tamar Stone (we have Stone's works at the Library too) will discuss how they use language and embroidery in their art.

If you take a shine to "Pricked: Extreme Embroidery," you might also want to investigate the catalog from an earlier related exhibition: "Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting."

I admit it—I love Benjamin Franklin. A printer, a founding father of democracies and libraries, a good-natured autodidact who maintained his curiosity to a wise old age, and a fellow charming enough to sway the ladies of France. Really, what’s not to like? And the fact that he labored as one of the country's most renowned early printers of the hand press period more than qualifies him for mention here.

Today is the ingenious Dr. Franklin’s birthday, and in his honor I’d like to suggest that you come to the Library and browse our digital collection of his works. At any branch or research library in the NYPL system, you can browse the Early American Imprints (Series I) database for works written or printed by Franklin. And this database allows you to read, print, and save for yourself the full text images of any books, pamphlets, broadsides and periodicals that strike your fancy.

Another option for Franklinophiles out there is a visit the Grolier Club, which currently has on offer an exhibition called Benjamin Franklin, Writer and Printer. The curators, James N. Green and Peter Stallybrass, are scheduled to give a lecture on their exhibition at 2:00pm on January 23rd. And NYPL holds a copy of the curators’ accompanying book, so you can come long after the lecture and exhibition have passed and still take it all in. There’s plenty of Franklin to go around, as you’ll see, and I’m willing to share. Happy Birthday!

(The paper-based art created at Dieu Donné would have surprised the old paper makers of Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Image from the NYPL Digital Gallery.)

It's the time of year for paper crafts–snowflakes, paper chains, and more. You might be making your own paper arts at home–I’m thinking of making a handful of the elegant paper decorations like those described on Design*Sponge a couple of weeks ago. But if your interest in the paper arts extends beyond the paper chain variety, I would recommend checking out an exhibit at Dieu Donné, the amazing paper arts workspace here in New York.

Now through January 5, 2008, Dieu Donné presents a retrospective exhibition of what will surely be challenging and inspiring work in handmade paper. The art was produced in collaboration through their Workspace Program for emerging artists over the last six years. The exhibition is curated by Patti Phillips, who will host a special panel discussion on artist workspaces at 6:30pm on December 21st.

If you’d like to explore more handmade paper art of this kind, you’ll find works at the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Library by searching for Dieu Donné Papermill in Catnyp. You can also examine an assemblage by Jean Shin, who has participated in the Workspace Program. Shin, whose work is part of the Dieu Donné exhibition above, will also be part of the panel. You’ll never look at paper the same way again!

Wear your dancing shoes–these won’t be your average craft bazaars, after all!

This Saturday (Dec. 8th) there are two craft fairs in New York, one in Brooklyn and one in Manhattan, and each will no doubt be stocked with hand-made goods just waiting to be wrapped up and given as gifts. If you like hand-made stuff but don’t make your own creations, these events are perfect for you. When you buy here you are supporting artists, encouraging local home industries, and selecting unique gifts that will surely please your friends and family.

Here’s information on the two events:

In Brooklyn: At 3rd Ward from noon to 8pm (195 Morgan Ave in East Williamsburg Brooklyn), there will be a local handmade craft fair as well as Open House with art and craft demonstrations, classes, tutorials, and music. And they promise giveaways, refreshments, and a photo booth too. And , as if things needed to be more wholesome, they’ll also be collecting food and clothing donations for local shelters.

In Manhattan: from 10am to 8pm, the Bust Holiday Craftacular (Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street) promises over 200 vendors, as well as food, drink, dancing, giveaways, and a Polaroid holiday portrait studio. And Amy Sedaris will also be on hand, signing copies of her irreverent guide to domesticity I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence (a title that NYPL has in hard copy, as an audio, and as an e-book!).

So, enjoy the hand-made shopping. Me, I’ll be working at the library all day and will, alas, miss the crafty fun.

(Images from the NYPL Digital Gallery.)

Starting on November 19th (and continuing through January 1, 2008), the American Museum of Natural History will display its Origami Holiday Tree in Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall. This annual tradition is always worth the trip, and this year’s display promises to be especially wonderful representations of “Fantastic Creatures: Mythic and Real.” So, for example, you will see both a unicorn (mythic) and a narwhal, the unicorn of the sea (real) hanging on the tree. Also planned are opportunities to learn the art of origami, as volunteers will be on hand to teach visitors this paper folding craft.

NYPL also can help you to learn about origami. A simple subject search in Catnyp using the term origami will turn up dozens of titles, many of which are held in the Asian and Middle Eastern Division. And if you want to learn this craft at home, you can check out and take home one of the hundreds of books and videos on origami held at NYPL’s branches, all quickly found by searching for the same subject term, origami. Happy folding!

Book arts-loving New Yorkers, mark your calendars, because the Editions/Artists’ Book Fair is coming to town. The Fair is open to the public Nov. 2nd-4th, at The Tunnel (261 Eleventh Avenue, near 27th St.). Admission is free, and hours are: Friday and Saturday from 11am to 7pm, and Sunday from 11am to 4pm.

There will be dozens of artists’ books here, and a range of materials, structures, and methods to check out. And if you find an an artist there and want to learn more about him or her, come into NYPL. For instance, if you take a liking to the work of artist Ryan McGinness, you can come in and look at NYPL’s copy of Installationview by McGinness as well. Enjoy!

(Promotional Poster image from NYPL Digital Gallery.)

(from the 1909 edition of Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management. Image from NYPL Digital Gallery.)

In just a little over a week, we are all invited to take a daytrip to Rhinebeck, NY, to take part in the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival. It’s sponsored by the Dutchess County Sheep and Wool Growers, and it will be in full swing Saturday Oct. 20th from 9am to 6pm, and Sunday Oct. 21st from 10am to 5pm.

The weather is right (at last), the leaves should be turning to red and gold, and the opportunities to ogle handmade stuff will be countless. Events and activities include felting, spinning, using a sock machine, cooking, tasting of local cheeses and wines, wood carving, rug making, and wool shopping. And in addition to sheep, there will be other wooly mammals like goats, rabbits, llamas, alpacas, and even sheep dogs at the festival too.

When you aren’t gawking at the woolen goods or peeping at the sheep, you might stop by NYPL and read up on the path wool takes “from sheep to shawl.” A few books to get you started include Hand woolcombing and spinning, Handweaver’s instruction manual, and Spin your own wool and dye it and weave it.

New York Public Library has collected artists’ books for many years, and now a search in Catnyp brings up records for no fewer than 2,727 items classified under the subject heading “artists’ books.” In addition to coming into the library to see selections from our collection, you could also head over to the New York Art Book Fair this weekend, at 548 West 22nd Street between 10th and 11th Avenues in New York City. There will be artists’ books, examples of hand press printing, and all sorts of other art publications. It’s all presented by Printed Matter, an excellent NYC-based resource for artists’ publications.

And when you are ready to get started thinking about making your own book, you might use the handbook Creating Artists’ Books by Sarah Bodman, at the Art and Architecture Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library.

(Fashionable ladies have come from the NYPL Digital Gallery.)

At 12:30pm on Wednesday, Sept. 26th, Paula Baxter will teach a free class at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library on how to make the most out of the collections here (including electronic resources!) related to the history of fashion. There’s also mention of pattern books, and I’m particularly curious about these. For example, NYPL has a large run of Vogue Pattern Books and I can only imagine what vintage patterns await within. I’ll be at the class, and you should come too. Either way, I’ll share what I learn!

If you feel an itch to create something today, head to the NYPL Tremont Branch (1866 Washington Avenue in the Bronx; 718-299-5177) this afternoon for a lesson in hand-making rubber stamps! Artist Danielle De Mers will show you how to carve your own unique design into a rubber template that you can use to stamp letters, cards, and stationery. This program was generously funded through the Cultural After School Adventure Program by New York City Council Member Joel Rivera and The City of New York. And, my thanks go to fellow librarian Sarah Jewell for sending this announcement along to me.

To read and learn more about stamping, check out the stacks at NYPL! One book to try is Stamping by Juliet Bawden. NYPL has 55 copies in multiple branches, so it should be easy to get into the stamp act.

(Printer at right from NYPL Digital Gallery)

Although a huge commercial book production industry exists today, there remain many devotees of the traditionally-made book. The creation of books by hand is an art practiced by highly skilled individuals adept at setting type, executing design, printing pages, and binding; often their printed works incorporate novel book structures as well. NYPL has an exemplary collection of such lovingly produced books from small or private presses ranging from Adagio Press to Zephyrus Image. Additionally, NYPL holds a great number of guides, histories, and bibliographies of private presses in the United States, England, Australia, Canada, and more for further reference. (The links provided here are to just the tip of this particular iceberg.)

If you live in New York City and want to get a behind the scenes peek at traditional book making combined with creative re-thinking of the book as an art form, go to the The Center for Book Arts on Sept. 15th, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm, for its Fall Open House. This is an excellent opportunity to take in a book arts exhibition as well as to see the tools and supplies needed to make paper, set type, print, and bind books. Think of the institution as an open book! The Center is well-known for its classes as well, so the crafty and curious among you can learn book arts there.