Artists' books, functioning as both personal and public site, have become an important venue for narratives that weave text and image within a physical structure. How can the form and structure of a book intensify its' content? Extending the idea of a photographic sequence or progression, the emphasis in this workshop will be on the page as image and the relationship between a books' content and its structure.

Using the beautiful city of Oaxaca as a source for material, we will work on a series of exercises concerned with integrating multiple notational systems into book structures. Experimenting with a variety of bookbindings, photographing for the "page" and developing text, you will produce several book mock-ups. Artists' books will be shown and discussed, with emphasis on how book artists have incorporated sequential and narrative structures into book works. Classes will take place in the beautiful village of San Augustin Etla, a 20 minute ride from downtown Oaxaca, at the magnificent paper factory located in a late 18th Century building which was once the towns electricity generating plant. The paper factory has numerous papers that can be used for book-making. Their products are all made with natural dyes and fibers from this region.

We will be meeting every morning at 9:30am from a location in downtown Oaxaca where a host van will be waiting for you to take you to the workshop in San Augustin Etla. At 2pm an hour and half lunch break will take place at one of the delicious local restaurants. At 6pm the van will bring you back to the city of Oaxaca where you can have time to enjoy site seeing on your own or maybe head to one the colorful Oaxacan markets to gather more material for your project.

MASTER ARTIST/TEACHER:
Joan Lyons, the founding Coordinator of Visual Studies Workshop Press WWW.VSW.ORG, has worked with artists and independent publishers on over 400 book projects since 1972. She taught in the M.F.A. PROGRAM IN VISUAL STUDIES   at VSW. Lyons works in a variety of media based in photography and print, moving between computer-based work and more hands-on media. She has produced a score of her own book works, recently focusing on digital editions.
See some of her RECENT WORK.

THINGS TO BRING
Participants should have a simple camera, toolkit with scissors, small steel ruler, X-acto or snap-off blade knife, glue stick, small Sobo or Elmers glue, drawing materials, a self-healing cutting board or a piece of cardboard to cut on. While we will be generating new materials on-site during the week, you might wish to bring images, collage materials and writing samples to incorporate into your work. Basic text and cover papers will be provided, but if you want to work with special colored, decorative or rag papers for text, end sheets or covers, bring them along.

COST
The cost of the workshop is $500usd. This does not include room or board but special rates for hotel/hostels and restaurants are given to participants.

JOAN LYONS
Founder and Coordinator of the Visual Studies Workshop Press. (1972-2004) Responsible for development and operation of the press and over 400 titles it has produced. These include artists' books as well as titles relating to theory and historical inquiry in the visual arts. Typographer, designer and publisher of books ranging from traditional to experimental. Faculty MFA Program in Visual Studies at VSW in affiliation with SUNY Brockport. (1975-2004) Adjunct faculty SUNY Brockport, (1979-2004) Coordinated VSW's Summer Institute, Artist-in-Residence Program, Computer Lab.

Education
1957 BFA, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University
1957 Graduate Assistantship, Mills College, Oakland, California
1973 MFA, SUNY, Buffalo, Program in Photographic Studies

Selected Workshops
Woodstock Center for Photography
Center for Book and Paper Arts, Colombia College, Chicago
California College of Arts and Crafts,
Rencontre Photographie, Arles, France,
University of Rochester,
Visual Studies Workshop,
Penland School of Art
Center for Book Arts, NYC
CESP, Sao Paulo, Brasil
Anderson Ranch, Snowmass, CO

Selected Lectures
Welesley Book Conference, Keynote, 2005
Pyramid Atlantic Book Conference, 2004
SUNY Brockport, Scholars' Day, 2004
Society for Photographic Education 2004
Rochester Memorial Art Gallery, 2000
SUNY Buffalo, 2000
Society for Photographic Education, National Conference, Tucson, 1999
"Make Your Mark," New England Women in Photography, Simmons College, Dec. 1998
Center for the Book, Colombia College, Chicago, 1998