Bookbinding I

Course Code: 26SBB100I

This five-week, in-person workshop takes place on  Thursdays, January 29th - February 26th, from 6PM to 9PM ET.

  • Thursday, January 29th, from 6PM to 9PM ET
  • Thursday, February 5th, from 6PM to 9PM ET
  • Thursday, February 12th, from 6PM to 9PM ET
  • Thursday, February 19th, from 6PM to 9PM ET
  • Thursday, February 26th, from 6PM to 9PM ET

Please Note: Registration for this workshop closes on January 15th, at 11:59pm Eastern Time.


About the Workshop:

This in-person class at the Center for Book Arts is taught by instructor María Verónica San Martín. In this introductory course, you will learn the basic use of bookbinding tools and materials, along with fundamental bookbinding structures.

Students will explore non-adhesive structures, bindings for single sheets, and other bindings that require minimal specialized equipment. Techniques covered include accordions, pamphlets, French stitch, Japanese stab binding, double accordion, and flag books.

This class is ideal for those who wish to learn simple forms for presenting their work or to build a solid foundation in bookbinding.


Required Materials:

  • Pencil and paper for taking notes
  • Please wear closed-toed shoes and clothes that can get stained or dirty (CBA will provide aprons, but the ink used on press can stain)
  • If you already own the following please bring them. If not, CBA will have some for purchase or to borrow:

    • 3 packs of wax paper
    • Deco and plain paper
    • Color threads (I think we need more colors without wax) the linen one from Talas
    • Pencil and paper for note-taking
    • Bookbinding awl
    • Bone folder
    • Olfa silver knife and blades, or exact-o knife
    • PVA

About the Instructor:

Maria Veronica San Martin (she/her), born in Chile in 1981, is a New York-based multidisciplinary artist, printmaker, and educator. A Whitney Museum ISP fellow, she is part-time faculty at Parsons, The New School, and an instructor at the Center for Book Arts and Mixteca. San Martín has also been a visiting professor at Miami University (OH), an instructor at Penland School of Craft (NC), and has led workshops at The MET, Bard College, Trinity College, Veralist, Interference Archive, and The Weeksville Heritage Center. She is a board member of Booklyn, an artist collective and nonprofit.

San Martín’s work engages with the cultural impacts of history, memory, and trauma through archives, artist books, installations, sculptures, and performances. Her work is held in over 80 collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Pompidou Center, the Walker Art Center, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Whitney Museum, Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, and the Contemporary Art Center, both in Chile.


All images courtesy of the instructor. 

Class size is limited to 12 participants to ensure an optimal participant to Instructor ratio. Register now before spots fill up! Registration for this workshop closes on January 15th at 11:59pm ET. Tuition for this course is $525 + a $25 materials fee. If you cannot comfortably pay tuition but are interested in taking this class, please consider filling out our financial assistance application here. We will notify you if you are selected to receive a scholarship before the start date of the class. To view more information about our current scholarship opportunities, please visit this link.

9 Remaining

$550