Tools and Materials
Bookbinders Kit
Circular Thinking: Making and Designing Round Boxes
Course Code: 25FBM204I
This two-day, in-person workshop takes place at CBA on Saturday and Sunday, November 22nd - 23rd, from 11AM to 5PM Eastern Time.
- Saturday, November 22nd, 11AM to 5PM ET
- Sunday, November 23rd, 11AM to 5PM ET
Please Note: Registration for this workshop closes on November 8th, 2025 at 11:59 pm.
About the Workshop:
Circular structures open new possibilities for artists’ books.
In this hands-on weekend workshop taught by instructor Biruta Auna, you’ll learn to design and construct a custom round box—a sculptural container that can house, protect, or even become an artist’s book. Students will explore the geometry and precision behind cylindrical forms, cutting and wrapping curved walls, and fitting snug, smooth lids.
Beyond technical mastery, this class invites creative thinking about the relationship between container and content: how a circular form might suggest time, continuity, ritual, or the cyclical nature of reading. You’ll leave with a finished round box and the skills to adapt the form for future projects—from editioned books to sculptural enclosures.
Students will each take home their own cylindrical box decorated in book cloth or paper, and will gain useful knowledge of how to manipulate stubborn binders board to create unique and fun boxes and books in the future.
Suitable for artists, bookbinders, and designers with basic experience in boxmaking, book structures, or with confident hand skills.
Required Materials:
- knife (with snap-off blade, small olfa knife is the best)
- bone folder
- pencil
- flat bristle glue brushes (W1.5" and W1")
- Student divider (optional)
All other materials will be provided by Center for Book Arts at no additional cost.
About Biruta Auna
Biruta Auna is an artist, bookbinder, and designer. Her work features traditional craftsmanship coupled with artistic innovation. Concerned with the harmony of form, color, and texture, she allows the book to transcend its usual function.
Biruta participates in domestic and international fine bookbinding exhibitions, and has had solo shows in Europe. Her clientele ranges from individuals – photographers, artists, and publishers – to art galleries and corporations.
All images courtesy of the instructor.
