We have all but the last one holdout on the 2024 Chesapeake calendar. You can click here to see the submitted pages.
Take a look at Lead Graffiti’s “Opposites” book, also done in collaboration with Upper Chesapeake Book Arts, on their YouTube channel. You can click here to see it.
APHA Chesapeake will be participating in the Lancaster Printers Fair on Saturday, September 16, 2023. For information, click here.
The Chesapeake Chapter of the American Printing History Association is now accepting applications for its Michael Denker Fellowships.
About the Fellowship
Established in the memory of longtime chapter contributor, wood type collector, letterpress printer, and friend Michael Denker, a year-long fellowship, as a one-time award, provides free membership in the national association and the Chesapeake Chapter, invitations to Chapter events such as studio tours, behind-the-scenes museum visits, workshops, and more, as well as discounted registration for the annual national APHA conference and a subscription to the semiannual journal “Printing History.” The fellowship also provides an opportunity to present a body of work or research at the annual Chapter symposium at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
About APHA
The American Printing History Association promotes the study of the history of printing and related arts and crafts, including calligraphy, typefounding, typography, papermaking, bookbinding, illustration, and publishing. The Chesapeake Chapter draws its membership from printers, artists, curators, historians, and collectors in the DC-Baltimore-Virginia-Delaware area. For more information about APHA, visit the national website at printinghistory.org.
To Apply
Send a short statement expressing your interest in the history and practice of printing and related arts and what you hope to gain from joining the Chapter’s diverse community. The deadline to apply is November 15th. Send your statement (or any questions) to the Chapter Secretary (ChesapeakeAPHA@gmail.com) with the subject “Denker Fellowship Application.”
Applications will be notified in December.
APHA / Chesapeake June meeting
Tour of Prototype Press
Indian Head, Maryland
June 17, 10am – 1pm
Mark Sarigianis of the Prototype Press, Indian Head, Maryland, hosted an APHA studio tour on Saturday, June 17. The Prototype Press is the new name of the Sharp Teeth Press and was operated by Mark Sarigianis and David Johnston(1985-2015) in Oakland, California, before moving to Southern MD. Printer and type caster Sarigianis works to produce entirely in-house first editions by local authors and artists, as well as a reimagining of better, know authors. Below are a few photos from the day. Afterward, we all gathered at the home of Eric Frazier. The problem was that the conversation was so much fun I forgot to take photos.
If you want to read the story of Misdruk’s talk, Ray Nichols has written it up with photographs on Lead Graffiti’s website. It is problematic posting long stores with lots of big images on the APHA website.
⬇ Lauren Emeritz of Abstract Orange and Chesapeake Chapter president at the Manhattan Fine Press Book Fair, Saturday, April 29, 2023.
⬇ Jill Cypher of Lead Graffiti’s newest book she first showed at the Manhattan Fine Press Book Fair, Saturday, April 29, 2023.
Library of Congress : 25 and Counting
Selections from a Quarter Century of Collection Development
in Rare Book & Special Collections Division
Thursday, March 23, 2023 | 1:00 – 4:00pm
Chesapeake Chapter gathers to celebrate “25 and Counting” with Mark Dimunation, Chief of Rare Books at the Library of Congress. Left to right in the back row, Eric Frazier, Rick Black, Donald Farren, Jill Cypher, Ray Nichols, Jackie Coleburn, and Lauren Emeritz.
Lead Graffiti has its monthly First Friday Eve on Thursday, July 6. 120A Sandy Drive, Newark, DE. We’ll be highlighting the “Jokers Wild” project from Tony Guadangelo with participation by the Amalgamated Printers Association. It’s a strange and exciting collaborative project.
NATIONAL NEWS at the American Printing History Association’s annual meeting included
The 2023 Mark Samuels Lasner Fellowship in Printing History was conferred to Val Lucas for her research into typecasting by Fellowship Committee: E. Haven Hawley, Chair; Johanna Drucker; Miriam Intrator.
Chesapeake Chapter Notes
Chesapeake Chapter Notes is emailed monthly to members and friends of the Chesapeake Chapter of the American Printing History Association. Contributions are welcome and can be sent to George Barnum, Chapter Secretary.
At the bottom of this page, we show letterpress projects printed by Chapter members. If you print and are savvy about social media, hashtag your in-progress or completed works using #aphachesapeake.
The annual APHA calendar roster is set. Start working on your holiday gift list.
Cover / Chris Manson, January / Don Starr, February / Ken Kulakowsky,
March / Randy Newcomer, April / Ian Edelson, May / Casey Smith,
June / James Quigley, July / Ray Nichols, August / Lauren Emeritz,
September / Tatiana Shukhin, October / Jim Wilder, November / Jill Cypher,
December / Carol Maurer, Colophon / George Barnum.
Thanks to all that volunteered. We will set up a page to post images as they come in.
The general plan is to limit images per member to 2.
We are happy to post up to 3 recent or important images of letterpress-related creative work by our printing members. If you are a chapter member and have work, you would like to submit an email with a digital image to Ray Nichols.
Recent images received will appear at the top. After a month, they will move into alphabetical order by printer’s name. We will limit each printer to 2 images or 3 if the work is particularly significant.
RECENT SUBMISSIONS (1)
⬇ RAY NICHOLS
Size : 6″ x 4″
Runs : 1
Press : Vandercook Universal III
Paper : Sucher
Details : photopolymer
⬇ JOHN & NANCY JOHNSON
Size : 15″ x 22″
Runs : 3 on a Washington iron hand press
Paper : Stonehenge
Details : Reduction woodcut in cherry
⬇ Jill Cypher & RAY NICHOLS : Lead Graffiti : Newark, DE
A2 Thank you cards for the Amos Lemon Burkhart Foundation.
Size : A2 folding thank you card
Paper : French 140# white
Runs : 2 (hand rolled background in 2 colors & gold)
Press : Vandercook Universal III
Client : Amos Lemon Burkhart Foundation
⬇ JILL CYPHER : Lead Graffiti : Newark, DE
Title : Found / See
Size : 12.75″ x 9″
Paper : Somerset Textured White 300gsm
Details : 2 runs with mica powder over paste paper
⬇ LAUREN EMERITZ : Abstract Orange : Washington, DC : Instagram
Runs : 4
Details : Wood cut printed via letterpress
⬇ LAUREN EMERITZ : Abstract Orange : Washington, DC
Month for APHA 2024 calendar
Details : handset wood and metal type
⬇ ROLAND HOOVER : Pembroke Press : Bethesda, MD
Title : 2008 Chesapeake Chapter Roster
Details : Letterpress via handset metal type
⬇ VAL LUCAS : Bowerbox Press : Monkton, MD
Title : French Clarendon Specimen Sheet
Details : Letterpress via hand-set wood & metal type
⬇ VAL LUCAS : Bowerbox Press : Monkton, MD
Title : Sumac pressure print
Details : Wood cut 7 leaves
⬇ VAL LUCAS : Bowerbox Press : Monkton, MD
Details : Foundry border material design, carved, and cast by Val
⬇ CHRIS MANSON : Crooked Crow Press : Rockville, MD
Cover page for APHA’s 2024 calendar
Size : 7″ x 11″
Paper : Stonehenge
Details : handset metal type
⬇ RAY NICHOLS & JILL CYPHER : Lead Graffiti : Newark, DE
The Lead Graffiti book, “How Ink Writes Poetry,” was accepted to the Newark Arts Alliance exhibition entitled “In the Abstract.” The call for entries stated, “Work in any medium that depicts the subject matter in an unconventional and nonrepresentational manner.” The pages are “Ink Pulls” that we create using our Vandercook Universal III. The book has been purchased by the Library of Congress.
⬇ RAY NICHOLS & JILL CYPHER : Lead Graffiti : Newark, DE
Size : 14.5″ x 22.5″
Paper : Somerset Textured White 300gsm
Runs : 18
Details : handset metal type.
The bottom 16 lines are ghost printed without reinking.
Broadside to support the Ukraine International Relief Fund. Generated $1200.
⬇ GREG ROBISON : Peregrinus Press
Title : The Jesuit Motto
Details : Letterpress via hand-set metal type
⬇ GREG ROBISON : Peregrinus Press
Jesuit Zen
Letterpress via hand-set metal type
⬇ CASEY SMITH : Own Goal Press : Wilmington, DE
Title : New Suns
Details : Letterpress via hand rolling on tissue paper
⬇ CASEY SMITH : Own Goal Press : Wilmington, DE
Title : Zoom Cards
Type : Handset wood type and metal border materials
Runs : each sheet is printed in 2 colors
Details : Bottom image for each sheet is various forms of bubblewrap
View a co-operative print exchange by chapter members in 2021. Click to view.
View annual Chesapeake Chapter calendars. 2023. 2022. 2021. 2020. 2019. 2017. 2016.