Standards of Excellence 2025

ISLAM ALY

From Tradition to Transformation: The Evolution of a Book Artist’s Practice

"I will trace the evolution of my work in book arts, beginning with my formative experiences as a student and continuing through my development as a professional artist. The presentation will explore how early studies in traditional bookbinding laid the foundation for later experimentation with structure, materiality, and conceptual meaning. Particular focus will be given to selected binding projects that illustrate pivotal moments of transition and innovation within my practice. By integrating both traditional techniques and unconventional materials, my work seeks to challenge and expand the boundaries of the artist’s book as an object and vessel of meaning."

An in-depth discussion of recent work inspired by Coptic tapestries, using bone as both a structural and symbolic material for book covers, will highlight the intersection of organic form, narrative, and tactile experience. The presentation will conclude with a live demonstration, offering insight into the processes of working with bone and its integration into book structures. A demo of Coptic sewing and endband will also be included.

Islam Aly is a book artist and a lecturer in Design at Helwan University’s College of Art Education. He began his creative path with a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education and a Master’s from the same institution. Balancing critical analysis with hands-on making, he earned a Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning with a concentration in Art Education at the University of Iowa and an MFA in Book Arts at the University of Iowa, where he engaged deeply with the discipline’s historical roots and contemporary developments. His educational background and intensive studio training have influenced his approach to creating artists’ books. He merges historical bookbinding techniques with digital technologies to create works that are both rooted in tradition and forward-looking. Islam addresses cultural memory, identity, and transformation themes through his artists’ books. His work often challenges viewers’ perceptions of what a book can be, emphasizing the book’s evolving role in an increasingly digital world. He is particularly interested in the interplay between traditional book arts’ tactile qualities and contemporary technological interventions, exploring how physical craftsmanship can integrate with modern innovations while preserving the sensory essence of the book form.

KATHERINE BEATY

Postcards from Italian Archives: Medieval Stationery Bindings in the Italian Peninsula

For the past year, Katherine Beaty has been in residence at the American Academy in Rome as the Suzanne Deal Booth Rome Prize recipient. During this Standards presentation, she will take you on an adventure through the reading rooms and archives to examine and document the variety of stationery books from across the country. Utilizing archaeological documentation of the bookbinding features, Katherine will share survey tools, drawings and diagramming techniques, and how recreating bookbindings in the studio aids in understanding how the books were constructed. Katherine will also share how exploring allied crafts in Italy, such as textile weaving and leatherworking, has enhanced her understanding of the craft of stationery bookbinding. From the late medieval through Renaissance periods, she will make a sampling of Italian stationery binding structures including limp parchment and laminated leather variations, and will discuss and demonstrate sewing variations, endbands, parchment wrapper-style endleaves, lacing with alum tawed strips and woven silk ribbons, as well as a various fastening types, such as ties, loop and toggle, and buckle and strap.

Katherine Beaty is a rare book conservator for special collections at the Weissman Preservation Center, Harvard Library special collections conservation laboratory. She has a special interest in parchment, non-western bindings, and investigating historical book structures. Before coming to Harvard in 2008, Katherine trained at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Library of Congress, New York Academy of Medicine, Harry Ransom Center, and worked at Duke University Library and the Smithsonian. Katherine’s first experience with books was with Don Etherington in Greensboro, NC, who hired her straight out of art school with no experience in bookbinding. Katherine went on to earn her M.A. in book and paper conservation from the Buffalo State College's, Garman Art Conservation department and is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation. Katherine was awarded the Suzanne Deal Booth Rome Prize in 2024 and has spent the year researching Italian stationery bookbindings in Italy. 
Photo credits: Jess Robson

COLEEN CURRY

An Art of its Own: Dyeing and Texturing Leather for Design Binding

"People frequently describe my fine bindings as "painterly" and I am often asked "So, how did you create such depth of color and texture on leather?" Over several years, I have experimented using dyes and textures on leather to intuitively express my response to texts or illustrations. The treatments I’ve developed involve composing layers of color, foil, gold leaf, texture, and mark making. These methods serve as a way to visually and tactilely convey feelings that I find challenging to articulate through words and shapes. The abstraction of color and texture is true to the essence and style of how I responded to a book. This presentation will offer an overview of how I use vegetable tanned undyed leather, discussing its limitations and applications. Subsequently, I will present how I have explored and experimented using various methods and processes. I’ll show the outcomes of these explorations as board coverings, mosaics, and visual narratives on my bindings. Additionally, specific techniques using dyes, layering color and texture will be demonstrated."

Coleen Curry is a contemporary design binder focused on creating visually and tactilely engaging books. She graduated with a Diploma in Fine Binding from the American Academy of Bookbinding in 2009. Coleen teaches privately and conducts workshops on fine binding, design techniques, leather dying and surface treatments. Her work has been showcased internationally and has garnered several awards, including the Ninth Helen Warren DeGolyer Award for American Bookbinding in 2022, First Prize in Case Binding at the Society of Bookbinders International Competition (2015), Award for Excellence in Design (2019), and Highly Commendable Awards in both the 2017 and 2020 Open/Set International Competitions.Coleen’s work is held in both private and public collections. She serves on the Board for the San Francisco Center for the Book and is a former president of the Hand Bookbinders of California. Coleen lives in California and enjoys swimming and rock climbing in her free time.

MARY UTHUPPURU

Fun with Box Making

Boxes are an essential way to present a finished book piece as a bookbinder and book artist. A well-made enclosure will not only protect the work inside but can enrich the content, and while they may seem complex, boxes are simple once broken down to their basic components. Elements can be multiplied or rearranged to create very interesting pieces. Mary found a love for making practical boxes during her time working in the conservation lab at the Lilly Library, in Bloomington, Indiana. There, she learned the foundations of box structures by making numerous protective enclosures that custom fit collection materials. Later, she explored ways the box can complement and complete her artist books by introducing the viewer to the box’s content at the start by playing with common structures and bringing design elements outside. Mary will share how she approaches box making as it applies to artist books, bindings, and non-traditional content. Demonstrating on a model, she will share how she plans her box designs and how she illuminates the unusual with techniques like curved edges, hidden spaces, and more.

Mary Uthuppuru is a book artist who enjoys exploring the natural world within her artwork. Living in the countryside, surrounded by wooded areas, Mary gets to observe wildlife daily. Feeling a kinship with Eastern box turtles, she enjoys exploring natural mysteries in a contemplative way and celebrates the beauty and intrigue we overlook every day. From her observations in nature and interest in the sciences, Mary strives to create artist books, prints, and, of course, boxes that inspire curiosity and play. Through her role as the owner and operator of Colophon Book Arts Supply, an online shop based in Indiana, Mary brings her love and enthusiasm for the book arts to our larger community.