The Rare Book and Special Collections Division is preparing for our next public symposium, Our Common Ground: 250 Years of Americans Engaging with Nature on Thursday, May 14, 2026. As we look forward to welcoming you all to the Library once again, we are reminded of the excitement and outpouring of support for our last public symposium, Book Artist in the Studio, held in August 2025.
As such, we wanted to take a moment to share a recap of the full Book Artist in the Studio event programming which included a printing demonstration in The Rare Book Classroom by letterpress printer Lauren Emeritz, a curated display of collection material, and a talk featuring type designer Russell Maret, intaglio printmaker Sarah Horowitz, and Emily Moore, former Assistant Curator of the Aramont Library.
Printing Demonstration in The Rare Book Classroom
The printing demonstration was led by letterpress printer and book artist Lauren Emertiz of Abstract Orange who opened the event by sharing details of her creative process including how she got her start as a letterpress printer, the evolution of her artistic practice, and what inspires her. After her talk, Lauren provided an overview of the printing process, including the differences between working with a 20th century Vandercook and the Library’s own colonial era hand press, the Copper Torch Press. Guests were then invited to try their hand at pulling their own prints on the Copper Torch Press. The take way keepsakes were printed in Lauren’s signature color using wood type from The Rare Book Classroom collection.
Book Artist in the Studio Panel Talk
The Book Artist in the Studio symposium opened with a talk by Emily Moore, former Assistant Curator of the Aramont Library. Drawing on the distinct materiality of illustrated books in the Aramont Library, the immersive nature of Russell Maret’s Colored Objects, and the physicality of Sarah Horowitz’s creative practice during the creation of Timeline, Emily Moore discussed the embodied experience of reading, engaging with, and creating artists books.
Emily was followed by intaglio printmaker Sarah Horowitz. Sarah’s talk “Making Baba Yaga Wiesedruck” explained the multi-step process of creating engraved illustrations and discussed the artists who have influenced and inspired her work. Our third speaker was book artist, author and type designer Russell Maret. His talk, titled, “Impractical Studio Practice: Making Colored Objects,” offered insights into the immense labor, attention to detail, and creative dedication required to produce an artist book.
A recording of the symposium can be viewed in full on the Library’s website.
Collections Display
Immediately following the panel talk, guests were invited to explore a curated collections display featuring a selection of illustrated books from the Aramont Library including Au Défaut du Silence by Paul Éluard, Robert Motherwell’s edition of Ulysses, and Revolving Doors by Man Ray. The display also featured material from the Russell Maret Archive including process notes, mock-ups, test bindings, and a selection of Russell Maret’s artists books held in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division’s Press Collection.
The adjoining room featured a display of limited edition works by Sarah Horowitz held in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division’s Artists’ Book Collection including Baba Yaga, Historic tulips: Dutch Historic Tulips from Bayntun Flowers, and Lepidoptera: The Death of the Moth. During her talk, the artist passed around a handling copy of Baba Yaga which offered the audience a special opportunity for tactile engagement with an artists book.
We hope to see you all at our next symposium, Our Common Ground: 250 Years of Americans Engaging with Nature on May 14th! For a brief overview of the day’s events and an annotated schedule, check out this blog post by Ashley Rose Young. And if you’re unable to attend, stay tuned! We will share an upcoming blog post recapping the event, which will include recordings of each session.
