Part of our Visiting Artist Series, Susan Lowdermilk, book artist and printmaker, will be leading a Book Structures for Printmakers workshop in partnership with ASLD & Guild of Book Workers Rocky Mountain Chapter
March 21 & 22, 2026, 10AM-5PM, at Anderson Academic Commons, University of Denver
OTHER IMPORTANT DATES
Workshop registration deadline | March 1, 2026
Artist talk | Thursday, March 19, 5:30-7PM in A-02 at Art Students League of Denver (Register here)
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
In this two-day workshop, participants will explore a range of simple yet dynamic bookbinding structures that pair beautifully with traditional printmaking processes such as relief, intaglio, screenprint, and lithography. Whether you are incorporating existing prints into book form or designing a new project around print-based imagery, these bindings offer flexible and engaging formats.
The workshop is equally welcoming to artists who are not printmakers but who wish to learn a variety of binding methods using diverse papers. Together we will construct structures including the tunnel book, pamphlet stitch, accordion with non-adhesive envelope covers, leporello with covered boards, flag book, and palm leaf book.
Alongside hands-on construction, we will discuss:
- Paper types and printing methods best suited to each structure
- Attributes and challenges of incorporating prints into books
- Additive techniques such as collage and painting
- Methods for protecting printed imagery
- Folders and slip cases for housing the books
The instructor will share examples from their own collection of artist books to inspire and illustrate possibilities. All essential binding materials and papers will be provided, though students are encouraged to bring their own prints and imagery for experimentation.
Registration for members of Art Students League of Denver and/or Guild of Book Workers: $300
Registration for non-members of Art Students League of Denver and/or Guild of Book Workers: $360
Registration includes $20 material fee, payable at registration.
ARTIST BIO:
Susan Lowdermilk creates artist books that combine traditional printmaking techniques with sculptural paper engineering. Incorporating pop-up pages and movable structures, her work invites tactile interaction while exploring themes of climate change, catastrophic wildfire, and humanity’s complex relationship with the natural world.
A retired professor from the Arts Division at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, Lowdermilk continues to make and exhibit work that merges craft, narrative, and environmental awareness. Her artist books are held in the permanent collections of over 70 public institutions worldwide, and she is represented by galleries across the United States.
Lowdermilk holds an MFA in Printmaking from the University of Oregon and a BFA from Colorado State University. Her practice bridges the traditional and the innovative, bringing a sense of wonder and urgency to the printed page.
Web page: susanlowdermilk.com
