Center for Book Arts

Recurring shows are placed on their next date. Every listing was read off the venue's own page by a person; prices are the printed ones.

• Oct22Create a DreambookTHURSDAYS · 2:00 PM · next Thu, Oct 22, 2:00 PMA free MoMA workshop series for adults and teens at the Center for Book Arts, where artists María Verónica San Martín and Rebecca Mzengi Corey guide Surrealist-style writing and drawing that becomes a shared accordion book. Sessions run Thursdays 2–5 pm through November 12; registration is required. Take the R/W to 28th St.Free
• Oct22Make the Thing: Small Press Publishing BootcampOct 22 – Nov 12Four evenings that take you from printing and binding one finished zine to sketching a small press of your own, with sessions on pricing, distribution and the independent publishing scene. At the Center for Book Arts, 28 W 27th St, third floor; R or W to 28 St. Sliding-scale tuition from $175 to $525, Thursdays 22 October to 12 November, 6 to 8:30pm, with registration closing 8 October. It is the only course on our calendar that treats publishing itself, not just printing, as the subject.$175–$525
• Oct24Introduction to Hot StampingSaturday, 11:00 AMIntroduction to Hot Stamping is a one-day workshop at the Center for Book Arts in Flatiron, taught by Biruta Auna. You learn to set up a hot stamping machine, experiment with different foils and textures, and use heat and pressure to apply metallic and pigmented foils to paper, bookcloth and other surfaces. It runs in person on Saturday 24 October 2026 from 11am to 5pm, and class size is limited to 12. The page says no experience is necessary and describes it as suitable for creatives of all levels; it does not state a minimum age. The Center provides the materials at no additional cost. You are encouraged, but not required, to bring a snap-off Olfa knife and a pencil. Registration closes on 16 October. The listed price is $240, made up of $210 tuition and a $30 materials fee. Financial assistance is available by application. The Center is on the third floor at 28 West 27th St, New York, NY 10001, close to 28th St (R, W) and 23rd St (F, M, 1). If you want to go further with type and print, the Center also lists Letterpress I: Basic Press Operation and Maintenance from 17 November at $550, and Letterpress Collage on 12 December at $445.$240
• Oct26Dark Matter: Iron Gall Ink from WasteMonday, 6:00 PMDark Matter: Iron Gall Ink from Waste is a three-hour workshop at the Center for Book Arts in Flatiron, led by Julian Silverman, a chemist, educator and science communicator. You investigate how organic materials such as tea, oak leaves or acorns react with scrap metals, then make and refine your own iron gall ink, the traditional ink of historical manuscripts. You test its colour, texture and drying qualities and use it to create a small expressive work, such as a drawing, print or painted piece. The session also looks at the history of ink and pigment making and at circular practices. It runs in person on Monday 26 October 2026 from 6pm to 9pm, limited to 12 participants. The Center provides the materials at no additional cost, and an optional reading is shared after you enrol. The page does not state a level or minimum age. Registration closes on 12 October. The listed price is $135, made up of $105 tuition and a $30 materials fee. Financial assistance is available by application. The Center is on the third floor at 28 West 27th St, New York, NY 10001, near 28th St (R, W) and 23rd St (F, M, 1). The next evening it runs the online Pocket Pop-Up Cryptids.$135
• Oct27Pocket Pop-Up CryptidsTuesday, 6:00 PMPocket Pop-Up Cryptids is a two-evening online workshop from the Center for Book Arts, taught by Shawn Sheehy, a master paper engineer and book arts teacher. You learn five pop-up strategies and apply them to five cryptids: the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, a unicorn, a bridge troll and a dragon. The small structures are built in 2 by 2 inch folios and stored in an adhesive-free box. The page suggests it suits beginners, while more experienced makers can explore new structures. It meets on Tuesdays 27 October and 3 November 2026, from 6pm to 8pm each evening. Sessions are recorded and viewable for up to 30 days. You need an X-Acto knife, bone folder, tweezers, PVA glue, steel ruler, microspatula and self-healing mat. The page mentions a kit of pre-cut pieces but does not say whether it comes with the course, and a $15 materials fee applies. Registration closes on 13 October. The page does not state a minimum age. The listed price is $110, which the page gives as $95 plus the $15 materials fee. Financial assistance is available by application. It is online, so there is no travel; the Center is at 28 West 27th St, New York, NY 10001, near 28th St (R, W) and 23rd St (F, M, 1). Two more online sessions follow: Relief Printing Anywhere on 23 November and Zines, Zines, Zines! on 7 December.$110
• Nov3Suminagashi MarblingTuesday, 6:00 PMSuminagashi Marbling is a two-hour online workshop from the Center for Book Arts, taught by Sheryl Oppenheim on Zoom. You learn the history of suminagashi, see work by contemporary practitioners, find out how to prepare the materials, and then practise several techniques on different papers. You finish with marbled paper of your own. The page says no previous experience is required. It takes place on Tuesday 3 November 2026 from 6pm to 8pm. Specialty materials are needed, and a full list is shared when you register; the page does not say whether any are supplied. The session is recorded and can be viewed for up to 30 days afterwards. Registration closes on 20 October. Tuition is pay-what-you-can, with five tiers: Support Another Student $80 (preselected), Generous Tuition $60, Suggested Tuition $40, Subsidized Tuition $20 and Significant Financial Hardship $10. The page does not state a minimum age. Because it is online, there is no travel; the Center itself is on the third floor at 28 West 27th St, New York, NY 10001, near 28th St (R, W) and 23rd St (F, M, 1). For the in-person version, Marbling with Acrylic Paint runs on Saturday 17 October at the Center and costs $260.$10–$80
• Nov6Painted and Sewn Non-Adhesive JournalFriday, 11:00 AMPainted and Sewn Non-Adhesive Journal is a five-hour workshop at the Center for Book Arts in Flatiron, taught by Elaine G. Chu. You paint your own covers using mark-making, optionally add perforated textures with a rotary tool, fold the inside pages, and sew everything into the covers so the stitching stays exposed. No glue is involved, and you leave with a finished journal. It takes place in person on Friday 6 November 2026 from 11am to 4pm. Class size is limited, and the page showed six seats left. The Center provides the materials at no additional cost. Bring a pencil and paper for notes, and any basic bookbinding supplies you already own; the Center can sell or lend some. The page does not state a level or a minimum age. The listed price is $215, which the page breaks down as $175 tuition plus a $40 materials fee. Financial assistance is available through an application form. Registration closes on 25 October. The Center is on the third floor at 28 West 27th St, New York, NY 10001, near 28th St (R, W) and 23rd St (F, M, 1). The next day, Saturday 7 November, the Center runs Paper Case Binding at $235, so the two make a bookbinding weekend.$215
• Nov7Image Making 1: Photopolymer Crash CourseNov 7 – Nov 8A weekend turning drawings and digital images into photopolymer plates on an exposure unit, then printing them on a letterpress. At the Center for Book Arts, 28 W 27th St, third floor; R or W to 28 St. $445 for Saturday and Sunday, 7 and 8 November, 11am to 5pm, and you need some letterpress experience already. The only other photopolymer class we list is the three-evening one at the Robert Blackburn workshop in December.$445
• Nov7Paper Case BindingSaturday, 11:00 AMPaper Case Binding is a one-day bookbinding workshop at the Center for Book Arts in Flatiron, Manhattan, led by Sarah Nicholls. You sew text blocks and then make two different stiff paper covers to house them, covering materials, tools, sewing technique, cover variations and endsheets. Beginners are welcome. It runs in person on Saturday 7 November 2026 from 11am to 5pm, with a maximum of 12 participants. When the page was read the class was sold out, with a waitlist available. The Center provides the materials and tools at no additional cost. Bring a pencil and paper, a bone or Teflon folder, a metal ruler, an X-Acto knife with number 11 blades or an OLFA knife, scissors and an awl. Spring dividers are optional. The listed price is $235, made up of $210 tuition and a $25 materials fee. Financial assistance is available by application. The page does not state a minimum age. The Center is on the third floor at 28 West 27th St, New York, NY 10001, near 28th St (R, W) and 23rd St (F, M, 1). It is a step up from the Center's $130 Intro to Long Stitch (13 October) and Intro to Stab-Binding (20 October), and a shorter commitment than Bookbinding I: Introduction to Softcover Binding, which starts 16 November at $550.$235
• Nov9BookTalk: Curious Matter, Exhibitions, Books and the Practice of InquiryMonday, 7:00 PMRaymond E. Mingst and Arthur Bruso discuss how exhibitions and artists' books can work as forms of research. Monday, November 9 at 7pm, $5 to reserve a place. Take the R or W to 28 St.$5
• Nov10Bookbinding III: Hardcover EditioningNov 10 – Dec 8The step from making one hardcover book to making a small identical run of three to five, using a sewing frame, hollow spines, endbands, jigs and foil-stamped covers. At the Center for Book Arts, 28 W 27th St, third floor; R or W to 28 St. $550 for five Tuesday evenings, 10 November to 8 December, 6 to 9pm. It is the most advanced binding course on our calendar this autumn.$550
• Nov16Bookbinding I: Introduction to Softcover BindingNov 16 – Dec 14A beginners' course folding, sewing and assembling the classic softcover structures, from pamphlets and accordions to Japanese stab binding and multi-signature books. At the Center for Book Arts, 28 W 27th St, third floor; R or W to 28 St. $550 for five Monday evenings, 16 November to 14 December, 6 to 9pm, with registration closing 2 November. This is the second run this season; the September section is already under way.$550
• Nov17Letterpress I: Basic Press Operation and MaintenanceNov 17 – Dec 15Five evenings learning to run and look after a Vandercook proof press: lockup, packing, inking, registration, impression, paper choice and clean-up. At the Center for Book Arts, 28 W 27th St, third floor; R or W to 28 St. $550 for Tuesdays 17 November to 15 December, 6 to 9pm, registration closing 3 November. It is the second run this season, after the September section.$550
• Nov19Image Making on Letterpress 2: CMYK Photopolymer PrintingNov 19 – Dec 6Full-colour photographic printing on letterpress: separating an image into CMYK photopolymer plates and registering the four colours on press. One online evening on Thursday 19 November (6 to 9pm), then a studio weekend at the Center for Book Arts, 28 W 27th St, third floor (R or W to 28 St), on 5 and 6 December, 11am to 5pm. $565. It is the most expensive letterpress class we list this season.$565
• Nov19Riso II: Analog and Digital Workflows for Multipage ZinesNov 19 – Dec 17The follow-on to Riso I, covering imposition and file preparation so a multipage zine prints and binds in the right order on the Risograph. At the Center for Book Arts, 28 W 27th St, third floor; R or W to 28 St. $445 for four Thursday evenings, 19 November to 17 December (no class on Thanksgiving), 6 to 9pm. Of the Riso classes we list, it is the one that assumes you already know the machine.$445
• Nov19Chapbook Competition Poetry Reading and LaunchThursday, 6:00 PMAn in-person poetry reading celebrating this year's chapbook winner ansel elkins and runners-up Michael Prior and Hajer Requiq, hosted by judge Nikky Finney, along with a look at the printers who made the editions. Thursday, November 19 at 6pm; free with RSVP. Take the R or W to 28 St.Free
• Nov21Type as Image: Beyond the GridNov 21 – Nov 22A letterpress weekend about breaking the typographic grid, using rotary chases, overprinting, masking and layering so type behaves like image. At the Center for Book Arts, 28 W 27th St, third floor; R or W to 28 St. $450 for Saturday and Sunday, 21 and 22 November, 11am to 5pm. It is one of three weekend letterpress classes the Center runs in November and December.$450
• Nov21Endband Sewing and MakingNov 21 – Nov 22A weekend on the small sewn bands at the head and tail of a book's spine, trying different core materials and working them onto text blocks. At the Center for Book Arts, 28 W 27th St, third floor; R or W to 28 St. $450 for Saturday and Sunday, 21 and 22 November, 11am to 5pm. It runs the same weekend as the Center's type-as-image letterpress class, so pick one.$450
• Nov23Relief Printing AnywhereMonday, 6:00 PMRelief Printing Anywhere is a two-session online workshop from the Center for Book Arts, taught by Elizabeth (Beth) Sheehan, a printmaker, papermaker and book artist based in Chicago. In the first evening you experiment with materials for relief blocks, image transfer, carving tools and sharpening. In the second you learn printing techniques, registering multiple blocks and making reduction woodcuts. You can work from household materials or from wood and linoleum, and print by hand with a spoon, so no press is needed. It meets on Mondays 23 November and 30 November 2026, 6pm to 8pm each evening. You supply your own materials: linoleum, a linocut tool, a brayer, a wooden spoon, relief printing ink, towels and cleanup supplies, and paper; a detailed list is emailed when you register. Both sessions are recorded and viewable for up to 30 days. Registration closes on 9 November. The page states neither a level nor a minimum age. Tuition is pay-what-you-can, with five tiers: Support Another Student $160 (the default), Generous Tuition $120, Suggested Tuition $80, Subsidized Tuition $40 and Significant Financial Hardship $20. It is online, so there is no travel; the Center is at 28 West 27th St, New York, NY 10001, near 28th St (R, W) and 23rd St (F, M, 1). In person, the Robert Blackburn workshop teaches Intro to Linocut on 3 November, and Bryant Park lists a free Relief Printmaking Workshop on 13 October.$20–$160
• Nov24More Texture Is More Texture: Collaborative Surface DesignNov 24 – Dec 15Four evenings of hand mark-making and pattern design, layered through shared Risograph prints into a group catalogue of sample surfaces. At the Center for Book Arts, 28 W 27th St, third floor; R or W to 28 St. $450 for Tuesdays 24 November to 15 December, 6 to 9pm. It is the most pattern-focused class in the Center's autumn programme.$450
• Dec4Clamshell BoxesDec 4 – Dec 6Measuring, cutting and gluing a cloth-covered clamshell box fitted to a particular book, the standard archival enclosure. At the Center for Book Arts, 28 W 27th St, third floor; R or W to 28 St. $560 for Friday 4 December, 6 to 9pm, then Saturday and Sunday, 5 and 6 December, 11am to 5pm. It is the only clamshell-box course on our calendar.$560
• Dec5Exquisite Colors: Illustration and Risograph Color TheorySaturday, 11:00 AMA Saturday playing exquisite corpse, drawing and collaging collaborative images and then printing them on the Risograph in different colour combinations. At the Center for Book Arts, 28 W 27th St, third floor; R or W to 28 St. $235 on 5 December, 11am to 5pm. It is the cheapest in-person Riso session the Center has listed this season.$235
• Dec7Zines, Zines, Zines!Monday, 6:00 PMZines, Zines, Zines! is a two-hour online workshop from the Center for Book Arts, taught by Elizabeth (Beth) Sheehan, a printmaker, papermaker and book artist based in Chicago. You learn the history of zines and zine culture, practise simple zine structures and accordion-book variations, and try simple image-making, including pochoir, which you can do at home. It is an introductory session. It takes place on Monday 7 December 2026 from 6pm to 8pm. You supply your own materials, including paper, adhesives, thread and a needle, a cutting tool, ink or paint, and collage materials. The class is recorded and the recording can be viewed for up to 30 days afterwards. Registration closes on 23 November. The page does not state a minimum age. Pricing is pay-what-you-can, with five tiers: Support Another Student $80 (the default), Generous Tuition $60, Suggested Tuition $40, Subsidized Tuition $20 and Significant Financial Hardship $10. Because it is online, there is no travel. The Center is on the third floor at 28 West 27th St, New York, NY 10001, near 28th St (R, W) and 23rd St (F, M, 1). For a longer, in-person route into zines, the Center's Riso II: Analog and Digital Workflows for Multipage Zines starts 19 November at $445.Pay What You Can
• Dec12Letterpress CollageDec 12 – Dec 13A weekend printing wood type on press as raw material, then cutting and collaging those prints into abstract compositions. At the Center for Book Arts, 28 W 27th St, third floor; R or W to 28 St. $445 for Saturday and Sunday, 12 and 13 December, 10am to 4pm. It is the last letterpress class on our calendar to start before the new year.$445

The last 20 of 24 past events we listed here — useful for a sense of what this venue actually programmes.

1. Intro to Stab-BindingOct 20, 2026
2. Riso I: Foundations of Risograph PrintingOct 19, 2026
3. Marbling with Acrylic PaintOct 17, 2026
4. Curatorial Walkthrough of Paper CutsOct 16, 2026
5. Intro to Long StitchOct 13, 2026
6. Cyanotype to Concertina: Building a Folded SequenceOct 10, 2026
7. Riso Printing Woven AccordionsOct 10, 2026
8. Fiber Arts as Book Arts: Fiber Book FormsOct 8, 2026
9. Bookbinding II: Introduction to Hardcover BindingOct 7, 2026
10. Intro to Pamphlet StitchOct 6, 2026
11. SlipcasesOct 3, 2026
12. Fiber Arts as Book Arts: EmbroideryOct 1, 2026
13. Letterpress II: Introduction to Typography on PressOct 1, 2026
14. The Illegible BookSep 29, 2026
15. Gel Plate PrintingSep 26, 2026
16. Fiber Arts as Book Arts: Kitchen PrintingSep 24, 2026
17. Poetry and the Page: Visualizing the WordSep 19, 2026
18. Fiber Arts as Book Arts: Natural DyeingSep 17, 2026
19. Bookbinding I: Introduction to Softcover BindingSep 14, 2026
20. Long Stitch Binding at HomeSep 14, 2026