Society of Scribes, Ltd.
P.O. Box 933
New York, NY 10150
Tel: (212) 452-0139
Weekdays 10AM-7PM
E-mail: info@societyofscribes.org


©2007 Society of Scribes. All rights reserved.

A "TASTE" OF LETTERPRESS FOR CALLIGRAPHERS

Wednesday, January 11, 2012
with Roni Gross
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
with a mid-lecture hot cocoa/cider donut break

at The Center for Book Arts
28 West 27th Street, 3rd Floor
(between 6th and Broadway)
New York, New York 10001

$20.00 per person

Click here for Registration Form

The Society of Scribes is offering a two-hour "tasting" lecture on the art of photopolymer letterpress geared toward calligraphers who would like to expand their repertoire. Letterpress is currently in vogue for wedding and social stationery, but this isn't the entire story. Holiday cards, books, and gifts are just a few possible applications with letterpress for calligraphers. A brief review of foil stamping will also be included in this lecture.

So warm up with some hot cocoa this January, spend a few hours with us and learn if this printing technique is for you. The Center for Book Arts lecturer, Roni Gross, will take you through the process with an actual calligraphy project using one of the Center's presses. Papers, inks, techniques, and an idea of costs will be covered as well as suggestions for beginner classes.

HOLIDAY FAIR 2011

Sunday, December 11, 2011, 11 am – 4 pm


This year's holiday fair will be very exciting. Save the date, we hope to see you there. Recession special: Free admission!!

Sunday December 11, 2011
11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Brotherhood Synagogue
28 Gramercy Park South, Manhattan
(between 3rd Avenue and Irving place)

Vendors! Demonstrations by Master Calligraphers! Rubber Stamps! Calligraphy Supplies! Books! Pens! Silent Auction! Raffles! Door Prizes! Activities for Kids!

Watch master calligraphers demonstrate historical and contemporary styles and try your own hand in the Scriptorium, staffed by experienced scribes and illuminators. Children of all ages can try calligraphy, illumination, and bookbinding. This special program, developed by Karen Gorst, curator of Three Faiths Scriptorium at the New York Public Library, is open to all ages and held from 12:00 - 3:00 pm.

PRE-ORDERS from Paper & Ink Arts

Make sure Paper & Ink Arts brings everything you want. Pre-order by WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30 for pick-up at the Holiday Fair!

Order online or by phone. Use the newly re-modeled Paper & Ink Arts website and BE SURE to say it's a pre-order for the HOLIDAY FAIR in the notes section after you order, or call 1-800-736-7772.

To volunteer, contact info@societyofscribes.org

logo by Carl Rohrs

2011 MEMBERS' EXHIBITION

December 5-17, 2011


December 5 to December 17, 2011
at the National Arts Club
15 Gramercy Park South
(between Park Avenue and Irving Place)

The 2011 Members' Exhibition will be installed on December 3, 2011 and will be on view from December 5-17 to coincide with the Holiday Fair on Sunday, December 11, just down the block. Each member is invited to submit original calligraphic work(s), no copies or digital prints.

Artwork can be delivered to the National Arts Club on December 3, 2011 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.
The deadline for submitting artwork information is Thursday December 1, 2011 at 5:00 pm.

Click here for the entry form, with more information on page two about the exhibition, how to submit artwork, and addresses for delivering artwork and label information.

NATIONAL ARTS CLUB RECEPTION: "The World Encyclopedia of Calligraphy"

Monday, December 5, 2011
6 pm - 8 pm
at the National Arts Club
15 Gramercy Park South
(between Park Avenue and Irving Place)

On Monday December 5, Christopher Calderhead and Holly Cohen will be pleased to present and discuss their long-awaited new book, "The World Encyclopedia of Calligraphy" at the SoS's reception for its annual Members Exhibition at the National Arts Club. The book is a comprehensive guide to writing the major calligraphic scripts from around the globe. It includes chapters on the Roman Alphabet, Greek and Cyrillic, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, plus many more scripts. Each chapter begins with a historical overview and contains exemplars with guides for writing the different scripts.

Christopher and Holly will show original work from the book and talk about the adventure of assembling this vast archive of material from around the world.

The reception will be held in the Marquis Gallery from 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibition will be in the adjacent Trask Gallery.

Refreshments will be served.


Calligraphy by Jim Zhang

"AND I STOLE THIS FROM...": SOURCES OF INSPIRATION; A SLIDE LECTURE BY CARL ROHRS

Friday, November 4, 2011



"And I Stole This From ...": Sources of Inspiration; A Slide Lecture by Carl Rohrs.

November 4, 2011
6:30 pm

School of Visual Arts
(SVA) Annex, Room 701A
214 East 21st Street, Manhattan
(between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)

This program will feature an eclectic collection of lettering from a wide variety of calligraphers, lettering artists, graphic designers and typographers, from European masters to contemporary American scribes and the resulting work that happened in his tiny studio. With examples drawn from research in libraries, museums and artists' studios around the world, Carl traces the sources of inspiration which have influenced his own work and the resulting transformation into a highly original personal expression.

RICK PAULUS: FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TO THE SEA - A CALLIGRAPHER'S JOURNEY

Thursday, July 28, 2011



The Society of Scribes presents
A Midsummer Night's Calligraphic Presentation
From the White House to the Sea - A Calligrapher's Journey
featuring Rick Paulus
former chief White House Calligrapher

Thursday, July 28, 2011, from 6pm to 8pm
The Grolier Club
47 East 60th Street (between Park Avenue & Madison Avenue)
New York, NY 10022
212-838-6690

Rick Paulus will be discussing his years at the White House as well as his recent calligraphic work. In addition to this event, the Grolier Club will feature an artists' book exhibit.

Rick's two day workshop "Interpretation of Text" will be held July 27 through the 28th. The class is open to calligraphers of skill level intermediate or beyond and will be held at the Brotherhood Synagogue, Gramercy Park. Visit the Society of Scribes workshops page for more details and class registration information.

Please RSVP to Cynthia Dantzic, Program Director in reference to the Grolier event
718-488-3350 or Cynthia.Dantzic@liu.edu

MIKE GOLD: FALLING IN LINE

Friday, April 15, 2011



Friday, April 15, 2011
6 pm
School of Visual Arts (SVA) Annex
214 East 21st Street, Manhattan
(between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)

Mike will share his work and influences in a Friday night talk prior to his Contemporary Scripts weekend workshop. He will talk about how he fell in love with line and letters while also discussing how he fits into a distinguished lineage of calligraphers, both Western and Eastern. While Mike makes readable letters by day working as a senior designer at American Greetings in Cleveland, his personal work is more concerned with making visual works that incorporate the essence of calligraphy without depending on the calligraphy solely for meaning. Please come see both the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sides of his work.

CALLIGRAPHY SHOP TALK










Friday, April 1, 2011
6 pm - 8 pm
School of Visual Arts
(SVA) Annex
214 East 21st Street, Manhattan
(between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)

RSVP at info@societyofscribes.org

COME, join in the contemporary ruling pen script demonstrations with other SofS scribes. Opportunites to experiment with non-traditional writing tools — those commercially available, or make your own: cola, coke, pepsi, keg, or meow
to suit your fancy.

LECTURE AND TOUR OF NYPL's THREE FAITHS EXHIBITION

Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at 2pm

New York Public Library Main Branch
at 42nd Street and 5th Avenue
Tuesday, February 22 at 2pm

A special opportunity for SoS members and guests.

Join Karen Gorst, curator of the Three Faiths: Scriptorium at the 42nd Street Library, and Scribes Elinor Holland and Jen Taylor Friedman for a special guided tour.

This is a rare chance to hear scribes of the Three Faiths of Abraham discuss manuscripts and craftsmanship. If you haven't yet seen this show, it is not to be missed!

Over 200 manuscripts and historical documents — calligraphy in languages of all 3 faiths: Arabic, Hebrew, Samaritan, Greek, Ge'ez, and Latin.

The Scriptorium compares calligraphic materials, tools of the three religious traditions and has lots of hands-on for all ages.

Karen, Elinor and Jen are three of the six artisans featured in videos accompanying this exhibit.

Bring a magnifying glass and walking shoes!

2011 ANNUAL MEETING

Saturday, February 12, 2011
The Sorcerer's Calligrapher: Working on the Book of Spells
in The Sorcerer's Apprentice



The Sorcerer's Calligrapher: Working on the Book of Spells
in The Sorcerer's Apprentice

A talk by Anna Pinto about the calligraphy in a very large prop -
a 16 x 20", 75 lb book - for the recent Disney film.
The talk will be followed by elections for the SoS Board of Governors. Refreshments served.

Saturday, February 12, 2011
2pm - 4pm
The Trinity Church Staff Office Bldg.
74 Trinity Place (across the street from the Church)
New York, NY 10006

(closest subway is Rector Street: 1,4,5,N,R trains, also Broad Street: J,Z, Wall/William Streets: 2,3)

CALLIGRAPHY SHOP TALK

December 3, 2010

Come, Share, Learn
December 3, 2010
6 pm - 8 pm
School of Visual Arts (SVA) Annex
214 East 21st Street, Manhattan
(between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)

RSVP at info@societyofscribes.org




This free event will feature informal demonstrations from Chi Nguyen, Anna Pinto, and Alice, and provide an opportunity for those interested in calligraphy in the NYC area to get together to meet, share and learn. Hope to see you there!

THE ALPHABET IN BOOKS AND CITY SIGNAGE

December 1, 2010

By Cynthia Dantzic and Paul Shaw
December 1, 2010
7 pm - 9 pm
National Arts Club
15 Gramercy Park South, Manhattan
(between Park Avenue and Irving Place)

RSVP at info@societyofscribes.org

HOLIDAY FAIR 2010

November 21, 2010
11:00 am to 4:30 pm
Brotherhood Synagogue
28 Gramercy Park South (between 3rd Avenue & Irving Place)
New York, NY 10003
Admission $10, Members $7, Students and Senior Citizens $5

Pre-order supplies from Paper and Ink Arts and pick them up at the Holiday Fair to save on shipping! Deadline for pre-orders is November 15th.

Demos by master calligraphers in many languages
Raffle & Door Prizes/Vendors/Books and much, much more!

Volunteers and vendors wishing to participate,
call Susan Steele at 201-485-8912,
or e-mail: thepointedpen@optonline.net

This collaborative project by Anna Pinto and Christopher Calderhead from last year's Holiday Fair will be on exhibition, and will be auctioned off at this year's Holiday Fair!

2010 MEMBERS' EXHIBITION


Classic, Modern, Abstract

Submission Form for Artwork

November 21 through December 3, 2010
National Arts Club
15 Gramercy Park South, Manhattan
(between Park Avenue and Irving Place)

Open weekends Noon – 5pm, weekdays 10am – 5pm

CALLIGRAPHY SHOP TALK

November 5, 2010

Come, Share, Learn
November 5, 2010
6 pm - 8 pm
School of Visual Arts (SVA) Annex
214 East 21st Street, Manhattan
(between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)

RSVP at info@societyofscribes.org

This free event will feature informal demonstrations and provide an opportunity for those interested in calligraphy in the NYC area to get together to meet, share and learn. Hope to see you there!

Review of the previous Calligraphy Shop Talk



"Everyone who turned up for the inaugural sesion of Shop Talk was lucky to see something VERY special - Julio Vega unveiled his portfolio of opera-themed compositions, meticulously researched and executed in the richest possible detail. Shop Talk was the perfect combination of socializing, experimenting and inspiration! Demos by Nan Deluca, Karen Charatan, Chi Nguyen, Alice, Cynthia Dantzic, and Rebecca Farber made for a fascinating evening. Thanks to all who participated - and don't miss the next Shop Talk on Friday, November 5th - 6pm at SVA Annex."

CALLIGRAPHY SHOP TALK


Come, Share, Learn
October 1, 2010
6 pm - 8 pm
School of Visual Arts (SVA) Annex
214 East 21st Street, Manhattan
(between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)

RSVP at info@societyofscribes.org

This free event will feature informal demonstrations and provide an opportunity for those interested in calligraphy in the NYC area to get together to meet, share and learn. Hope to see you there!

2010 GROLIER CLUB LECTURE


July 22, 2010
6:00 pm
The Grolier Club
47 East 60th Street (between Park Avenue & Madison Avenue)
New York, NY 10022

THE BUSINESS OF CALLIGRAPHY

A Panel Discussion
moderated by Christopher Calderhead
featuring Melissa Dinwiddie, Nancy Boss, and Nancy Howell

Watch live video of the event

A free event for Society of Scribes members
April 9th at 6 pm
School of Visual Arts (SVA) Annex, Room 306
214 East 21st Street, Manhattan
(between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)

Follow us on twitter and facebook

2010 ANNUAL MEETING

Tony Di Spigna On Typographics and Spencerian



Wednesday, February 24, 2010
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Type Directors Club
347 W. 36th St, #603 (between 8th Avenue & 9th Avenue)
New York, NY 10018
Refreshments to follow

Free admission for TDC and SoS members
Non-members: $20
Students: $15

RSVP 212-633-8943 or director@tdc.org

Tony Di Spigna was born on the Island of Ischia, Italy and is a graduate of New York City Community College and Pratt Institute. Tony was a partner in the legendary studio of Lubalin Associates where he worked on all aspects of visual communication and graphic design. He has achieved international recognition for his letterform and typographic designs including exclusive newly designed corporate typefaces and logos. He has won numerous awards and his work has been widely exhibited in the United States and abroad. In 2007, he was honored with a one man show in Italy. He currently teaches at The New York institute of Technology and is a tenured professor at Pratt Institute where he was given the institute-wide Distinguished Professor Award.

View Flyer

HOLIDAY FAIR 2009

November 22, 2009
11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Brotherhood Synagogue
28 Gramercy Park South (between 3rd Avenue & Irving Place)
New York, NY 10003
Admission $8, Students and Senior Citizens $5

Demos by master calligraphers in many languages
Raffle & Door Prizes/Vendors/Books
Silent Auction and much, much more!

Volunteers and vendors wishing to participate,
call 212-452-0139, Monday through Friday,
10 am to 8 pm, or e-mail: info@societyofscribes.org

GROLIER CLUB LECTURE 2009

Nancy Culmone
October 2, 2009
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
The Grolier Club
47 East 60th Street (between Park Avenue & Madison Avenue)
New York, NY 10022

2009 ANNUAL MEETING

Thursday, February 26, 2009
6:00 — 8:00 p.m.
Type Directors Club
347 West 36th Street, Suite 603
New York, NY 10018
(between 8th & 9th Avenues)

Admission fee is $10/$5 Students
(Free to SoS and TDC members)
R.S.V.P. director@tdc.org

Please join us at our Annual Meeting, which will be held this year at the
The Type Directors Club. Guest Speaker will be Russell Maret.
 

 
Russell Maret began studying letterpress printing in 1989 in San Francisco. Initially studying
with Peter Koch, he went on to be resident printer at the Press in Tuscany Alley, and to continue his studies at Firefly Press in Somerville, Masssachusetts where he worked as a Monotype and Linotype compositor as well as a pressman. He returned to New York in 1993, and began printing and bookbinding at the Center for Book Arts. In 1999 he set up his own studio and has been moving it around ever since.

At some point in the mid to late 90's, Russell became disillusioned with the printed, typographic book as he had been approaching it and proceeded to spend the next ten years devoted to the study of geometric and pre-typographic alphabetic form. These studies, combined with his drawings of the intervening years, have recently lead him back to the printed book.

www.russellmaret.com

 
LECTURE BY JAMES TOP
Friday, October 3, 2008
7:00 p.m., Admission FREE

Please join us for a lively presentation on "Graffiti As Art" by James Top. James will talk about his life as a Graffiti pioneer and legend, and about the current state of the NYC Graffiti Art scene in New York City. He will also speak about the need for developing a better relationship with the calligraphy genre. This lecture will be video recorded for an episode on Graffiti NYC.

James is a pro from the Old School who now teaches Graffiti history at Hostos College.

HOLIDAY FAIR 2008
November 16, 2008
11:00 am to 4:30 pm
Brotherhood Synagogue
28 Gramercy Park South (between 3rd Avenue & Irving Place)
New York, NY 10003
Admission $6, Members and students $5

It's time again for our Holiday Fair, to be held at the historic Brotherhood Synagogue,
28 Gramercy Park South, New York, New York 10003. This is a great opportunity to meet up with old friends, view demonstrations by our very accomplished calligraphers and lettering artists and see what new products and materials are available to spur our imaginations.

Demos by master calligraphers in many languages
Raffle & Door Prizes/Vendors/Books
Silent Auction and much, much more!

Volunteers and vendors wishing to participate, call 212-452-0139, Monday through Friday,
10 am to 8 pm, or e-mail: info@societyofscribes.org

Paper & Ink Arts
Order supplies in advance and pick up at the Fair.
Call 301-845-9845 or 800-736-7772 or www.paperinkarts.com
Deadline for orders: October 31, 2008

AUTUMN MEMBERS' EXHIBITION
November 10 to December 8, 2008
National Arts Club
15 Gramercy Park South
New York, NY 10003

We are fortunate this year to be holding our Exhibition of Members' Works at The National Arts Club in Gramercy Park. This is an invaluable opportunity for you to display your work and receive feedback from colleagues and friends.

Download exhibition entry form (pdf format).

BETWEEN PAPYRUS AND PAPER: MANUSCRIPT TREASURES OF THE MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM

Presentation by William M. Voelkle
Monday, May 19, 2008, 6 p.m.
at the Grolier Club
47 East 60th Street
New York NY 10022
R.S.V.P. to info@societyofscribes.org or 212.452.0139

The Grolier Club and the Society of Scribes are pleased to offer a slide presentation and lecture by William M. Voelkle, Curator and Head of the Department of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts at The Morgan Library & Museum.

Mr. Voelkle will provide a brief history and survey of the finest illuminated medieval and Renaissance manuscripts in The Morgan Library & Museum, one of the most important depositories of such manuscripts worldwide. Covering the Carolingian, Ottonian, Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance periods, Mr. Voelkle will trace the chronology of manuscript illumination on vellum, beginning with its sources in antiquity (which witnessed the transition from papyrus to vellum and the role of the codex) and ending with the Renaissance (when paper began to replace vellum). Slides will include miniatures relating to religion, astrology, and medicine as well as a series of pages illustrating some of the stages in the decoration of a manuscript.

Mr. Voelkle has been studying and caring for the Morgan's medieval and Renaissance manuscripts for over forty years. A man of erudition and wit, Mr. Voelkle is uniquely qualified to bring to life for us the finest examples of the collection.

 
Images above: Nativity. Single leaf from a Gradual. M.653. Italy, Florence, 14th c. (details) ©The Pierpont Morgan Library.

2008 ANNUAL MEETING
Thursday, March 6, 2008
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Type Directors Club
127 West 25th Street, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10001

We are very fortunate this year to hold our Annual Meeting at the Type Directors Club. There will be a short reception before Karen's lecture, followed by our annual meeting. Admission fee for Guests: $10.00. Please R.S.V.P. to director@tdc.org or 212.633.8943. Please make every effort to attend and participate. We hope to see you there.

LECTURE by KAREN CHARATAN
Calligraphic Abstraction

Lettering artist Karen Charatan will get verbal about the non-verbal dialog of the group called Art of Ink in America.

The members of the Art of Ink in America are Asians and Westerners, and calligraphers in various languages, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, European Languages and English. These calligraphic artists, all working abstractly, find there is unity in their diversity as well as the experience of a non-verbal dialog. Karen will describe her approach to creating and understanding this work.

Although her work for many years has been traditional Western calligraphy and lettering for advertising, with this group Karen's abstract calligraphy work has traveled to some exciting venues. Last April the exhibition was held in Paris and of course the opening was one she was certain not to miss! The exhibit traveled to Korea and will next be featured in Irvine, CA before this tour comes to a close. The group mounts exhibitions on a two year cycle and the shows have traveled to galleries and museums in several cities in the USA and in Asia. One of the venues on the previous tour, the beautiful and spacious Mobile Museum of Art in Mobile, Alabama, made a large purchase of 29 works from that exhibition, a serious start to a collection of their own. Three of Karen's abstract works are now part of their permanent collection. Attending the openings whenever possible, Karen enjoys the practice that the artists in attendance are asked to perform a demonstration. She will describe her experiences and her thoughts on the abstract art of the East and West.

2007 EXHIBITION OF MEMBERS' WORKS
September 5—October 31, 2007

LECTURE by BOB BOYAJIAN
Bob Boyajian at the Donnell Library
Tuesday October 16th, from 6pm to 8pm
Story Hour Room (2nd Floor)
No reservation: first come, first served.
No Fee
Download pdf of this event

Donnell Library Center
20 West 53rd Street
New York, NY 10019-6185
212.621.0618
www.nypl.org/branch/central/dlc

In conjunction with the SoS Members' Exhibition, our president, Eva Kokoris, has invited Bob Boyajian to give a talk at the Donnell Library, on Tuesday, October 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. The renowned calligrapher will be presenting his program the old fashioned way: no PowerPoint, no slide show. This also allows little opportunity to nod off in a darkened room (his thought!). Undaunted by the prospect of his work being handled by others, he intends to circulate his original pieces through the audience. We are in for a treat! Upon arrival at the Donnell, please go to the Information Desk and ask to be directed to the Story Hour Room on the second floor. Someone will be there to further assist you.

[We asked Bob to write a bio for NewSoS. We know you will enjoy his hand written page reproduced below, along with the painted flower, above, which graced the envelope.]




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The Letters From New York (LFNY) Publication Party will be held on Wednesday, October 24, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. (Bookstore closes at 10 p.m.).
Morningside Bookshop, 2915 Broadway at 114th Street, New York City.
Peter Soter, proprietor
Tel: 212.222.3350
www.morningsidebookshop.com.
Closest subway stop: #1 to 116th Street / Columbia University

An address by LFNY series editor and designer Christopher Calderhead will be followed by select readings from LFNY authors. Come and meet them!

Issue number 4 will make its debut, with Bradford Winters writing on VPointz: "Calligraphy's Streetwise Cousin"; "Scribe on Scribe" where various calligraphers discuss calligraphic objects in their personal collections, and Christopher Calderhead's article "Hidden Treasures: Visiting the Latse Library".

All LFNY Issues will be for sale. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Bring your friends and help us celebrate!

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HOLIDAY FAIR 2007
December 2, 2007
11 am to 4 pm
Brotherhood Synagogue
28 Gramercy Park South
New York, NY 10003

Download pdf of this event

It's time again for our Holiday Fair, held this year at the historic Brotherhood Synagogue,
28 Gramercy Park South, New York, New York 10003. This is a great opportunity to meet up with old friends, view demonstrations by our very accomplished calligraphers and lettering artists and see what new products and materials are available to spur our imaginations. We'll be listing the demonstrators and vendors as names become available.

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For those of you who have never taken part in a calligraphy show, this may be your moment to get your talent out there. For those of you with more experience, this may be an opportunity to show what NY Calligraphers can do to make snail mail move! The Washington DC Guild had a fabulous exhibit of fanciful envelopes withThe Graceful Envelope Contest, which inspired us to try our hands.

If you missed the flyer in the last SoS mailing sent with LFNY3, please contact
Nan De Luca at (212) 452-0139 for details.

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The Grolier Club and the Society of Scribes are pleased to present an illustrated lecture by Bernard Maisner – custom and retail fine stationer, handletterer, calligrapher and artist.

"I was born with a brush in one hand and a pen in the other."

Originally self taught in the art of calligraphy, Bernard Maisner, who has referred to himself as the "Zelig" of hand lettering, will present an illustrated review and lecture of the various directions lettering has taken him over the past thirty years. Mr. Maisner graduated from the Cooper Union College of Art, New York, in 1977, where he majored in painting and calligraphy. Lettering has played an integral part in Mr. Maisner's commercial work as well as in his career as a fine artist. Maisner's work has simultaneously overlapped many categories over the years, and he will discuss various aspects of his career, including:

• Creative hand-lettering for the advertising, editorial and publishing fields. Wild, loose and experimental lettering for ad campaigns, record albums, magazine articles and book covers ... from writing with lipstick and whipped cream to lettering on nude bodies.
  
  
• Bernard Maisner Calligraphy & Fine Stationery. Maisner, known for his elaborate flourishing and design, creates calligraphed and engraved custom stationery for weddings and social events. The current issue of the bi-annual "New York Magazine/Weddings" has a feature story and profile on Mr. Maisner. Bernard will also show work made for his installation in the windows at Tiffany's, and work used in the Bergdorf Goodman Holiday window displays.
  
  
• Lettering for Film & Television. Maisner is a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) member and specializes in writing and lettering live-on-camera as well as in creating props in many historical lettering styles for feature films. Credits include writing on-camera as Daniel Day Lewis in Martin Scorsese's "The Age of Innocence," as Johnny Depp's hand in Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow," as Sean Connery's writing in "Finding Forrester" by Gus van Sant. Maisner created props for Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" and the soon to be released "P.S. I Love you" starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. Mr. Maisner's hand has appeared in television commercials writing as a doctor, a business executive, a medieval monk and most impressively – as Ronald McDonald – in full yellow dress including wearing the red wig. Mr. Maisner appeared as a featured guest on the Martha Stewart Living show in 2001.
  
  
• Medieval & Renaissance Manuscript Illumination. Bernard Maisner founded and taught a materials and methods program for six years at the Cloister's Museum beginning in 1977. He has also lectured and conducted workshops on the subject at the Getty Museum, The Pierpont Morgan Library and the St. Louis Museum of Art, among others.
  
  
• Fine Art – Paintings and Contemporary Illuminated Books & Pages. Maisner has incorporated the use of lettering and text in his artwork since 1974. His paintings and modern illuminated pages have been exhibited nationally in galleries and museums since 1977. A 25-year retrospective survey exhibition of his work entitled "Entrance to the Scriptorium" toured the country for three years. A book of the same title, with an essay by Art Historian Dore Ashton was published in 1999. Maisner's work is in the permanent collections of the Pierpont Morgan Library and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
  
  
• The Bernard Maisner Retail Line of Fine Stationery. The creation and scope of Maisner's year-round and holiday line of stationery products, available at Bergdorf Goodman and other fine stores.

This is Mr. Maisner's first public lecture discussing his career as a calligrapher and hand-letterer.

FOUNDED IN 1884, the Grolier Club of New York is America's oldest and largest society for bibliophiles and enthusiasts in the graphic arts. Named for Jean Grolier, the Renaissance collector renowned for sharing his library with friends, the Club's objective is to foster "the literary study and promotion of the arts pertaining to the production of books."

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FRIDAY NIGHT LECTURES AT THE MORGAN

LECTURE BY KAREN GORST — Friday, June 8, 2007, 6:00 p.m.
LECTURE BY CHRISTOPHER CALDERHEAD — June 15, 2007, 6:00 p.m.

This Spring, The Morgan Library & Museum has scheduled three distinct exhibitions presenting an exceptional selection of manuscripts ranging from the 10th to the 16th centuries. For a very short time, these three exhibitions will overlap, thus offering the largest collection of manuscripts presented at the Morgan in a long time.

In Highlights from the Morgan's Collections (opens May 25), sacred and secular manuscripts have been chosen to represent the scope and depth of the collection. They range from the 12th to the 16th centuries and include items as diverse as an Italian veterinary treatise for the care of horses and the prayer book that French Queen Anne de Bretagne commissioned court artist Jean Poyer to design for her young son Charles-Orland.

Federico da Montefeltro and His Library, (June 8-September 30, 2007) presents a group of lavishly illuminated manuscripts from one of the greatest libraries of the Italian Renaissance — that of Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino (1422-1482).

In Apocalypse Then (through June 17) the Book of Revelation is seen through the eyes of some of the greatest medieval illuminators. At the center of this exhibition is the Las Huelgas Apocalypse, the largest and latest (1220) of a five-hundred-year series of medieval illuminated commentaries on the Apocalypse by the monk Beatus of Liébana.

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LECTURE BY KAREN GORST — Friday, June 8, 2007 - 6:00 p.m.

Karen Gorst will conduct a tour of the manuscripts focusing on the materials and techniques used to produce the various manuscripts. If you are paying close attention, by the end of the evening you will be able to visually identify the different kinds of animal skins used to make the parchments, dye-based versus stone-based inks and paints, and identify many of the art production techniques used by the scribes and illuminators. This promises to be a rare opportunity to see over six centuries of manuscripts at the same time and ask the questions you always wanted to ask.

Karen Gorst, has a Certificate in Art from North Carolina School of the Arts and a BFA from Cooper Union. President of SoS from 2001 to 2003, she is a freelance calligrapher/manuscript illuminator. Her passion for medieval/renaissance art materials and techniques led her to do extensive research to reclaim these techniques for contemporary artists. She has conducted workshops the Cloisters, The Pierpont Morgan Library, The Huntington Library, The Medieval Institute at Kalamazoo, professional societies and teaches regularly at the Center for Book Arts. Her work is in collection in the US, Europe, and Japan.

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LECTURE BY CHRISTOPHER CALDERHEAD — June 15, 2007, 6:00 p.m.

Christopher Calderhead will select five samples of calligraphic hands from the Morgan's display and discuss scribal techniques and the construction of each script. We will look at methods of page layout and design, techniques used by the scribes for ruling lines, and ways different scripts are combined in each manuscript. We will discuss how the five selected scripts were written, concentrating on basic features - pen angle, weight, slope, stroke sequence, pen lifts, and pen manipulation — and we will look at the way the tools used (generally quills) informed the making of the letters. Join us for a lively discussion of these wonderful historical manuscripts and the ways they can inspire contemporary calligraphic practice.

Christopher Calderhead has been a professional calligrapher for twenty years. He studied at London's Roehampton Institute and was elected a Fellow of the (English) Society of Scribes and Illuminators in 1988. He is the author of Illuminating the Word: the Making of The Saint John's Bible, and editor of Letter Arts Review and the Society of Scribes Journal, Letters from New York. See his website at www.calderhead.org.

Please note that the lectures will be presented in two parts. First, Karen/Christopher will give the tour to half the group while Board Member Marie Trope-Podell, Manager of Gallery Programs at the Morgan, takes the second group for a tour of Pierpont Morgan's historical library, thus making it more manageable to view the manuscripts being presented. We will then change groups/lecturers and reverse the presentation.

R.S.V.P. Registration will be honored on a first-come first-served basis (limited to 40 participants per lecture). Please e-mail Marie Trope-Podell at podells@verizon.net or, for those who do not have email, please call Eva Kokoris at 516.707.9926. We will email or call you to confirm your attendance.

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