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and Collectors
We now have work in the collections of the Smithsonian and the Newberry Library!
2022 26 issues of Zine Columbia 2001-2014 collected by Ohio State University
2022 Fortune Cookies published.
2022 Participated in “Artruckish” Exhibit
2022 Participated in Potter & Potter / Oak Knoll Auction
2021 Designed and printed broadsides: “Whenever . . . Kindness,” “Whoever,” “Lament,” “To Work,” “Fake Governance,” and “When Old.”
2021 Designed and printed resistance stamps: “Black Lives Matter,” “Breathe,” “POTUS,” “Impeach,” “Again Again,” and “Law Order.”
2020 The University of Texas Austin accessions the Republic of Texas Stamp Album for its Fine Arts Library Special Collection
2020 Included in Evanston Design Heritage: Architects, Designers & Planners, Jack Weiss, Design Evanston
2020 Interviewed by the Evanston’s Artists Book House “Quarantine” program
2020 Designed and printed “I Can’t Breath” faux stamp
2020 Designed and printed “Black Lives Matter” faux stamp
2020 Craig Jobson/LSP inducted into the Chicago Design Archive
2020 Redesign of Lark Sparrow Press web site and blog.
2020 Designed and printed broadsides: “Whenever . . . Kindness”
2020 Qualified for rescheduled Oak Knoll, Book Fest XXI. New Castle, Delaware
2020 Space 900 GALLERY, One-man show
2020 Exhibited letterpress printed books, broad sides and stamps, the complete works of Lark Sparrow Press, Evanston IL
2020 Ice House Gallery, “The Art of Teaching Exhibit” “POTUS Stamps,” and broadsides, Evanston, IL.
2019 Private sale of Billy Chronicles Part I, Part II and Part III
2019 Exhibited books, broadsides and stamps, Union League Club/Caxton Club, Chicago, IL
2019 Evanston Made Studio Tour, Evanston, IL
2019 Chicago Printers Guild, Evanston, IL Tour of Lark Sparrow Press.
2019 Galudet Gallery, exhibited POTUS Stamps “Sense of Place–The Political There,”
Eau Claire, WI.
2019 Evanston Made 4th Annual Artist Studio Tour, “POTUS Stamps, Evanston, IL
2019 Evanston Made Group Show “WELLS &SONNE at the Evanston Art Center Evanston, IL
2019 Designed and editioned “POTUS STAMPS”, The first imperial U.S. postage stamps Lark Sparrow Press, Evanston, IL.
2019 Designed, printed, and editioned broadsides: “Fake Governance,” “To work is to Pray,” “Whoever Saves a Life . . ., ” Lark Sparrow Press, Evanston, IL
2019 University of Illinois Chicago, Daley Special Collections Library, purchase of nine work of the press, Chicago, IL.
2019 Oak Knoll Fest XX, exhibited complete works off the press, New Castle, DE.
2019 College Book Arts Association named “Artist of the Month,”Rochester, NY
2019 Abecedarium Gallary exhibited WELLS & SONNE, Denver, CO, “Printer’s Page III”
2019 Bright Hill exhibited Professional Development, Treadwell, NEW YORK
2019 Made in Evanston book Tour, exhibited Works of the press, Evanston, IL
2019 Evanston Literary Festival exhibited I Am Already, Field Guide to Urban Fowl, Republic of Texas Mini Stamp album, Evanston, IL
2019 Chicago Book Fair, exhibited Books, broadsides and stamps,Chicago, IL
2019 Evanston Made 3rd Annual Artist Studio Tour, exhibited works of the press, Evanston, IL
2018 Forward Chicago, demonstrated “The Pamphlet Stitched Book” Chicago, IL.
2018 Lark Sparrow Press, wrote, designed, and editioned A Totally Legal Abecedarium, 2nd edition, “ The Auto Refrigeration Beverage Cooler” illustrated with U.S. Patent and Trademark Office drawings, Lark Sparrow Press, Evanston, IL.
2018 Designed Philatery, one-off chapbook containing 220 original stamps, Lark Sparrow Press, Evanston, IL.
2018 College Book Arts Association, “Craig Jobson, August, Featured Artist” at Rochester, NY.
2018 Began design, illustration, edit, for Fortune Cookies by Lynn Sloan (in production) Lark Sparrow Press, Evanston, IL.
2018 Designed, wrote, editioned, and published the broadside, “Lament,” Lark Sparrow Press, Evanston, IL.
2018 Lark Sparrow Press featured artist on Voyage Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2018 Evanston Literary Festival, exhibited the printed works of Lark Sparrow Press, Evanston, IL.
2018 WELLS & SONNE – Selected Short Stories by Chelsea Laine Wells and Lex Sonne included in “The Evanston Made Show,”
Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL.
2018 Lark Sparrow Press participates in the “Evanston Made Walk-
ing Tour,” Evanston, IL.
2018 “57th Chicago Book Fair” exhibited the printed works of Lark
Sparrow Press sponsored by the Midwest Antiquarian Book Association ( MWABA ) Chicago
2018 Galaudet Gallery “Sense of Place: HERE,” The Republic of Texas Mini Stamp Album, Eau Claire, WI.
2018 Friends of the University Library of The University of Texas at El Paso University of Texas El Paso 15th Carl Hertzog Award Competition, exhibited Professional Development, El Paso, TX 2018 Abecedarium Gallery books exhibited in, “Printed Page III”,
Billy Chronicle Part II Lizard and Julio Go Nel-o, Denver, CO.
2017 Bright Hill Gallery, “Press 25th Anniversary Juried Book Arts Exhibition,” exhibited I am Already and Field guide for the Urban Fowl, Treadwell, NY.
2016 Professional Development by Megan Stielstra, published at Lark Sparrow Press, Evanston, IL.
2016 The Caxton Club, presented the printed works of Lark Spar- row Press,Chicago, IL
2015 The Billy Chronicles Parts I, II, and III purchased by the
University of Denver Special Collections and Archives,
Denver, CO.
2014 Retired after 17 years of teaching History of Typography and Publication Design from Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2014 Mentored 504 History of Typography (Intermediate Typogra phy) students through14 years of researching, designing, printing, and binding culminating in the production 504 80-page, 11” x 18” books, Columbia College Chicago
2013 Design directed, edited, and published Spring issue #14 of Zine Columbia “Hatching Cheese,” a collaborative student publication featuring the work of 30 student writers, design ers, illustrators, and photographers, Columbia College Chica-
go, Chicago, IL.
2013 Mentored 1008 Publication Design students through 14 years and 28 issues of Zine Columbia 3 issues of M.A.D.E. magazine and 1,008 individual abecedariums.
Columbia College Chicago.
2013 I Am Already purchased by Columbia College Chicago,
Chicago, IL.
2013 Codex 3 International Book Fair, exhibited the complete printed works of Lark sparrow Press, University of California, Berkley, CA.
2012 American Printing History Association annual meeting, exhibited the complete printed works of Lark sparrow Press, Chicago, IL.
2012 Sabbatical semester from Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2012 Lion’s Club International Peace Poster Competition, judge 356 posters, Chicago, IL.
2012 The College Book Arts Association, Presented abstract “Book Arts as Medium for Teaching History of Typography,” San Francisco, CA.
2011 “Alumni on 5,” exhibited A Field Guide to Urban Fowl, Columbia
College Chicago, Chicago, IL
2011 Design directed, edited, and published Fall issue #13 of Zine Colum- bia “Carnie Milk / Dank Fever,” a collaborative student publication featuring the work of over 40 student writers, designers, illustrators, and photographers, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2011 The National Education Association, taught multiple sections of typogra phy and publication design workshops, Chicago, IL.
2011 Panelist for “Claiming Creativity: Art Education in Cultural Transition,” a joint international symposium with the European League of Insti tutes of the Arts (ELIA).
2011 Design directed, edited, and published Spring issue #12 of Zine Columbia, “Reckless Cowboy / Fuzzy Pucker,” a collaborative student publication featuring the work of over 40 student writers, designers, illustrators, and photographers, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2010 Design directed, edited, and published Fall issue #11 of Zine Columbia
“Pickle Stitch / Butter Bound,” a collaborative student publicatio featur- ing the work of over 40 student writers, designers, illustrators, and photographers, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2010 “Future of Print” Internatioal Symposium, panelist, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2010 Design directed, edited, and published Spring issue #10 of Zine
Columbia “The Pompous and the Doomed / Mustache Safari,” a col laborative student publication featuring the work of over 40 student writers, designers, illustrators, and photographers, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2009 Design directed, edited, and published Spring 82-page, triple issue #9 of Zine Columbia “Rusty Clutch / Boom Boom/ Inky Ruins,” a collaborative student publication featuring the work of over 75 stu dent writers, designers, illustrators, and photographers, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2009 Columbia College Chicago, presented “Full-time Faculty Recipient of Annual Excellence in Teaching Award, Chicago, IL.
2009 Served on the Art and Design Full-time Faculty Search for a Professor of Graphic Design and Professor of Design History and Visual Culture, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2009 Published and edited Spring issue #8 of Zine Columbia “Thumbs and Knuckles / The Dreaded Biscuits,” a collaborative student publication featuring the work of over 40 student writers, designers, illustrators, and photographers, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2008 Design directed, edited, and published Fall issue #7 of Zine Columbia “STEEZE / Peep Show,” a collaborative student writ ers, designers, illustrators, and photographers, Columbia College Chicago,Chicago, IL.
2008 Published and design directed Spring 2008 experimental art journal MADE (More Art+Design Enterprises), a by design and journalism students, Columbia College Chicago,
Chicago, IL.
2008 Society of Typographic Artists, presented lecture “Lark Spar row Press, A Private Press Dedicated to Short Works of Con temporary of Fiction,” Chicago, IL.
2008 The Abecedarian Galler , “Modest in Scale,” exhibited I Am Already , Denver, CO.
2008 Bright Hill Literary Center, “ Word and Image the 7th Annual Book Arts Exhibit,” exhibited A Legal Abe©edarium ,
Treadwell, NY.
2008 Center for Book and Paper Arts, Columbia College Chicago “5th International Columbia Book & Paper Arts Triennial,” exhibited The Billy Chronicles Part III – The Colonel’s
Chicanery, Chicago, IL.
2008 Anchor Graphics, “Scraping the Surface,” exhibited letterpress printed stamps, Chicago, IL.
2008 Design directed, edited, and published Spring issue #6 of Zine Columbia “Nudes & Boots / Static Spring,” a collaborative student publication featuring the work of over 40 student writers, designers, illustrators, and photographers, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2008 Vespine Gallery, “Writers and Designers,” curated Columbia College Chicago design and journalism student work ,
Chicago, IL.
2007 Published and design directed Fall 2008 issue of MADE (More Art+Design Enterprises), an experimental art journal by De- sign and Journalism students, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2007 I Am Already and The Billy Chronicles Parts I, II, and III exhibited at Oak Knoll Book Fest XIV, New Castle, DE.
2007 Designed, wrote, editioned, and published A Field Guide to Urban Fowl, Lark Sparrow Press, Evanston, IL.
2007 Wrote “Columbia College at Santa Reparata Florence ,Italy Southern Print Review.
2007 I Am Already exhibited at “Secrets & Lies,” 23 Sandy Gallery, Portland, OR.
2007 Artistamps and Mail Art, SomArts Bay Gallery, “Multiplicity/ Multiplicidad,“ exhibited “Hand Mash Only,” “Republic of Texas Commemoratives,” and “Respiratory Therapy” stamps San Francisco, CA.
2007 Published and design directed Spring 2007 issue of MADE (More Art+Design Enterprises), an experimental art journal by Design and Journalism students, Columbia College
Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2006 Design directed, edited, and published Fall issue #5 of Zine
Columbia “Meat / Tweak,” a collaborative art journal by Design and Journalism students, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2006 Directed the 30-student, Columbia Arts/Florence Summer residence program at Santa Reparata International School of Art, Florence, Italy.
2005 I Am Already purchased by Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.
2005 Founding committee member for MULTIPLY, the center for
study and promotion of multiples, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2005 Spring Sabbatical semester from Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2005 Awarded a Faculty Development Grant, Columbia College
Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2005 Zine Columbia and The Billy Chronicles Part I, II, and III ex- hibited at “Chicago Print Fest – The Smithsonian Exhibits Book Illustration,” McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.
2005 South Shore Art Center, “In the Game,” exhibited, The Billy Chronicles Part I, II, and III, Cohasset, MA.
2005 I Am Already exhibited at “Bright Hill 4th Annual North Ameri- ca Juried Book Arts Exhibit,“ Treadwell, NY.
2005 Hoken Hall Gallery, “Word,“ curated the union of type, image, and writing by publication design and journalism classes, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2004 “Pyramid-Atlantic 8th Biennial Book Arts Fair, exhibits The Republic of Texas Mini Stamp Album, Silver Spring, MD.
2004 Curated and participated in “2004 Florence Exhibit” Colum- bia Arts / Florence with the release of Florence: The Sacred and the Profane, a collaborative book of 14 prints from the summer residence program hosted by Santa Reparata Inter- national School of Art, Florence, Italy, exhibited at C-Space Gallery, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2004 Served on faculty search committees for Film, Math, and Science positions, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago IL.
2004 Designed, wrote, editioned, and published A Totally Legal Abe©edarium, Lark Sparrow Press, Evanston, IL.
2004 Proposed and taught “The Printmaker’s Eye and the Book Maker’s Hand” in the Columbia College Chicago’s Arts/Florence Summer abroad classes at Santa Reparata Interna- tional School Art, Florence, Italy in 2004 and 2002.
2004 Designed and editioned The Levee, Lark Sparrow Press,
Evanston, IL.
2004 Demonstrated the “Art of the Tunnel Book” in the Art Educa- tion Department, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2004 Chicago Hand Bookbinder’s Newsletter, wrote “Evening with Newberry’s French Contemporary Handbound Books,” Chicago IL.
2004 Wrote, designed, and printed I Am Already, a concrete poem in syllabic verse, printed on handmade paper and set in Ludlow typography, editioned to 100 copies at Lark Sparrow Press, Evanston, IL.
2004 Design directed, edited, and published Fall issue #4 of Zine Columbia “Dreams Carnival / Ferschmuckled,” a collaborative student publication featuring the work of over 40 student writers, designers, illustrators, and photographers, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2004 Wrote “Variations on End Sheet Construction” for Chicago Hand Bookbinders Newsletter, Chicago, IL.
2004 Design directed, edited, and published Spring issue #3 of Zine Columbia “Avant Garden / Out of Order,” a collaborative stu- dent publication featuring the work of over 40 student writers, designers, illustrators, and photographers, Columbia College, Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2003 Design directed, edited, and published the Fall, double issue #2 of Zine Columbia “World Wide Weird / Off the Wall,” a col- laborative student publication featuring the work of over 40 student writers, designers, illustrators, and photographers, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2003 Chicago Hand Bookbinder’s Newsletter, wrote “Mail Art” ,
Chicago, IL.
2003 “Oak Knoll X Book Festival XVI,” exhibited The Republic of
Texas Stamp Album and The Billy Chronicles Parts I, II, and III New Castle, DE.
2003 Columbia College Center for Book and Paper Arts Summer Residency, juror, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago IL.”
2003 “2003 Gold Coast Art and Crafts Show,” juror. Chicago, IL.
2003 Columbia College Chicago, art directed, editioned, and
published A Serbian Dictionary by Irena Knezevic, a Publica tion Design and Creative Writing class project, Chicago, IL.
2003 Columbia College Chicago Art Education Department, demon strated “Pamphlet Stitch” in Chicago, IL.
2003 “Curt Teich Postcard Archives Competition,” juror.Wauconda, IL.
2003 Design directed, edited, and published Fall issue #1 and #2 of Zine Columbia “Strange Brew,” a collaborative student publi cation featuring the work of over 40 student writers, design ers, illustrators and photographers, Columbia College,
Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2003 “Printer’s Row Fair–Chicago” performed and exhibited The Billy Chronicles Part III- The Colonel’s Chicanery performed Chicago, IL
2002 Chicago Public Schools Department of Assessment and Evalu ation Consulted with, designed and illustrated charts and graphs for CPS Chicago Academic Standards Examinations (CASE), Chicago, IL.
2002 “Craig Jobson and the Lark Sparrow Press” written by Robert
McCamant for the Caxtonian, Chicago, IL.
2002 Society of Typographic Arts, “The Art of Letterpress and Lark Sparrow Press” featured presentation, Chicago, IL.
2002 Chicago Hand Bookbinders, “Text and Typography” to,
Chicago, IL.
2002 Awarded tenure at Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2002 School of the Art Institute, Joan Flasch Artists Book Collec tion, “Miniature Book Show,“ The Republic of Texas Mini Stamp Book exhibited, Chicago, IL.
2002 Chicago Hand Bookbinders, “Miniature Book Show,” The Re public of Texas Mini Stamp Book exhibited at Printers Row, Chicago, IL.
2002 Santa Reparata International School of Art, published Coda, a collaborative book of 16 prints by students in the
Columbia College ChicagoArts /Florence, Italy,
2002 Columbia College Chicago, “Out of the Loop,” Interdisciplinary Arts Department MFA Group Show,” exhibited the triliogy , Billy Chronicles Part I – D.B. and the Double Five, Billy Chroni cles Part II–Lizard and Julio Go Nel-o, Billy Chronicles Part III–
The Colonel’s Chicanery, Chicago, Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL.
2002 Graphic Impressions,wrote “Columbia College at Santa Repa rata in Florence, Italy – Fall 2002, Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, IL. .
2001 Consulted with Chicago Public Schools Department of Assessment and Evaluation, “Chicago Academic
Standards Examinations CASE,” designed and illustrated charts and graphs, Chicago, IL.
2001 A Totally Legal Abecedarium purchased by University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI.
2001 Founded Lark Sparrow Press, dedicated to the publishing of contemporary short fiction, broadsides, and stamps
Evanston, IL.
2001 Awarded 2001 Weisman Scholarship, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2001 Northwestern University, “Hand Book Binders Show,”
Billy Chronicles Part II: Lizard and Julio Go Nel-o
exhibited, Evanston, IL.
2001 The Billy Chronicles Part II: Lizard and Julio Go Nel-o purchased by Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2001 Tutt Library purchase, The Republic of Texas Mini Stamp Album Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO.
2001 University of Wisconsin purchase, The Republic of Texas Mini Stamp Album purchased, Milwaukee, WI.
2001 Columbia College Chicago, “Second Annual Festival of the Book,” The Billy Chronicles Part III: The Colonel’s Chicanery Chicago, IL.
2001 Columbia College Chicago,“Annual Columbian Exposi- tion Art Auction,” purchase of The Billy Chronicles Part I: D.B. and the Double Five, Chicago, IL.
2001 University of Illinois Chicago, “College Art Association
Regional Master of Fine Arts show,Box of Books exhibited, Chicago, IL.
2001 Earned MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts, Book and Paper Con centration, Columbia College, Chicago, IL. studied with Melissa Jay Craig, Bill Drendel, Amanda Degener, Joan Dick erson, Peter Krudy, Hedi Kyle, Barbara Lazurus Metz, Paul Moxen, Audrey Niffenegger, Alice Schreyer, Marilyn Sward, Suzanne Cohan- Lange, and Steve Tomasula
2001 Columbia College Chicago, designed, wrote, illustrated, editioned, and published The Billy Chronicles Part II: Lizard and Julio Go Nel-o, Chicago, IL.
2000 Columbia College Chicago, designed, wrote, illustrated, editioned, and published The Billy Chronicles Part I: D.B. and The Double Five, Chicago, IL.
2000 Columbia College Chicago, “Altering Altars,” Box of Books exhibited, Chicago, IL.
2000 Chicago Public Schools Department of Assessment and Evaluation, “Chicago Academic Standards Examinations (CASE)”designed and illustrated charts and graphs,
Chicago, IL.
1999 Columbia College Chicago, designed, wrote, editioned, and published The Republic of Texas Mini Stamp Album, and The Republic of Texas Stamp Album, Chicago, IL.
1999 College Chicago Chicago,designed, wrote, and constructed The Reliquary of Love, Chicago, IL.
1999 Columbia College Chicago, designed, wrote, editioned,
published History of the Early Church, Chicago, IL.
1998 Columbia College Chicago, Book and Paper Center, “Visual Environments,” Reader Ad Boxes” exhibited in Chicago, IL.
1997 Columbia College Chicago, Book and Paper Center “Past, Present, Post,” Love in the Mail Box exhibited, Chicago, IL.
1997 Raymond Park Gallery “Harmony and Entropy” intaglio and postage stamps retrospective, Evanston, IL.
1996 Began full-time faculty in Art and Design Department, Columbia College Chicago teaching upper and lower division, graphic design courses: Corporate Graph ics; Publcation Design; Typography and Letterforms Inter mediate (e.g. History of typography); Beginning Typogra- phy and Letterforms, Book Design,The Printmaker’s Eye and the Book Maker’s Hand.
1995 Chaired the “1995 Chicago Book Clinic Show” at the Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL.
1993 Associate Chair for the “1993 Chicago Book Clinic Show” at Loyola University Press, Chicago, IL.
1990 Director of Design for McDougal Littell Houghton Mifflin, Evanston, IL
1987 Sr. Art Director, Holt Rinehart and Winston, Austin, Texas
1983 Art Director, Tracey/BBDO Advertising, Dallas, Texas
1. History of the 19th Century Church and the Missing “μu” 1999
2. The Levee 1999
3. Reliquary of Love 2000
4. Box of Books 2000
5. The Billy ChronicIes Part I D.B. and the Double-Five 2001
6. The Billy Chonicles Part II Lizard and Julio go Nel-o 2001
7. The Billy Chronicles Part III The Colonel’s Chicanery 2001
8. Florence, the Sacred and the Profane 2002
9. Republic of Texas (small standard edition) 2002
10. Republic of Texas (large deluxe edition) 2002
11. A Serbian Dictionary 2003
12. Totally Legal Abecedarium 2004
13. I am Already (standard edition) 2004
14. I am Already (deluxe edition) 2004
15. Coda 2006
16. A Field Guide to Urban Fowl 2007
17. WELLS & SONNE (standard edition) 2013
18. WELLS & SONNE (deluxe edition) 2013
20. Professional Development 2016
21. Lament (Broadside) 2017
22. Oak Knoll (Broadside) 2018
23. Fake Governance (Broadside) 2018
24. Fake Governance Stamps 2018
25. POTUS MMXVI Stamps 2018
26. To work is to pray, to sing is to pray twice (Broadside) 2019
27. Bigliest ( Stamp ) 2020
28. Whoever saves one life ( Broadside ) 2020
29 Wherever there is a person ( Broadside ) 2020
30. Black Lives Matter ( Stamp ) 2020
31. I Can’t Breathe ( Stamp ) 2020
32. Swanson (Stamp) 2020
33. Make America Great Again. Again (Stamp) 2020
34. Whatever Happened to the Rule of Law? (Stamp) 2020
35. Fortune Cookies 2022
The Art Institute of Chicago
Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection Chicago
Chicago, IL
Bainbridge Island Museum of Art
Bainbridge Island, WA
Bradley Univserity
Peoria, IL
Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts
Chicago, IL
Colorado College Special Collections
Colorado Springs, CO
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, IL
Chicago Design Archive (Inducted)
Chicago, IL
Michigan State University Library
East Lansing, MI
Newberry Library
Chicago, IL
Oak Knoll Books & Press
New Castle, DE
Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
Smithsonian U.S. National Postal History Museum
Washington, DC
University of Denver
Denver, CO
University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, IL
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
The University of Texas Austin
Austin, TX
University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX
My design career and, specifically, my Book Arts career in design did not start with my University of Texas BA in English Literature or my BFA in Art. It started with my job as a part-time county hospital technician in Austin, Texas during the years it took me to complete my studies. My departmental manager knew my habit of making sketches while at work and had me draw up schematics as part of in-service instruction sessions for nurses and staff. When I reached my first significant job interview at the American Heart Association in Dallas, Texas, they valued my six years of CPR experiences and my in-service sketches more than my graphic design portfolio. As their Art Director, I participated in national public health programs and won regional Addy awards for an advertising campaign and anti-smoking program. However, after four years of socially-conscious design work that I really enjoyed, I decided my future did not lie in producing every single design project in PMS 485 Red and process Black.
My advertising work at the Heart Association won the attention of and a job offer from the Dallas office of BBDO advertising. There I was one of six team members who worked on its $40 million Frito-Lay tortilla chip account. I art directed TV spots, designed a Clio winning pro bono poster for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and won national Addys touting my haberdasher ads. My art direction landed a $1 million Office Products account with Xerox. But after four years I no longer saw my future in making the world safe for starched linen collars and snack chips.
At that time in my career, I wanted to resume work on quality of life issues rather than focusing on mass consumption, and I found it in my next position as Senior Art Director in publishing for a division of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in Austin, Texas. My advertising background played a significant role as I directed a staff of 14 designers working on text pages and cover designs for literature and history books. It was exhilarating. It was a position I thought I would hold for the rest of my career – until the publishing buy-out wars began and I left the targeted publishing house where I worked before becoming a casualty.
I moved next to the Chicago area for a position as Director of Design at McDougal Littell Houghton Mifflin. They had big budgets for large, complex design projects in writing and literature. The design department won publishing awards during that period, but what I remember most was chairing the 1993 44th Annual Chicago Book Clinic Awards Show. Held at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, it was produced by me and 26 of my colleagues. With 425 submissions for the show, it was the largest book show ever mounted by that organization. There were 675+ attendees, despite anti-Beluga Whale protests at the Shedd Aquarium. That year the Clinic initiated a new book category – limited editions, letterpress books, and artist books. Those five submissions set me on a book arts track that I’ve enjoyed, right up to this day.
Publishing and education has defined most of my professional career. When a full-time design faculty position opened at Columbia College Chicago I knew I had to apply. I was chosen and assigned to teach Publication Design and the History of Typography. While teaching full time, I realized I wanted to make books of my own. I completed an MFA in the school’s Book and Paper program. As I became more accomplished in my graduate program so did the students in my Publishing and History of Typography classes. In my 17 years of teaching, I mentored my publishing class through 15 years of double-issue experimental magazines as well as 230 small bound-up abecedariums. The History class students designed and published over 800 individual, 80-page, 11” x 17” perfect bound and cased in typography history books. Several students won regional and national book awards for their efforts. In 2013, I presented a paper at the College Book Arts Association’s annual meeting at Mills College titled ”The Book Arts and Teaching the History of Typography,” based on those typography classes.
In 2001, after receiving my MFA, I purchased a Vandercook No. IV and founded Lark Sparrow Press. In 2014, I retired from 17 years of teaching to pursue designing and printing handmade books. Since 2001, I have published 26 different titles (please see below). All the books have significant literary text. All but four required handset typography, with one 72-page book containing over 200,000 pieces of movable type. All but three are hand bound, signed and editioned. Four books are abecedariums. Two books contain 26 original postage stamps. Five are artist books. Six have my illustrations and were written by me. Three were collaborations with other writers. Two have illustrations by former students. Two have hand made paper by a former Book and Paper grad. four are 2-color resistace stamps, letterpress printed. One is illustrated with patents from the United States Patents and Trademarks Office. And one, a 72-page book, was printed in three colors and editioned to 100 copies. It required over 13,000 hand pulled impressions. Today I continue work on broadsides, stamps, and yet another 72-page book. It will have seven short stories, seven embossed images, seven illustrations, and an engraved bamboo cover. Ironically, the book, titled Fortune Cookies, is being printed in PMS 485 Red and process Black.
Become a collector of this timeless art
by purchasing a book, broadside or stamp.
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