The Book Arts League is excited to announce that we will now offer open studio hours! Our shop will be available monthly for you to print your work. Below are the upcoming open studio dates. BAL board members will be your hosts and will assist you with your printing projects. Please bring your own paper and get ready to print! Book Arts League Members please RSVP to bal.workshops@gmail.com. If you are not a Book Arts League Member, register here!

WEDNESDAY July 8th — 4:30-6:30PM

WEDNESDAY JAug 12th — 4:30-6:30PM

Glass fusing, also known as kiln-formed glass, involves heating multiple pieces of glass in a kiln to create a single, fused piece. It's a versatile art form with many practical and decorative applications.

Come learn and explore the basics of using glass as an artmaking medium in just a few short hours in this introductory level class and enhance your garden at the same time! We’ll provide a selection of colored glass sheets for you to use for the base of your design and other various forms of glass (frit, confetti, and stringers) you can use to really bring your design to life. Each student will complete 2-3 garden stakes that will be ready for pick up within 2 weeks of the conclusion of the class.

Whether you’re totally new to this art form, or a seasoned enthusiast, this class is for you. All are welcome!

Our Glass Studio does have some safety basics before anyone is allowed to join in the fun (failure to meet these requirements will result in not being granted access to the equipment): 

• Please come dressed in close-toe and heel shoes, and natural material clothing, i.e. cotton or linen, long pants are recommended. 
• No loose or dangling jewelry, long earrings or scarves.
• If you have long hair, please have it securely tied back from your face.
• We will provide safety goggles, but if you have your own and would like to bring them, please do!

Ages: 16+ 

All supplies and materials will be provided. 

Will be available to register on Tuesday, May 26 at 8:00am.

This intensive, one-day class guides you through the satisfying process of designing, carving, and printing a seamless, repeating pattern using Speedy-Carve blocks. Perfect for fabric, wrapping paper, or wallpaper designs!

Ages: 16+

All supplies and materials will be provided.

Will be available to register on Thursday, May 26 at 8:00am.

This three-hour workshop will introduce you to the basics of bookbinding, including appropriate materials and tools needed to make your own notebooks, journals, or albums. The book structures you will learn will include several single-sheet cut and fold book structures, a sewn pamphlet stitch journal and a covered hardcover accordion fold book. Additionally, you will learn the tools needed in a basic bookbinding tool kit, receive a detailed list of bookmaking resources and opportunities to study book arts further. By the end of the course, you will have had a thorough introduction to the basics of the folded book structure which will form a strong foundation for furthering your bookbinding skills.

The Book Arts League is a Colorado-based community of individuals who share an interest in letterpress printing, calligraphy, and bookbinding.

(kids 12+ must be accompanied by an adult)

All supplies and materials will be provided. 

Will be available to register on Tuesday, May 26 at 8:00am.

Glass fusing, also known as kiln-formed glass, involves heating multiple pieces of glass in a kiln to create a single, fused piece. It's a versatile art form with many practical and decorative applications.

Come learn and explore the basics of using glass as an artmaking medium in just a few short hours in this introductory level class. We’ll provide a selection of colored glass sheets for you to use for the base of your design and other various forms of glass (frit, confetti, and stringers) you can use to really bring your design to life. 

The goal for this class will be for each student to make a multiple part hanging suncatcher or mobile. Glass pieces will be available for pick up within two weeks after the class concludes. Students will be responsible for assembling their own pieces. 

Whether you’re totally new to this art form, or a seasoned enthusiast, this class is for you. All are welcome!

Our Glass Studio does have some safety basics before anyone is allowed to join in the fun (failure to meet these requirements will result in not being granted access to the equipment): 

• Please come dressed in close-toe and heel shoes, and natural material clothing, i.e. cotton or linen, long pants are recommended. 
• No loose or dangling jewelry, long earrings or scarves.
• If you have long hair, please have it securely tied back from your face.
• We will provide safety goggles, but if you have your own and would like to bring them, please do!

Ages: 16+ 

All supplies and materials will be provided. 

Will be available to register on Tuesday, May 26 at 8:00am.

Join us for a creative one-day relief class! We’ll be using vegetables to ink and print beautiful, textured designs onto journals and greeting cards.

Ages: 16+

All supplies and materials will be provided.

Will be available to register on Thursday, May 26 at 8:00am.

This fore-edge fold book opens wonderfully flat, making it an ideal companion for drawings or prints, writing, or a memory/legacy book. Each page is created by folding a piece of high-quality drawing paper, giving the finished book a clean, elegant feel in the hands. We will begin by reviewing terminology and tools. We will then tear paper down to size, fold and punch our signatures, and sew them over three woven tapes. Once the pages are complete, we will glue them up and shape the text block. After a lunch break, we will cover the hardboards with book cloth or decorative paper, then attach the tapes to the inside of the covers and finish with a decorative endpaper. By the end of the day, you will have a completed book and the skills to make more on your own. You will be provided with hand-drawn directions, as well as terminology and resource lists. This class is for beginners to advanced book makers alike. This is one of my favorite structures to teach – I can’t wait to share it with you!

Ages: 16+

This class takes place at Groundworks East (3063 E. Sterling Cir)

Will be available to register on Tuesday, May 26 at 8:00am.

Are you lazing in your glazing? Sleeping on slip? Craving more carving? Let’s dig into it! In this one-time 2.5 hour class, we’ll do a deeper dive into surface decoration techniques such as sgraffito, mishima, carving through wax, and using slip as texture. 

Groundworks will provide flat tiles in a variety of different clay bodies for students to practice surface decoration on. Students can pick if they want their final pieces clear glazed or left raw, and after a few weeks, our staff will let you know when your pieces are out of the kiln and ready for pick-up.

This class takes place at Groundworks Hill 1010 Aurora Ave, Boulder, CO. 

PLEASE NOTE: This one-time class runs for 2.5 hours. You will not have access to the studio outside of the scheduled class time and all work will be completed during class time. You will also not have access to our other locations.

Your pieces will be fired in our gas kilns to Cone 6 Reduction. 

Ages: 16+

Available for registration Tuesday, May 26 at 8:00am