Discover the art of crafting shell books by blending creativity with nature's beauty. Transform shells into captivating literary treasures with coastal charm.

Dates:
Oct 26, 2024 - Oct 26, 2024

Levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced,
Workshop Fee: $195 (Materials kit sold separately)
Workshop Duration: 3 hours (Saturday, 9am-12pm ET)
Workshop Location: Online
Class Size: 12

Note: This workshop will be held in a live, online format utilizing the Zoom platform.
Class meets Saturday, Jun 15 from 9am-12pm ET.

There is a long tradition of shell books as referenced in the recent show at the New Bedford Whaling Museum  “A singularly marine & fabulous produce: the Cultures of Seaweed”. The shell bound book was used as a novel way to “house” seaweed specimens that had been collected and pressed. These specimen books are considered herbariums and can be found in a few museum collections on the eastern seaboard of the US.  

In this class, you can create a shell bound album or book in which you can place anything your heart desires. Your book can contain photographic memories of your family, Illustrations, collages, or specimens of flora.

Gabrielle Reed will guide you through the process of coptic binding to create a one of a kind keepsake book. 

Materials Kit

Gabrielle has created a materials kit that includes archival paper, shells with pre-drilled holes, and thread.  You can purchase the kit here.

Sewing process

Students can view the Sewing process here.

Practice & Questions

Feel free to practice beforehand to maximize our time together. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email Gabrielle ([email protected]).

Shell Books workshop at Maine Media, open shell book By Gabrielle Reed

Tools to have at the ready:

  • Scissors
  • Awl
  • Bone folder
  • Bookbinding needle (or crewel needle) *
  • Bookbinding thread*
  • Double-sided acid-free tape roll, or glue stick*
  • Dremel w/ diamond tip (for future shells)
  • Coptic binding tutorial 
  • Paper 
  • Shells*
  • Nail file ( to remove excess hinge muscle from shells )
  • Pencil

Folks will need their own awl, bone folder, and cutting mat to work on.

Shell Books workshop at Maine Media, open shell book with black and white images - By Gabrielle Reed

All images copyright Gabrielle Reed.

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Instructor: Gabrielle Reed

Gabrielle Reed is an art librarian and photographer. She has worked at Massachusetts College of Art and Design for the past 18 years. There she teaches artists’ books and photobooks from the MassArt library special collections. 

She was born and raised in Jamestown, RI - Conanicut Island, which is the focus of much of her artistic work. Her current work revolves around the aquaculture of where she lives. The main focus of her research is on the bay scallop, Argopecten irradians. 

She has a BFA in photography from Washington University in St. Louis, MO, and an MS from Simmons College. 

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