February 2025 Newsletter
Handmade books, top-tier shuttle tours of Miami’s literary arts landmarks, and a warm, sunny forecast!
This month, it’s all about Tropic Bound! Ingrid is one of Tropic Bound’s three co-founders and the team here at Miami Paper & Printing Museum is essential to making Tropic Bound possible. The fair takes place in just about a week from now — are you excited yet?
We’re gonna run through some things we’d love to highlight about the upcoming fair. If you’re already making your plans, maybe this will put something new on your radar! If you are new to the concept of Tropic Bound, allow us to introduce you.
What is Tropic Bound?
Check out art and books at the Main Fair and the Addendum!
The inaugural edition of Tropic Bound launched February 16th-19th, 2023 in the Miami Design District with over 1600 visitors in 4 days, from more than 20 countries, to see 64 exhibitors. This year, there will be 70 exhibitors from around the globe, around 30% of the exhibitors are based outside of the US.
The exhibitors are the main attraction — each table is occupied by a bookseller or artist who has laid out incredible handmade, small edition, and/or rare books and prints for you to explore and (and perhaps purchase and take home!)
Folks looking to get into collecting art often find that artists’ books are a great way to start. They are made with tremendous care and offer a lower price point than many unique works and are often comparably priced to prints. Many of the artists making artists’ books today work in other disciplines like sculpture, fiber arts, painting, writing, sound, video, and illustration, and have found that the book is a necessary conceptual extension of their practices. Many other artists have make their disciplinary home in the print and book world, and have devoted the bulk of their creative practice to the techniques and discourse surrounding the handmade book. All of the artists represented at Tropic Bound make work which is exemplary of the medium and of the role of artists in pushing what we think is possible within and beyond it.
You may need to visit more than once to ensure you see all of the exhibitors. Check out the exhibitors and hours for the Main Fair and the Addendum here! Each portion of the fair has it’s own hours and is free to attend.
Ride along on a Tropic Bound Shuttle Tour to explore Miami’s book and print treasures
Sign up for an immersive field trip with other art book lovers. Each tour is hosted by one of Tropic Bound’s co-directors, and offers a glimpse into the literary art hot spots of Miami. Your tour may visit the University of Miami’s special collections, artist and printmaking studios, binderies, book shops and more. Light lunch included.
There are three tours total, so choose wisely!
Shuttle tours will depart from Paradise Plaza, 151 NE 41 Street, street level, in the Miami Design District on Thursday, Feb 6, at 10am, and return to the same plaza at 2pm.
Option 1: Bindery Tour
Miami Paper & Printing Museum, (formerly known as IS Projects) a public access fine art printmaking and book arts studio and exhibition space, exclusive tour and talk from founder Ingrid Schindall, and D&B Book Binders, a family team specializing in printing and binding hardcover books, serving South Florida for over 60 years, tour from Anthony Lloret, 2nd generation owner
Option 2: Wolfsonian—FIU / Studio Tour
Extra Virgin Press, letterpress and book arts studio, with artist and printer Tom Virgin, EXILE Projects, an artist book publisher, community organizer, and experimental art space, The Wolfsonian-FIU, museum, library and research center with more than 200,000 objects with tour from Rosemarie Chiarlone, artist, and Frank Luca, Chief Librarian.
Hear what the pros have to say about it at the Symposium (and then PARTY!)
The Tropic Bound 2025 Symposium takes place at Palm Court Plaza Event Space, 140 NE 39 Street, 3rd Floor, in the Miami Design District on Thursday, Feb 6, from 4-6pm. At 6PM immediately following the Symposium, guests can enjoy the Tropic Bound Welcome Party! Stick around to nosh and make friends of the most bookish sort.
The Tropic Bound 2025 Symposium is generously sponsored by Vamp and Tramp Booksellers, selling contemporary fine press and artists’ books, representing 300+ presses and artists, to spread the joys of contemporary Book Arts across the country. The Welcome Party is generously sponsored by Lux Mentis Booksellers, specializing in fine first editions and rarities, books that have been treasured and will continue to be treasured – Americana, fiction, film, children’s books, art, travel, or the history of ideas.
We couldn’t be more grateful for the support of these champions in the world of deeply loved, rare, and artist-made books.
Keynote Speaker, Stephanie Stillo,
Chief of Rare Book and Special Collections Division,
US Library of Congress
Stillo will deliver the Tropic Bound 2025 keynote speech, Beyond the Build: Integrating Art into Special Collections, discussing the significance of book arts to special collection libraries.
In 2023 Stephanie Stillo assumed the country’s head librarian position - Chief of Rare Book and Special Collections Division at the US Library of Congress, where she leads the development, stewardship, interpretation, promotion and service of the collection to meet the needs of government officials, scholars and the public. Prior to her appointment in 2023, she held the position of curator of the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection and Aramont Library. Stillo holds a Ph.D. in modern European history and specializes in the history of printmaking and historical book illustration. She has a particular interest in the visual intersection of art, literature and poetry in modern and contemporary artist books.
The Rare Book and Special Collections Division is the largest collection of rare books in North America. Spanning eras and subjects, its holdings include nearly 1 million books, broadsides, pamphlets, theater playbills, title pages, prints, posters, photographs, and medieval and Renaissance manuscripts. At the center of the collection is President Thomas Jefferson's library, which was sold to Congress in 1815. In addition to the Collection, Stillo also oversees the division’s popular video series “From the Vaults” and co-manages the division’s blog, Bibliomania.
Panel Discussion: Beyond the Binding: How Artists’ Books are Made Today
with Emily Martin, Stephen Pittelkow, Sol Rébora, and Mark Sarigianis
Tropic Bound is an international fair with the mission to champion artists’ books. What makes an artists’ book different from a regular book? One of the main differences between an artists’ book and any other book is the intention that goes into every aspect of its creation. When embarking on the project of making a book, artists have a dizzying array of techniques, materials, and communication strategies to employ. In this panel we will hear from book artists and makers with diverse approaches to their practices. Attendees will gain insight into what really goes into planning and making an object that bridges the worlds of books and art.
You’re gonna want to touch more paper after the fair
Sign up for a workshop before it’s too late!
You know you’re looking at great work when the most intense feeling you have while you’re looking at it is, “I want to go to the studio and get to work right now!” It’s possible that even just reading about the fair has you wound up about the idea of folding paper and rolling out ink. Seeing all of the incredible books and prints at the fair and talking to all of the people that love them and make them will definitely intensify that feeling for many of us. If you know you’re going to want to get your hands busy right away after the fair, we’d suggest signing up to learn something new here at the studio. We have both bookbinding and drypoint printing on the schedule starting real soon after the fair. Don’t lose your momentum!
Want to learn something a little more specific?
You can learn anything with us that we can do here through our Private Instruction options. We have a bunch of common Private Instruction topics ready-to-go on our website, which we can customize to your specific needs inquire here.
And if you’re ready to hit the ground running…
…you can jump right in. Workshops optional (and discounted for members!)
Folks who are local and want flexible studio access, discounts on workshops, invites to members-only events, studio slots, and opportunities are great contenders for studio membership! Membership is the most economical way to use the studio if you know your goals go beyond a workshop here and there, or a one-off project.
If you’ve got any questions, you can compare our different membership levels here, and if you still have questions, shoot Brooke an email at brooke@isprojectsfl.com and she’ll be happy to help you out.
PREVIEW: Miami Paper & Printing Museum will have a table at Tropic Bound!
Ingrid will be holding it down at the Miami Paper & Printing Museum table this year at Tropic Bound. She’ll have lots of behind-the-scenes knowledge to share with visitors to the table about all of the books, prints, and zines that we’ll have on view. Here’s just a little glimpse at the work that you can expect at our table, which may offer you just a little more insight into what the fair is all about. Of course, nothing beats seeing it all for yourself.
Nearing is the fourth installment of our Existent Books publishing program and was screenprinted by hand during April 2017. The pop ups and fold outs were cut using a Cricut home plotter. The spiral binding allows the book to stand up like a miniature stage allowing the reader to interact with the piece as a performative object as well as a book. The book consists of 18 pages with pop ups, cut outs, and fold outs. Nearing was printed in an edition of 100 books all signed and numbered by the artist.
unknowing was produced at IS Projects during the Summer of 2021 and will be released October 18th, 2021 during E/AB Fair and Vancouver Art Book Fair. The book is drum leaf bound with a custom double-hinged slip case holding a letterpress and lasercut vovelle and a limited edition etching printed by Kim Spivey at Ground Printmaking. The book contains letterpress printed text with toner printed imagery and hand marbled end pages on Strathmore 400 Series Black paper. The cover is silver foil stamped silk mohair book cloth. Each book is signed and numbered by the artist. There are 7 different etching variations that are paired at random with each book. A special edition of 3 super collector’s books containing all 7 of the etching variations are also available
Please note: Books are currently in production and will ship at the end of October 2021
Convergence was produced at IS Projects during the Summer of 2020 and was released October 14th, 2020 during E/AB Fair. The book is drum leaf bound with a curved hard cover and shaped pages. The cover is foil printed and the interior pages are letterpress and screen printed using algae pigmented plant based ink. The centerfold and last image page include lasercutting and screen printing. Each book is signed and numbered by the artist. A special edition of the first 20 books in the edition of 100 come with a special 3D printed slip case designed by the artist.
To find out more about Convergence click here!
Read more about Michelle’s book in this lovely blog post written by the artist: September: Syzygy