About the course:
Nobel prize-winning scientist Linus Pauling famously said that the best way to generate great ideas is to generate lots of ideas. Out of quantity comes quality. I would say the same thing about making art. To that end, this class is designed to help you create lots of art, where you will compose the same text (or letter) over and over, but in many different ways. You will be helped along by a series of exercises that will involve different media, tools and techniques. There will be opportunities to treat the text literally and more abstractly. Some of the exercises will involve color, others black & white. You will come away from the workshop with lots of info on how to compose many variations of a text, tips on layout and design. You will also come away with lots of work, hopefully some of which will amaze you and inspire you to do more. Some calligraphy experience is helpful, but a willingness to experiment and try new approaches to art making is just as important.
This Workshop will run Saturday September 17 and Sunday September 18 from 9AM to 4PM (including 1 hour lunch break).
About the Instructor:
Mike Gold worked as a commercial lettering designer for over 30 years, mostly in the social expressions business. But his real passion is exploring the corridors of calligraphy that have been less traveled, the path where words and letters are design elements with which to play with line, shape and form, where creating a visual statement is more important than writing a readable text. In both his professional and personal art, Mike breaks traditional rules to create contemporary, non-traditional work.
Collaboration has been a feature of some of his personal work. He especially cherishes the work and teaching he did with Judy Melvin and his 25-year involvement with Scribes 8, a collaborative group based in New Mexico. Over the last 15 years or so Mike has worked mostly on his own, developing a practice that builds on the traditions of the past, influenced by art and artists of all kinds. Being a calligrapher in the 21st century, Mike has matured at a time when calligraphers are moving calligraphy in new directions, creating new traditions, just as all artists have done over time. He still make beautiful letters and write out texts, but also explores the abstract, the illegible and the conceptual.
Teaching calligraphy to inmates at a women’s prison is his most unusual teaching experience. His most unusual commission comes from Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, who reproduced one of Mike’s designs on a line of clothing. Mike has an M.A. in Visual Communications and has studied with many outstanding lettering and design masters over the years. Mike has taught around the country and at several international calligraphy conferences. His personal work has been featured in Letter Arts Review many times over the past 25-plus years. He is the author of Lines to Live By (available through John Neal, Bookseller), which is Mike's take on being a non-traditional calligrapher in the 21st century.
To see more of Mike’s work, please go to his website: https://www.mikegold-letterarts.com or check him out on Instagram @goldie2452
Supplies:
Supply lists will be emailed two weeks prior to the workshop beginning or within 24 hours of registration in that two week period.
There is an optional full color, spiral bound book that Mike has prepared as a resource for this course. If you are interested in purchasing the book, please email you interest to : workshops@michigancalligraphy.org by 22 August 2022.
Requirements:
This is a Hybrid workshop, meaning you will have the option to be in person or join via Zoom.
Students should have the following:
Ability to receive handouts via email and print them before the workshop.
Computer or other internet-connected device with a built-in camera.
Zoom conferencing software and familiarity with the platform.
In order to access the workshop on Zoom, you will first need to download the free Zoom app (called Zoom Client for Meetings) on your tablet or computer, if you don't already have it.
Click Zoom before the workshop to download the Zoom app.
If you are new to the platform, Zoom offers tutorials here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697. Please contact the Workshop Chair in advance if you are totally new to Zoom. Her contact info is in the confirmation email.
Location: If you would like to join us in person, the workshop will be held at the Plymouth Historical Museum in Plymouth, MI
Recording: Will be available for one month after class ends.
Michigan Association of Calligraphers (MAC)
MAC is a non-profit organization open to all who are interested in calligraphy, the art of beautiful writing. Its principal purposes and functions are to perpetuate, enhance, and promote the art of calligraphy. Guild membership covers a calendar year (Jan-Dec). We invite you to follow us on Eventbrite.