ABOUT KAREN

Karen Hanmer’s artist-made books are physical manifestations of personal essays intertwining history, culture, politics, science, and technology. The work is often playful in content or format. Her Chicago studio practice is unusually varied, including design bindings, limited edition artists’ books, inexpensive multiples, and bookbinding instructional materials. She uses both traditional and contemporary book structures.

Hanmer has studied extensively with some of North America’s most notable binders and is a graduate of the American Academy of Bookbinding’s fine binding program. She is the winner of the 2021 Award for Design and the 2009 Award for Excellence in Binding from the triennial Helen Warren DeGolyer Competition for American Bookbinding, the country’s only competition focused on fine binding. Her practice is featured in Gary Frost’s 2021 A Crafted Typology of the Codex: Book Modelmaking as an Approach to Material Book Study. She holds a degree in Economics from Northwestern University.

Hanmer has exhibited widely since 1988, and her work is included in more than 200 collections ranging from The British Library and the Library of Congress to Stanford University and Graceland. Solo exhibition venues include Florida Atlantic University, University of the West of England Bristol, the Center for Book Arts (NYC), and numerous other university and book arts center galleries. Curated exhibition venues include the Corcoran Museum of Art, the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Brooklyn Museum, Harvard University’s Fogg Museum of Art, the American Bookbinders Museum, and the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft. Traveling curated exhibitions include those sponsored by the Guild of Book Workers (US), Designer Bookbinders (UK), the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists' Guild, and Les Amis de la Reliure d'Art du Canada.

An acknowledged leader in the book arts community, Hanmer has twice presented her research and techniques at the Guild of Book Workers Standards of Excellence Seminar, the two-day, four-session event that is the organization’s annual conference. She served on the editorial board of The Bonefolder, the peer-reviewed online book arts journal, and the editorial board of the Guild of Book Workers Journal. Hanmer curated Marking Time, a triennial, traveling exhibition sponsored by the Guild of Book Workers.

In mid 2020 Hanmer began to supplement in-person instruction with virtual, and remains one of very few sources for advanced-level, online bookbinding education. She offers workshops and private instruction through both formats to working practitioners and dedicated hobbyists, focusing on a solid foundation in traditional binding skills. Her thoughtful approach to structure gives students the tools to reach across history and technique to create a sound and satisfying binding.

REPRESENTATION

  • The Kelmscott Bookshop, Baltimore, MD

  • Vamp & Tramp, Booksellers, LLC, Birmingham, AL

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

  • The Bonefolder, a peer-reviewed “open-access” e-journal for bookbinding and the book arts, editorial board, 2005-2012.

  • Canadian Bookbinders & Book Artist Guild

  • Designer Bookbinders UK

  • Guild of Book Workers, National Exhibitions Chair, 2006-2010; Awards Committee, 2011; Chair, Nominating Committee, 2012; Editorial Board, Guild of Book Workers Journal, 2010-2020

  • Hand Bookbinders of California

  • Society of Bookbinders UK

  • Chicago Hand Bookbinders. Exhibitions Chair 1999-2001, 2004-2006

  • Columbia College Center for Book & Paper Arts, Exhibitions Committee, 2001-2002

  • Artemisia Gallery, Chicago, IL, 1997-2003. Mentorship Program Director, Vice President

Next

Exhibitions