Kim Hetherington was PPLD's Maker in Residence for January and February 2015 .
Her introduction to bookbinding was in the nonfiction section of the East Library. Kim was perusing the shelves and was more than thrilled to find a book on making books. Unfortunately, she was also a bit intimidated as the book explained historical bookbinding methods and listed costly pieces of equipment and tools. For a few years, she allowed this intimidation to keep me from trying my hand at it. Kim thought bookbinding required talent and equipment she did not possess. How wrong she was.
Books can be made simply with a few inexpensive materials, or they can be time-intensive pieces made with traditional bookbinding tools and equipment. A private class showed Kim how to create her first book with a handful of common tools and a few pieces of simple materials. She was hooked. Kim had the fortune of attending further bookbinding classes at Pikes Peak Community College, American Academy of Bookbinding, and with bookbinder Jim Croft. She also attend local classes and created books with and designed by Kylin Lee, Jill K. Berry, Carol Sloan, Marsh Sterling, and Pam Leutz.
While in residence, Kim taught classes about Japanese Bookbinding and Leather Journals.
Visit PPLD's Maker/Artist in Residence page for more information.
Patti Smithsonian was PPLD's Maker in Residence for February and March 2015. Her puppet shows portray ancient folktales using contemporary language and humor.
Her one-woman puppet theater has been featured at international festivals and venues including The Detroit Institute of Art, The Seattle Puppet Festival, New York International Busker Fest, Institut International de la Marionnette (France), The Santa Fe Sculpture Ranch, The
Telluride World Theater Festival, The San Francisco Puppetry Festival, and The Shilong Moon Festival (Taiwan).
Ms. Smithsonian has studied shadow puppetry in Turkey, Taiwan, and France. She uses laser cutters, acrylic plastics, alcohol inks, and high-powered projectors to create her shadow theater. She uses electronically projected light and shadow in creating light shows for theater, rock bands, and performance art — as well as narrative puppet plays.
While in residence, Ms. Smithsonian taught classes about Chinese Dragon Shadow Puppets and Modern Shadow Puppets: Animals.
Visit PPLD's Maker/Artist in Residence page for more information.
RoxAnne Krute began her creative journey at an early age. An affinity for playing with color, texture and composition has been an underlying influence in her continued exploration of various mediums throughout her life. In addition to collecting a variety of materials and tools needed for each creative venture, she has a fondness for aged and unusual objects, which she attributes to her grandmother’s influence.
This background, together with a formal education in fine art and graphic design, provides a “perfect storm” for art expressions using mixed media. She admits that even though this evolution in her art making is still in its infancy, the joy she experiences in the “play” of art-making is something she is passionate about sharing.
While in residence, RoxAnne taught Beginning Mixed Media Collage on Canvas classes.
Visit PPLD's Maker/Artist in Residence page for more information.