Welcome

The Center for Book & Paper Arts (CBPA) at Columbia College Chicago is dedicated to furthering knowledge and appreciation of book art, including letterpress & offset printing, bookbinding, papermaking, and artists' books.

We work to preserve historical techniques while promoting research and innovations in the media of book and paper arts.

July 9–August 20
Sponsored by the Lake County Discovery Museum’s Curt Teich Postcard Archives, this eighth biennial event celebrates the postcard as art and as visual document, challenging artists to create original work in the postcard format.

Friday, July 30, 6-11pm
The Printers’ Ball is an annual celebration of print culture, featuring thousands of magazines, books, and broadsides available free of charge; live readings and music; letterpress, offset, and paper-making demonstrations; and much more...

This summer’s exhibition is devoted to Marilyn Sward, our much-beloved principal founder, detailing her remarkable career as an artist. But we’d also like to take this time to reflect on the importance of her vision for the Center for Book and Paper Arts...

Exhibition: June 9–August 21
Opening Reception: Wednesday, June 9, 6–8pm
Gone but never to be forgotten, Center for Book and Paper Arts founder Marilyn Sward was an important artist during a critical period when handmade paper was coming into its own as a fine art medium. Curated by Audrey Niffenegger, with Pamela Paulsrud and Stephen DeSantis, this exhibition spans four decades of the ground-breaking work that inspired many to follow in her footsteps.

Jason Foumberg names Pearl of the Snowlands one of the top five print shows of 2009 in Newcity’s Top 5 of Everything 2009: Art & Museums. If you missed it, you can still order the catalog...

Center Contact Information
Book and Paper Office: 312-369-6630, book&paper@colum.edu
Gina Ordaz, Assistant to the Director, 312-369-6631
1104 S. Wabash, 2nd Fl
Chicago, IL 60605