278: Books as Art with Andrew Huot of Big River Bindery
- Diana Varma
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Calling all book lovers, both old and new! This episode is especially for you.
Today I’m joined by Andrew Huot, who is a book artist, bookbinder, printer, and conservator in Scarborough, ON. He operates Big River Bindery, a studio for bookmaking, letterpress printing, and book conservation. He holds a Masters in Book Arts from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and a Bachelor of Science in Printmaking from Portland State University.
Andrew was the Conservator and Preservation Specialist at Illinois State University Library before going into private practice. He has worked at the University of Oregon Knight Library, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Wagner Institute of Science Library, and the Folger Shakespeare Library. He taught bookbinding, conservation, and preservation at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois for 12 years and is a sessional instructor for the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto.
His artists’ books use photographs, linoleum cuts, and text to share the humorous side of everyday life around us. His artists’ books are in collections across the country, from the Art Institute of Chicago to Yale University.
In short, we’re joined by book-making royalty.
In this conversation, you’ll hear what the term “book arts” means. You’ll learn what a typical day in Andrew’s studio looks like, including his most necessary tools: from bone, to surgical scalpels, to teflon. Andrew shares how he repairs paper (my mind is blown!), the oldest book he’s ever worked on, and he debunks a popular book handling myth (again, my mind is blown!). Finally, Andrew speaks to the importance of books in a highly digital world, and he shares the best next steps for aspiring book artists, which might just be you after hearing this episode!
Let’s listen in…
About Our Guest:
Andrew Huot is a book artist, bookbinder, printer, and conservator in Scarborough, ON. He operates Big River Bindery, a studio for bookmaking, letterpress printing, and book conservation. He holds a Masters in Book Arts from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and a Bachelor of Science in Printmaking from Portland State University.
Andrew was the Conservator and Preservation Specialist at Illinois State University Library before going into private practice. He has worked at the University of Oregon Knight Library, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Wagner Institute of Science Library, and the Folger Shakespeare Library. He taught bookbinding, conservation, and preservation at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois for 12 years and is a sessional instructor for the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto.
His artists’ books use photographs, linoleum cuts, and text to share the humorous side of everyday life around us. His artists’ books are in collections across the country, from the Art Institute of Chicago to Yale University.
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Music:
Bubbles ( Lofi , Bright , Relaxed ) by HoliznaCC0 is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License.
Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle