Rhiannon Alpers: Layer by Layer—Stacked Boxes with Magnetic Closure

Workshop Description

This two-day workshop is designed for intermediate boxmakers looking to deepen their skills and explore creative possibilities in structure and design. We will construct a multi-tiered interlocking tray system housed within a wrapped enclosure featuring a hidden magnetic closure, utilizing pre-cut components to streamline the build process.

Participants will tailor their boxes with customized dividers and design choices that reflect their own themes and color palettes. Students will use a combination of paper and bookcloth, allowing for a highly personalized finish.

With a foundation in gluing, measuring, and tray construction, students will focus on refining techniques and making design decisions that elevate their finished piece—resulting in a beautifully crafted and uniquely expressive box.

Prerequisites (participants should know how to):

• Determine paper grain and match the grain of different components of a book
• Have completed a hard-sided box and lid

Materials/Equipment to be Provided by Students

• Cutting mat (12″ x 18″ or larger)
• Apron and washcloth for cleaning hands
• Ruler 6″ or longer
• X-Acto, snap blade, or scalpel knife
• Extra blades
• Bone or teflon folder
• Awl
• Dividers (please inquire directly if you do not have a pair already)
• Small and regular-sized scissors
• Microspatula
• Mechanical pencil

See Materials Glossary for definitions and images

Materials/Equipment to be Provided by Instructor

• Pre-cut book board for 2-3 trays and dividers for each participant
• Pre-cut book board for wrapper
• Templates for all components and covering materials (bookcloth and paper)
• Magnetic wrapper enclosure: pre-cut book board components and magnet components
• Multiple covered bricks/weights
• Wax paper
• 3″ plexi-triangle for each student
• Waste paper/gluing paper
• Plastic glue pot containers for each person
• Glue rollers (tray and roller/foam)
• Rare earth magnets
• Extra student tools
• PVA, pre-made paste, and specimen adhesives
• Sanding blocks and sandpaper
• Instruction handouts for boxmaking process and vocabulary
• Decorative paper and bookcloth box trays and wrappers; students can bring additional small weights for drying

Instructor Biography

Rhiannon Alpers is a papermaker, letterpress printer, and book artist based in Portland, Oregon. She holds both a BA and an MFA in Book and Paper Arts. She has exhibited nationally and internationally. Her work is held in the collections of the Library of Congress, the University of Denver, Yale University, Stanford University, and others. Her limited-edition and one-of-a-kind artist books are published under the Gazelle and Goat Press imprint. More information about her work is available at rhiannonalpers.com.

Instagram: @gazelle_n_goat