Registration opens on March 28, 2026, at 8 am Pacific Time
2026 Instructors
Click on the instructors’ names to go to descriptions of their workshops.
Pietro Accardi
Pietro is native to the northwestern Italian city of Turin where his father Gaetano founded and operated a commercial printing press. His youth spent in the press led him to paper marbling, restoration, and bookbinding. After coming to the USA he started teaching paper and fabric marbling at the San Francisco Center for the Book and at the Nevada Museum of Arts in Reno. Together with his wife Vanessa he founded Accardi Book Arts: a book arts studio and bindery in Gardnerville, Nevada, to follow his passion of marbling fabric/paper and to preserve the tradition of handmade books and boxes.
Rhiannon Alpers
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
Celeste Chalasani
Celeste Chalasani is an artist specializing in Stumpwork embroidery, a type of needlework that produces a three-dimensional effect. She teaches in-person and virtually for the Embroiderers’ Guild of America (EGA), the National Academy of Needle Arts (NAN), and other organizations. She is a graduate of NAN’s Teachers’ Certification program and completed their Teach Cum Laude program combining Stumpwork and Book Arts. Her piece “Tidal Treasures” was accessioned into the NAN Permanent Collection at the Gregg Museum of Art & Design at North Carolina State University. Celeste is a member of the North Redwoods Book Arts Guild and San Diego Book Arts. Instagram: @celestechalasani
Kit Davey
Kit Davey is a Redwood City, California-based artist specializing in book art. Her work pushes the boundaries of “bookness” by using unusual materials and non-standard structures. Her mission is to “spread delight across the planet.” She does so by teaching more than 60 different book structures through the magic of Zoom, and by making a book a day which she shares on Instagram (@daveykit). Instagram: @daveykit
Kristen Doty
Kristen Doty has a passion for drawing, painting, and calligraphy, and she delights in using a variety of media. Her works have been included in juried exhibitions, won awards, and been published in art magazines and books, prints, greeting cards, logos, and book titles. She enjoys sharing her passion by teaching and has been on the faculty of two FOBA conferences, many international and regional conferences, and has taught workshops across the USA and abroad. Instagram: @kristendoty.art
Robin Feinman
Robin Feinman is an artist and teacher in Fairbanks, Alaska. She has taught art at all levels from kindergarten to college for decades, and works in a wide variety of media. Her interest in book arts has grown from humble experimentation at home, to workshops with the Northwoods Book Arts Guild in Fairbanks, the Newport Book and Paper Arts Festival, and FOBA. She is an active member of the Northwoods Book Arts Guild, where she both participates and teaches in workshops and shows, and serves on the Advisory Council. This will be her first time teaching at FOBA. Instagram: @robinfeiny
Selene Fisher
Over the years Selene Fisher has dabbled in different art genres, but when she discovered book arts, she knew she’d found her home. She loves “messing around” with paper and the book form (not that an artist book necessarily needs to employ either). Selene delights in alternative book forms, bright colors, and poetry. She enjoys using images to create stories and finding surprises around the corner. She prints with letterpress, rubber stamps, and gelli plates, and likes art to be fun. She also tunes up typewriters.
Judilee Fitzhugh
Judilee Fitzhugh is a textile artisan who specializes in natural plant dyes and couture sewing. A tour of duty in Japan with the U.S. Navy led to a profound Japanese influence and a lifelong affection for indigo textiles. Her finely crafted work combines hand-dyed and printed fabrics with vintage textiles in finely crafted garments, home textiles, and artworks. www.judileefitzhugh.com Instagram: @judileef
Erin Fletcher
Erin Fletcher is the owner of Herringbone Bindery, where she crafts one-of-a-kind fine bindings and small editions for various clients and institutions. Her work is regularly exhibited throughout the USA and abroad. Her work is in the collections at the Grolier Club, the Boston Athenaeum, the University of California Los Angeles, and in several private collections. She first discovered a love for bookbinding while studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This experience brought her to study bookbinding at the North Bennet Street School in Boston where she graduated in 2012. She regularly teaches book arts workshops online and at venues throughout the USA. Instagram: @herringbonebindery
Brenda Gallagher
Brenda Gallagher is a graphic designer, book artist, and design fine bookbinder. She is an enthusiastic teacher of letterpress and bookbinding for students of all ages. Brenda is a graduate of the American Academy of Bookbinding in Telluride where she earned a diploma of design fine binding.
Helen Hiebert
Helen Hiebert is a Colorado artist who constructs installations, sculptures, films, artist’s books, and works in paper using handmade paper as her primary medium. She teaches, lectures, and exhibits her work internationally and online, and is the author of several how-to books about papermaking and papercrafts; her latest book is Weaving With Paper. Helen has an extensive network of paper colleagues around the world and her interest in how things are made (from paper) keeps her up to date on current paper trends, which she writes about in her weekly blog called The Sunday Paper. She interviews papermakers and paper artists on her podcast Paper Talk, and she holds an annual paper retreat and papermaking master classes in her Red Cliff studio. Instagram: @helenhiebert
Raluca Iancu
Raluca Iancu is currently an Associate Professor in Art & Visual Culture—Printmaking at Iowa State University (ISU). She earned her MFA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and her BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University, Canada. Recent awards include a 2025 Art Project grant from the Iowa Art Council, a 2024 Bridging the Gap Interdisciplinary Grant (ISU), and a 2024 Polster Teaching Award from the College of Design (ISU). Her work investigates disaster, memory, and vulnerability through different media, ranging from printmaking to performance, edible art, and printed objects. Instagram: @raluca_iancu
Genevieve Kaplan
Genevieve Kaplan (she/her) is the author of two full-length collections of poetry and numerous shorter chapbooks, including a series of erasures. Her poems and writings have been published widely. She teaches university and community workshops on creative writing, poetry, and bookmaking. Her book art, created with an emphasis on found and recycled materials, is made from easily accessible materials. Her finished works take many forms including small “pocket” books, site-specific installations, and poetry “broadsides.” Genevieve lives in southern California. Instagram: @vievekaplan
Roberta Lavadour
Roberta Lavadour’s work is fueled by a rampant curiosity, exploring diverse themes inspired by everything from yard sale finds to her tangled family history. She has been exhibiting artist’s books for more than 25 years and has been recognized as an Oregon Arts Fellow by the Oregon Arts Commission. She has been a featured presenter at notable national book arts venues, including the Guild of Book Workers Standards of Excellence seminar, Paper and Book Intensive, and Focus on Book Arts. She has contributed to many publications that showcase book arts and has innovated structures that are recognized in the field. Instagram: @robertalavadour
Susan Lowdermilk
Susan Lowdermilk is a visual artist specializing in artist books that merge traditional printmaking with sculptural paper engineering. Through pop-ups and interactive structures, she explores themes of climate change, wildfire, and our evolving relationship with nature. A retired professor from Lane Community College, she continues to create and exhibit nationally. Her work is held in more than 70 public collections and represented by galleries across the USA. Lowdermilk holds an MFA in Printmaking from the University of Oregon. Her practice blends craft and innovation, inviting reflection and wonder through tactile storytelling. Instagram: @susan_lowdermilk
Abigail Merickel
Abigail Merickel lives in Oregon and Oaxaca, Mexico. She studied art and languages in Seville, Spain; Venice, Italy; and London, England, acquiring a BA in Spanish and English (University of Colorado–Boulder, 1981), a BFA in Painting (Accademia di Belli Arti-Venezia, 1989), and an MA in Teaching (George Fox University, Oregon, 2006). As a printmaker she experiments with monotype, collagraph, relief, intaglio, and lithography. Her creative process relies on the intuitive, informed by her senses and experiences. Working from memory and emotion, she captures her yearning, full of nostalgia, reverie, and—not least of all—joy. Her work is exhibited nationally and internationally. Instagram: @abigail_merickel
Casey Newman
Casey Newman is a naturalist and an artist who incorporates nature into her work, creating a unique way to connect with the beauty of nature. She is a botanical printer and natural dye artist, printing leaves onto fabric and paper using only the natural pigments found within each leaf. Casey grows and gathers natural materials to make dyes for fabric, botanical inks, watercolors, and other art supplies. Her work is centered around northwest native plants and she is inspired by living and working at Cedar Dell Forest Farm on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon.
Rosemary Rae
Rosemary Rae is a creative director/designer, artist, and design educator living in San Diego, California. A graduate of Moore College of Art & Design and Vermont College of Fine Arts, she currently works as a graphic designer. In addition to designing her unique line of letterpress greeting cards, she also creates collages and artist books that have been featured in many juried exhibitions. Instagram: @rosemarydesign
Shawn Sheehy
Shawn Sheehy has been teaching book arts courses and workshops since 2001. His broadsides and artist book editions have been collected by such institutions as Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Chicago, the Library of Congress, the University of California–Los Angeles, and Harvard University. Sheehy’s trade pop-up books Welcome to the Neighborwood and Beyond the Sixth Extinction (both mass-market versions of previous artist books) were published by Candlewick and have won numerous awards. Sheehy served as director of the Movable Book Society from 2018 to 2023. Aside from degrees in education and design, he holds an MFA in Book Arts from Columbia College Chicago. Instagram: @shawnwilder
Anne Sobbota
Anne Sobbota enjoys teaching journaling and book arts to students seeking exploration of the creative process and working to discover their own unique artistic voices. Anne has a BA in art education and an MA in art history. She taught a variety of visual arts classes for more than 30 years. Her workshops include materials exploration, project creation, creative prompts, and gently facilitated group discussion. Her students have ranged from elementary to university level and professional artists, in both public school and private studio settings. Anne currently works in glass at her own studio on the Southern Oregon Coast.
Kris Stewart
Kris Stewart has been crafting books since 1998, starting with hardcover photo albums, then moving to leather journals, sketchbooks, and artist’s books. She teaches workshops in her home studio and is an Artist Member of Combine Art Collective in downtown Walla Walla, Washington. Instagram: @scrollandinkbookbinding
Jenn Woodward
Jenn Woodward is a visual artist, educator, and non-profit fundraiser living in Oregon City, Oregon. She makes drawings and installations, working extensively with handmade paper. She is interested in the intersection of plant, animal, and human lives and how we can be better neighbors to one another. Over the past 19 years living in Oregon she has taught, exhibited, and lectured at locations throughout the state. For the past 13 years she has collaborated with her husband as the co-owner of the hand papermaking studio, Pulp & Deckle. Instagram: @pulpanddeckle