Robin Kinney’s Art of Bookmaking

Artist Robin Kinney, owner of Bay View BookArts Gallery, fills her first-floor studio with handmade art books forexhibition and purchase. The gallery and classroom space, which began sevenyears ago, has resided in the renovated Hide House on Greeley Street since 2007. To conservefunds, Kinney will likely move the gallery further south in 2010, even whileshe occupies her time with another vocationteaching the art of bookmaking atMilwaukee schools through the organization Arts @ Large.

Whatis Arts @ Large and how did you get involved?

Arts @ Large is anorganization similar to others in the city that sponsor artists and art classesto the city schools. All these organizations recognize that the public schoolshave lost funding for the arts and are trying to find people to work with themin the schools to provide all types of arts education to children. I beganabout two and a half years ago, and with the downturn in the economy, realizedthat I really wanted to have every child making books.

Howdoes bookmaking work in the classroom?

I recently worked forsix months at Zablocki School withkindergartners, first-graders and fifth-graders. At the end of the time we hada school-wide gallery night. The fifth-graders wrote, illustrated and boundtheir own handmade books. They needed to develop a character, a back story,vocabulary, profile and pictures, plus provide a continuous story over theeight pages. Everyone’s was remarkable. I really doubt adults could have done abetter job.

Whatmakes bookmaking so fascinating to children?

Books are familiar tochildren, and there’s a fearlessness to making books. Bookmaking also involvesstructure and construction. When you’re done you can say, “I’ve made somethingfrom nothing.” When you make a book you take ownership, with a tangible object,something to hold on to. The children, of all ages, really hang on to themafter they’re finished.

Willteaching replace your work in the gallery?

I love the gallery, butthere’s an immediate gratification with teaching children. They’re so honestand open, optimistic. We’ll always have a gallery, though. Making books,whether in the gallery or at schools, is not gender or age specific. All thekids have a book inside them. We all have a story, a book inside us. It’s avery democratic art form. You don’t need a lot of money, training or fancymaterials. It’s very private and has an intimacy you don’t have with other artforms. Really, I’d love to know that kids graduate from high school with alibrary of books they’ve hand-made. I feel lucky to work with the kids and thegallery.