RESIDENCIES
Located on Coastal Pomo land, the Mendocino Art Center is a place for artists to retreat, gather, develop their crafts, and practice using art to serve our communities.
All that we offer in publishing and education is now done through residencies, along with newly offered REST/STUDY residencies that can be customized to what the artist is seeking from their experience.
Please thoroughly read the descriptions of each offering to best understand which residency you’re seeking—as not all residencies offer the same resources, and some have different prices and limitations than others.
If you have any questions, please send them to studio@forthebirdstrappedinairports.com.
EDITIONING RESIDENCY
for artists + publishers
2- to 4-weeks to support an artist/publisher in producing a high-quality edition
Scheduled on an individual basis
While we do not accept submissions for this residency, past residents / published artists can nominate others to be sent an application for consideration.
For those previously familiar with our publishing work in Los Angeles and Chicago, the EDITIONING RESIDENCY is the newest iteration in our ongoing relationship to publishing, now offered in our new studio in Mendocino.
Production Details / Limitations:
- Special Editions - Edition of 5
- Hardcover / Complex Editions - Edition of 50
- Paperback Editions - Edition of 100
- Inkjet / Riso Print Editions - Edition of 50
MAKING A MOCK-UP RESIDENCY
for artists
1-week intensive to make a mock-up
Scheduled on an individual basis
Studio hours: M–F, 10 am to 4 pm
While residents are encouraged to bring their own favorite hand tools, we will utilize the studio resources to their capacity to serve the student’s creative projects and visions. This may include: inkjet printing, digital offset printing, foil stamping, sewing, board cutting, paper trimming, perfect binding, vacuum feed folding, hand-bookbinding techniques, and more.
By producing a fully bound mock-up in this residency, residents will learn the structure of a book, the materials, tools, and equipment used in book production, and how to best design for such methods through the guidance of the instructor. Residents are typically utilizing this opportunity with a creative project in mind, but if only wishing to learn the production practices, residents can also design a notebook (no creative content needed).
While this is a hands on / guided residency, it does not focus on learning bookbinding — instead, the focus is on bringing your book concept to life through a mock up and going through all of the design and production processes to do that.
If you are specifically interested in learning bookbinding, please take our one-day bookbinding workshop to do so.
$2,500 (includes pick-up / drop off from Sonoma County Airport, and one week room & board in Mendocino Art Center apartment accomodations)
If local / not needing accomodations, $1,500
IDEA TO EDITION RESIDENCY
for artists, designers, and publishers
2-week intensive to make an edition of 25
Scheduled on an individual basis
Studio hours: M–F, 10 am to 4 pm
While residents are encouraged to bring their own favorite hand tools, we will utilize the studio resources to their capacity to serve the student’s creative projects and visions. This may include: inkjet printing, digital offset printing, foil stamping, sewing, board cutting, paper trimming, perfect binding, vacuum feed folding, hand-bookbinding techniques, and more.
By producing an edition of 25 in this residency, students will hone their editioning skills and methods through the guidance of the instructor. Residents are typically utilizing this course with a creative project in mind, but if only wishing to learn the bookbinding practices, students can also design an edition of notebooks (no interior content needed).
$3,500 (includes pick-up / drop off from Sonoma County Airport, and two weeks room & board in Mendocino Art Center apartment accomodations)
If local / not needing accomodations, $2,500
Production Details / Limitations:
- 3 residents at a time max
- If needing a particular type of printing that we can’t offer, pages should be printed elsewhere beforehand. Pre-press support can be offered for a fee. Otherwise, we will print locally and residents will pay printer directly, as project scopes can vary greatly.
- Structural materials (board, glue, thread, etc.) are covered by fee. Design materials (bookcloth, paper, foil, etc.) will be purchased individually as book material prices vary dramatically depending on the source and quality.
REST/STUDY RESIDENCY
for artists, publishers + arts workers
Customizable offerings on a per week basis, maximum of 4 weeks
Scheduled on an individual basis
If you are an arts organization that wants to coordinate a retreat for your team, please reach out regarding group pricing.
$750 / per week (includes pick-up / drop off from Sonoma County Airport, and one week room & board in Mendocino Art Center apartment accomodations)
Customizations:
If wishing to have a private office with Wi-Fi, a large artist book library, and a design swatchbook material library for the duration of your stay, this adds $750 / week.
If wishing to have 20 hours of open studio access per week (requiring $300 equipment orientation + safety waiver), this adds $750 / week.
If wishing to receive one-on-one mentorship / tutoring / labor in helping to bring your project to life, this adds $500 / day for a 10am-4pm work session.
Printing
RISO MH9450U (CMYk)
EPSON SureColor P5000 (17”)
Xerox Primelink Copy Machine (operated by Mendocino Art Center)
Binding
Duplo 290DB Perfect Binder
Smyth Sewing Machine
Handy Padder Cold Glue Stack Clamping Device
3 nipping presses 11”x15”, 16”x20”, 12”x15”
Turning in machine
Ultra XT BaumFolder 14”x20”
ACME Saddle Stitch machine (up to 3/4” depth)
John Jacques Board shear 45”
Challenge Advance Guillotine 30”
Triumph Ideal Electronic Guillotine 18”
OEM Sticker Casing in Machine
Lassco Paper Jogger
Finishing
Kensol K-36 (6” x 8” heat plate)
Kensol 50-F8 (8.5” x 11” swivel heat plate)
Corner Rounder
Silhouette CAMEO Pro MK-II
To book a residency, please reach out to studio@forthebirdstrappedinairports.com
with the type and dates that interest you.
1. This business is run by two working class people.
2. We are not a non-profit. Therefore, no one is funding our residencies, which is why they cost what they cost. We are working toward building options for those with financial means to have the ability to sponsor residencies for artists. We are working towards finding grants that the MAC can apply to for collaborative writing/book arts residency funding, in order to provide cheap or free book arts residencies.
3. While we collaborate with the Mendocino Art Center and love the Mendocino Art Center, we are not a part of the Mendocino Art Center. We pay the Mendocino Art Center rent to be here regardless of whether or not people book residencies. Lodging costs for our residencies are generated from an agreement between us and the Mendocino Art Center. We have a number of separate efforts underway to make the residencies more collaborative with the MAC, more affordable, and more beautiful (in terms of housing accommodations), but hey, we just got here.
4. We have heard that some people only consider a residency a residency if it is fully-funded. If you are one of those people, you may call these overnight book arts classes, retreats, educational vacations, or really anything you want. The costs are based on: us paying rent, paying the art center for your lodging, paying for the cleaning fee for your room, and for the upkeep of all the equipment and materials to facilitate production needs for your residency.
5. This business is run by two working class people.