Our tutors
Monica Oppen
Monica Oppen has been binding books since the 1980s. For three years she worked and trained with Daphne Lera at DS Murray Bookbinders a hand bindery in Sydney. Her entry into bookbinding was through wanting to bind books of prints she was creating. From here her passion for the alchemical nature of bookbinding has engaged her in continuing to learn and improve her skills and knowledge of bookbinding styles and techniques. She continues to work as a printmaker and bookbinder. She regularly collaborates with artists on book projects bringing to the projects the bookbinding skills that her colleagues lack. Over the years she has come to understand that bookbinding, like other hand craft skills, is an embodied skill that requires dedication and endless practice to master. She welcomes students to start on this rewarding journey. She has been a member of the NSW Guild of Craft Bookbinders for 15 years.
Avril Makula
Avril Makula is a book artist and book designer. She has a BA (Visual Art), majoring in printmaking, from Alexander Mackie (UNSW). Her bookmaking expertise comes from hands-on industry experience as a professional book designer, and making editioned books by hand as part of her art practice (Alphabet City Press). Much of her work explores the book as art using typography, geometry and colour, as well as themes of connection to place, landscape and the natural world. Her handmade books are held in the National Library of Australia and the state libraries of NSW and Victoria, as well as private collections. She has also published a book called Type Town, a photographic exploration of urban typography.
Ted Chapman
Ted Chapman, is a third generation bookbinder. As well as working in the industry for many years, he has run his own business and taught bookbinding at TAFE. He is a long term member of the Guild and our most highly skilled tutor.
Glenda Hutchinson
"I have 40+ years experience as a computer programmer and many years learning and practicing the ancient arts of Calligraphy, Bookbinding and Paper Marbling. While these two areas of skill are very different, together. they allow me to create both traditional pieces of art and contemporary digital artworks. I began Marbling more seriously about 20 years ago and it has become my favourite art. I use it for traditional bookbinding, but also for textiles such as caps, hats, scarves and shoes."
Nicholas Beckett
Nicholas Beckett has worked in book conservation in a major Sydney institution for many years. Prior to this he worked in London at Bookends Bindery making boxes for the British Library Collection.
Petra Weber
Petra Weber has been involved in the arts for all her life. She is an artist, printmaker and bookbinder. For many years she has focussed on the art of Japanese bookbinding and over recent years has focussed on mastering suminagashi and bookcloth making.
Kathy Lobo
Kathy Lobo has been making books and boxes all her life. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Philadelphia College of Art (a.k.a. University of the Arts) . Her degree was is Crafts with a double major in Metals and Fibers. She took her first formal book binding course at that time. She has also earned a certificate in traditional Chinese Painting from the Tianjin Fine Art College, Tianjin, China. She learned about Chinese Thread Books from Ruth Smith, UK, a world expert on the subject. They meet regularly to make books and boxes together.
Kathy was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, where she currently lives. She has lived overseas for about 20 years in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan and the Sunshine Coast of Australia. Kathy is a member of the New York Center for Book Arts and the New England Book Artists. She has taught many workshops for adults and children at various art centers and museums. Her own work is about creating order in chaos, threads into cloth, papers into books and boxes. Her work been displayed in galleries and is part of collections in museums such as the Museum of Women Artists in Washington D.C. and libraries, such as the Queensland State Library in Brisbane.
Guest tutors
Joy Tonkin
Joy Tonkin is a master bookbinder and book & paper conservationist who has been working out of Bookarts Bindery with her husband John Tonkin, also a master bookbinder, for 30 years. Together and individually, they have been commissioned to work on distinctive one-off book projects and have run many specialist bookbinding workshops, comprising a range of traditional and contemporary bookbinding techniques. Both Joy & John have exhibited their work internationally and many of their special bindings can be found in both private and public collections around the world.
Karen Vidler
Karen is a qualified bookbinder, book conservator, leather technologist and trainer. She is keen to share her fascination for the history, structures, materials and media that compose a book and current techniques for their conservation. She is willing to share this with students and professional conservators during her teaching in higher education, professional development programs and vocational training. She has contributed papers to various bookbinding and conservation publications and is always keen to pass on skills and knowledge through her intern supervision and teaching practice. Karen has managed Book Conservation Services since 2006.