Beginnings
Books have been an important part of my life since I was a small child. Through them, I traveled to far-off lands and imaginary kingdoms, met wonderful friends, and learned how to do all kinds of new things from cooking to calligraphy to making books. I made some books as a child but my passion for construction came when I had a child of my own.


I've always liked making things. I got it from my mother. She never concentrated on any one thing but in her life she sewed, knitted, painted, and made stained glass, as well as enhanced our lives with Christmas ornaments, house, table, and holiday decorations. And she did it all without the guidance of Martha Stewart.

It's been a long journey from the girl making crafts with her mother to the artist and teacher of today. I graduated from Boston University with a degree in English Literature. I spent a year being miserable doing clerical work in an office, followed by four years teaching swimming for the Boston School Department, where I learned to project my voice over 30 screaming kids in the echo chamber of the pool.

I left the wet world of the Hennigan School pool because I wanted to open a children's bookstore. While I waited for that to happen, I started doing calligraphy, which had been an occasional pastime since high school. I became obsessed. I eventually worked at it commercially doing invitations, diplomas, certificates, menus, wedding proposals, poems, logos- the works. I also exhibited calligraphic work as a fine artist and taught an Introduction to Calligraphy course at Rivier College.

After about ten years, calligraphy began to lose its magic. The commercial work was beginning to bore me, the clients were driving me crazy, and the fine art work was no longer satisfying. I wanted to do something more personal and less interpretive. After experiments with painting and surface design on fabric, I discovered the book form. I made books as artwork and I also made books for and about my young son. When he was in pre-school, I showed his teacher a valentine book I had made that was folded like an accordion with a red ribbon threaded through the slits in the pages. When her first words were, "Hand-eye coordination," I knew there were possibilities for making books with children. Since that time, I've taught over twenty thousand students and teachers from grades pre-K through 8.

Over the years my teaching has evolved. In the beginning, I approached the book very much as a tool of artistic and personal expression. I came to see that what teachers need are ways to work within the curriculum. I now teach them how to make books that make learning facts and concepts and doing research fun. I love every part of the process- experimenting with forms and designing samples that relate to the curriculum, simplifying the directions to make them clear and understandable, and going to schools and working with teachers and students, as well as writing books and articles.

My task over the last few years has been to try to reach a balance between teaching and artwork. In the past few years, I have managed to allow more time for my own creative work. The Spirit Book Series, which I began in 1991, will come to a close with Spirit Book #50 and the entire collection will be on view at Carney Gallery, Regis College in Weston, MA in the fall of 2005. I have come to understand that balancing time betwen teaching, art, and family will be an ongoing journey and I know how lucky I am to have all three.

Bio
Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord, the author of Hands-On History: Middle Ages, Super Pop-up Reports for American History, and Multicultural Books to Make and Share, all from Scholastic Professional Books, is now publishing her material for teachers through her website, makingbooks.com. Since 1990, she has taught bookmaking workshops to over 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers. Her workshops consistently get the highest ratings for combining creativity and enthusiasm with clear, precise directions. Since As a book artist, she has exhibited her one of a kind and limited edition books nationally. Her artists books are in numerous collections, including the Museum of Modern Art Library, Yale University Library, and Wellesley College Library. They have been featured in several books about bookmaking including Cover to Cover and Handmade Books and Cards.

Resume

TEACHING
Conference Presentations
Massachusetts Reading Association Conference, Sturbridge, MA, 2000-2006,1994-95, 1992, Worcester MA, 1996

Northeast Regional Conference on Social Studies, Boston, MA, 2005, 2001, 1998, New Haven, CT, 2000

Title 1 Conference, Hyannis, MA, 2002-2003

New England Kindergarten Conference, Boston, MA, 1999

New England Reading Association Conference, Portland, ME, 2000, 1994; Andover, MA, 1999; Hyannis, MA, 1993

NE Association for the Education of Young Children, Portland, ME, 2001; Portsmouth, NH, 1999

Massachusetts Migrant Association Conference, Westborough, MA, 1999; Lawrence, MA, 1995

Montessori National Conference, Boston, MA, 1998

RFK Schools Conference, Springfield, MA, 1996, 1994


Institutes and Workshops
An Immersion into Wampanoag Seasonal Celebrations, Children's Museum, Boston, MA, 2003-2005

Pre-School Teacher Workshop, Children's Museum, Boston, MA, 2004

Reading Summer Institute, Reading, MA, 2001

Book Arts Jamboree, Cairo, NY, 1999

Center for Global Studies, Framingham State College, Framingham, MA, 1998-present

Center for Global Studies, Clark University, Worcester, MA, 1995-2001

Global Horizons, UMass Amherst, Amherst, MA, 1999- 2000

Mass Global Education Program, Winchester, MA, 1997- 2001

Melrose Summer Institute, Melrose, MA,1999, 1998, 1995

Summer Literacy Institute, Lesley College, Cambridge, MA, 1998

Spring Literacy institute, Lesley College, Cambridge, MA, 1998-1999


Schools
Over 500 schools including
Harrington School, Lynn, MA
Hood School, Lynn, MA
Linscott School, Woburn, MA
Stoneridge Montessori School, Beverly, MA
Montessori School of Albany, Albany, NY
Hillside School, Needham, MA
Doyon School, Ipswich, MA
Winthrop School, Ipswich
Grafton Street School, Worcester, MA
Farley School, Hudson, MA
Foxborough Regional Charter School, Foxborough, MA
Huckleberry Hill School, Lynnfield, MA


PUBLICATIONS
Books
Multicultural Books to Make and Share, revised edition, makingbooks.com, 2004

Hands-On History: Middle Ages, Scholastic Professional Books, NY, 2002
Super Pop-up Reports for American History, Scholastic Professional Books, NY, 2000

Multicultural Books to Make and Share, Scholastic Professional Books, NY, 1994

Articles
Seasons Accordion Book (adapted from Multicultural Books To Make And Share), Bound and Lettered, Volume 3, Number 4, 2004

Slat Books from Ancient China, dog eared magazine, issue 8, 2002

Making an Illuminated Nameplate and Girdle Book (adapted from Hands-On History: Middle Ages), Tabellae Ansatae, Volume 2, Number 3, 2002

A Mandala for World Peace, Make Your Own Mandala, Tibet issue, Volume 16, Number 2, October 1999

Masaai Beadwork, Kenya issue, Volume 15, Number 5, January 1999

Traditional Cambodian Books, Cambodia issue, Volume 15, Number 1, September 1998

Festive Gift Books for Kids to Make and Give, Instructor , volume 107, number 4, 1997


Contributing Artist
The Decorated Page, Gwen Diehn, New York, Lark Books, 2002

The Art and Craft of Handmade Books, Shereen LaPlantz, New York, Lark Books, 2001

Making Memory Books by Hand, Kristina Feliciano, Rockport Publishers, Gloucester, MA, 1999

Pages: Innovative Bookmaking Techniques, Linda Fry Kenzle, Iola, WI, Krause Publications, 1997

Handmade Books and Cards, Jean G. Kropper, Davis Publications, Worcester, MA, 1997

Cover to Cover, Shereen LaPlantz, Lark Books, Asheville, NC, 1995


GRANT AND PROJECTS
Books Around the World, Newburyport, MA, 1994
Project Creator and Director
Worked with sixteen classes, grades 1-6, in Newburyport Public Schools. Each student created a book based on a traditional book form from around the world. Organized exhibition of books at Newburyport Public Library. Gave lecture for adults and workshops for children in conjunction with exhibition. Funded in part by Massachusetts Cultural Council via Newburyport Cultural Council

Lowell Multicultural Book Project, Lowell, MA 1991
Project Creator and Director
Worked with adult representatives from different ethnic groups in Lowell to create books about family histories. Organized exhibition of books at Pollard Memorial Library. Prepared documentation for collections at Center for Lowell History and Whistler House Museum of Art. Funded by Lowell Historic Preservation Commission, US Department of the Interior


EDUCATION
Boston University, Boston, MA, B.A. in English Literature, magna cum laude, 1973

Northeastern University, Boston, MA, Graduate Program for Teacher Certification, 1975-76


RECENT GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2004
Second Annual Juried Members Exhibtion, Fiber Art Center, Amherst, MA

An Open Book, Gallery West, Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, OH

Against Tradition: Trends in Contemporary Printmaking, University Art Gallery, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN

Women's History Month 2004 Juried Exhibition, Boise State Student Union Gallery, Boise, ID

Third Biennial Women Book Artists' Exhibition, Milliken Gallery, Converse College, Spartanburg, SC


2003
Paper The Art and Craft: from the wasp's nest to the artist's soul, Gallery 401, Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island, Providence, RI

Essex Art Center Annual Juried Show 2003, Essex Art Center, Lawrence, MA

The Shape of Content: Artists' Books by Boston Book Arts Members, River College Art Gallery, Nashua, NH

Artist Made Books, Buddy Holly Center, Lubbock, TX

5th Biennial Book Arts Show, Cambridge Artists' Coop, Cambridge, MA


2002
Reclaiming the Spirit: A Juried Show at the Women's Studies Research Center, Kniznick Gallery, Art Spaces @ The Women's Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

2002 Artist Members Show, Center for Book Arts, New York, NY

Fiber Arts Invitational-Quilts, Books, etc., Mazmanian Gallery, Framingham State College, Framingham, MA

2002 Artist Members Show, Center for Book Arts, New York, NY

Fifth Regional Juried Show, Sam Sargent Gallery, Newburyport Art Association, Newburyport, M

Madonna & Child 2002, Marie Louise Trichet Gallery, Wisdom House, Litchfield, CT

2002 Art of the Book Exhibition, University of Indianapolis Art Gallery, Indianapolis, IN

Members' Juried Winter Art Show 2002, Part I, Sargent Gallery, Newburyport Art Association, Newburyport, MA


2001
The Shrine and Altar Show, Domont Studio Gallery, Indianapolis, IN

Transactions, Eastern Edge Gallery, St John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Women and Books: Uncovered, Milliken Gallery, Converse College, Spartanburg, SC

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