I was contacted this week by Rick Lightstone of The American Book Center in the Netherlands about an upcoming festival in Amsterdam called "Where Design Meets Crafts" and it sure sounds like a lot of fun! They'll be selling my books at the festival, which is pretty dang cool. My first book was translated into Dutch several years back, which was exciting stuff indeed. If you live in Amsterdam and you're even remotely crafty or design oriented, this is can't miss event. I love the idea of design and craft cross pollinating, because ultimately we're all doing the same thing. We're channeling the creative force and you can call that art or design or craft or what you will, but it's powerful, transformative and exciting!
I'm off to a consulting meeting which I'm pretty excited about, but I can't really share the details. Sorry about that. Tomorrow I'll be reviewing Vickie Howell's FABULOUS new book Craft Corps. She's having a huge giveaway on her blog for the next month, so GO SEE! If you want to join the movement, click on the button in my sidebar. Vickie is on to something big!
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Following on the success of similar events in 2008 and 2009, the Urban Arts Festival highlights the growing phenomenon of “crossover fertilization“ between the worlds of design and crafts.
On 26 June, 2010, the large square in front of The American Book Center (on the Spui), will be transformed into an outdoor atelier, with artists showing and creating work on-site for the public to enjoy. These “Creatives“ have been chosen to participate because they represent a cross section of graphic designers, illustrators, graffiti artists, fiber artists, paper-toy designers – all with an urban edge.
Across the square, in the ABC Treehouse, workshops will offer free ‘hands on’ lessons to the public and discussions with artists, publishers and other industry professionals covering subjects such as design, crafts, illustration and practical crossovers between the areas. The ABC URBAN ARTS ILLUSTRATED BOOK PANEL will be the first panel in the Netherlands to emphasize “street art / urban art “ as part of the world of visual / illustrated books, and trace the journey of a design book from idea to book shelves. The panel will be moderated by Buzz Poole, managing editor of Mark Batty Publisher (NY). Other panel members will be announced soon.
Some of the many artists who will be attending the festival are: Machine, Donna Wilson, Straat Papier Holland Klik, Xstreets Collective, Marie-Louise Plum, Pia Jane Bijkerk; The Ladies Fancywork Society, Martha Cooper (confirmation pending), Code, Machine, Maki, Marcel Egtberts, Maki, Kate Bingaman – Burt, Heart On Stage, Fake, Buzz Poole/Mark Batty Publisher, and more!
The ABC Urban Arts Festival is made possible with the generous support of: Amsterdam Partners, www.nalden.net, Citizen M Hotels Amsterdam, WimsKip Catering, The People’s Agency, and Jameson Irish Whiskey.
The American Book Center(www.abc.nl) offers the largest selection of English language books in mainland Europe. An independent family-run business, ABC has managed to stay afloat in a cut-price, multinational, online bookselling world where many other independents have floundered. This is due in large part because, in place of a central buyer, ABC has a community of 50 booklovers/buyers, who stay in touch with customers and the times, and stay ahead of breaking trends in publishing and book-related events. The American Book Center…booksellers with a personal touch.
Located in the heart of Amsterdam, the ABC Treehouse (www.treehouse.abc.nl) works to strengthen the bonds of community between the Dutch and international citizens who live and work in the Netherlands. The Treehouse offers a rich selection of workshops, launch parties for the hottest new books, political ‘conversations’, and groundbreaking exhibitions. The ABC Treehouse, a unique cultural center, is supported by the American Book Center (www.abc.nl)
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