The Hand Bookbinders of California’s 54th Annual Member’s Exhibition brings together the best efforts of a diverse community of makers in a showcase of “democracy in art”. This exhibition highlights both traditional and contemporary approaches to bookbinding and invites visitors to explore the remarkable range of possibilities within the book arts. Featured works demonstrate the many ways books can be created and transformed. Artists use a wide variety of materials, printing methods, decorative techniques, and structures to craft unique designs.

Binders use paper, metal, vellum, or fabric to bind handwritten, letterpress and digitally printed text, with or without illustrations. Decorative elements may be fashioned from dyed leather, collage, weaving, printmaking, gold tooling, stone veneer, or photography. Structurally books are sewn, glued, folded, sculpted and rolled,  individually or in combination, creating a diverse range of unique handmade objects.

This year’s exhibition features a set book: an unbound text in sheets selected by the exhibition organizer and bound by participating bookbinders. For HBC54, the chosen title is Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic recognized by Modern Library as one of the 20 best novels of all time.

Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five is a genre-defying, semi-autobiographical, science fiction–infused anti-war novel. This letterpress edition, published by Suntup Editions, includes illustrations by Julian De Narvaez, an introduction by Jess Walter, and a frontispiece by Edith Vonnegut. The resulting bindings present a dozen distinct interpretations of this landmark work.

Open September 12, through December 26, 2026

About the Hand Bookbinders of California (HBC): Since 1972, HBC has been dedicated to fostering and supporting a vibrant community of people engaged in book-related arts. Members come to bookbinding and the book arts by many different paths, bringing a rich range of skills, perspectives, and experiences to their work. That diversity is reflected in the originality and craftsmanship of the pieces presented in this exhibition.