About this Event
Workshop Overview
Taught by: Amaal Younes
Time: Friday, June 19, 11 AM - 2 PM EDT (3 hours)
Format: In-Person Workshop, hosted by Amaal Younes
Skill level: All skill levels; Ages 18+
Accessibility: ASL interpretation and other services are available upon request
Participant Fee: $115
Registration Limit: 10 participants
Your Instructor:
Amaal Younes is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and craft-based practitioner born in Cairo, Egypt, now based in Washington, DC. Her work is rooted in material exploration, storytelling, and the cultural intimacy of handmade objects. Moving between book arts, design, and visual practice, she is interested in how craft can hold memory, emotion, and community.
Her passion for the arts started with the IB Arts Program during her schooling which inspired her to study Applied Sciences and Arts at the German University in Cairo, where she developed a foundation in graphic, product, and media design. In 2017, she co-founded Grain Studio, a bookbinding and craft initiative that combined traditional handwork with collaborative making and social engagement.
Her current body of work, Hands of a Wanderer, explores migration, belonging, and slow making through functional objects and narrative craft. Through tactile processes and intentional production, she considers craft as both a personal language and a shared archive of experience.
Learn more about Amaal and her work!
Workshop Outline
Explore the art and structure of the handmade book in this introductory online workshop focused on one of the oldest binding techniques.
Participants will be introduced to the history of bookbinding, basic terminology, tools, materials, and the techniques of creating a softcover exposed spine book.
Through guided instruction and hands-on demonstrations, participants create:
- A softcover bookbinding guide for future reference
- One softcover blank book
The workshop introduces sewing structure known for both its durability and visual appeal:
- The Chain Stitch
- The Coptic Stitch
Participants will also learn essential bookmaking processes, including paper grain, folding signatures, cutting, sewing.
This workshop focuses on open-spine bindings, offering an introduction to structures that are both historically significant and adaptable for contemporary book arts practice.
Workshop materials feature botanical imagery drawn from the work of Alice R. Tangerini through resources from the Smithsonian Institution, connecting book arts practice with botanical illustration and natural history collections.
This workshop invites participants into bookbinding as both skill and slow practice—an encounter with paper, thread, and the handmade book as a vessel for memory and making.
Terms & Conditions and FAQs
Registration Requirements:
- To register, you will need to provide credit card information for payment and your contact information.
- If you have questions about this workshop before you register, please email us at [email protected] with Workshop Question in the subject line.
Refund Policy:
All sales are final. No refunds, credits, or transfers.
Cancellation Policy: We reserve the right to cancel workshops in the unlikely event of circumstances beyond our control. If a workshop is cancelled, our liability is limited to a refund of registration fees. We will process refunds within sixty days of cancellation.
Capacity: This workshop will be limited to 10 participants. Early registration is encouraged.
Language: English will be the main language used in the workshop.
Accessibility: We strive to create an accessible and inclusive environment for all visitors. If you require accessibility supports such as ASL interpretation, captioning, audio description, or other services, you can indicate that request on the order form. To allow for provider scheduling, please make requests no later than ten days prior to the workshop date. Please direct any other accessibility questions to [email protected] with the subject line “Marketplace Workshop Accessibility.”
Attending the Workshop:
- Short breaks will be provided during the workshop. After each period of instruction and Q&A, there will be “open studio” time as attendees work on their individual projects.
- All Information the artisans share during the workshop is proprietary to them and their communities. We ask that you do not duplicate or distribute it.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building, 900 Jefferson Drive Southwest, Washington, United States
USD 115.00
