Art and Craft Merge at Backbone Bindery - Inside Art with Michael Rose

Wednesday, March 08, 2023

Michael Rose, Art Contributor

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

Prized books often require specialty and custom binding or handmade housings, while fine prints and photographs frequently live unframed in handcrafted portfolio boxes. Talented craftspeople have to create such objects and their work is an artform all its own. At Backbone Bindery in Pawtucket, the art and craft of binding books and creating beautiful and functional boxes and slipcases is alive and well in a new generation of creatives.

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Backbone was founded in February 2022 by RISD graduate Kara Stein, whose passion for their craft is evident in the tidy and well-organized studio they have established for their practice. Located at 80 Fountain Street in Pawtucket, a mill building filled with other artists and creatives, Backbone is a bustling space where books are bound and boxes are made. Although Stein now focuses on the age-old craft of bookbinding, they originally trained as a painter.

 

Speaking of how their painting education shaped their current creative practice at Backbone Bindery, Stein says, “Painting taught me to have a dedication to my practice. And that no one else is going to hand you the exact things you want to learn, you will have to go boldly in pursuit of the nuances under your own steam.”

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

This sense for exploration led Stein to broaden their creative skillset. After completing their degree at RISD, they pursued additional education in the art of bookbinding and have studied with James Reid-Cunningham of the renowned North Bennet Street School in Boston, an historic center for craft. Stein’s studio in Pawtucket is meticulously maintained, and is filled with both antique tools as well as modern machines used to create contemporary bindings and various types of boxes. Recent projects have included a collection of beautiful custom slipcases for signed first editions of a new George R.R. Martin book and fine portfolio boxes for a new collection by a local printmaking organization.

 

Originally from outside Philadelphia, Stein came to Rhode Island to study, but ended up founding their bookbinding studio here. Speaking of what drew them to put down roots in the Ocean State, Stein says, “The thing that kept me in Rhode Island was the amazing community, and the short commute!! No but in all seriousness, I found my queer family here.”

 

Stein continues, “As far as why I love having our creative practice here: In our building alone there are probably over 100 different people with all different kinds of creative practices and I am always meeting amazing people who do interesting things who just happened to walk by the bindery when the door was open and popped by to chat! Because everything is pretty compact in Rhode Island, it becomes really easy to collaborate with all these cool people you’re meeting. There is always lots of trading going on between myself and others in different creative practices when we need each other's services and it’s a great way to get to know other people and also learn about stuff you had no idea about!!”

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

This sense of community comes out in Stein’s anecdotes about their studio. A neighboring tenant at 80 Fountain Street gave Stein their first dollar when they opened Backbone last year.

 

Stein does not work alone. Their assistant, fellow RISD alum Nikki Klein, is the other half of this tight-knit team. Where Backbone’s founder studied painting at RISD, Klein was trained as a printmaker. Asked to describe the best aspect of working at Backbone Bindery so far, Klein enthusiastically answers, “The thing I’ve enjoyed the most about working at Backbone is coming to work everyday and making things for people! I love to see my labor in a physical form! Kara is a great boss, who really cares about the work and bringing great projects into the shop!”

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

A maker in the truest sense of the word, Stein is a compelling artistic personality and, although early on in their career, is already deeply knowledgeable about their craft. On a recent visit to Backbone Bindery, they were quick to pull out samples of bindings and tools to show how things come together to create luxuriously artful handmade books. They are bringing a fresh new perspective, paired with time-tested techniques, to their field.

 

Asked what they hope people would know about the sometimes-mysterious craft of bookbinding, Stein says, “Bookbinding is often just tips and tricks. It’s about knowing the specific way to do things most efficiently and the right trick is often what unlocks that secret! Once coupled with lots of repetition and experience, you can make pretty much anything.”

 

Backbone Bindery is located at 80 Fountain Street in Pawtucket. Learn more about their work at www.backbonebindery.com, and follow their projects on Instagram at @backbonebindery.

Michael Rose is a multi-talented fine art professional based in Southern New England. Since 2014 he has served as the gallery manager at the historic Providence Art Club, one of the nation’s oldest arts organizations. Through his current freelance work he advises collectors and artists, provides appraisal services, teaches, and completes curatorial projects.

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