Hedi Kyle

Hedi Kyle
Hedi Kyle teaching at the 2018 North Country Studio Workshops
Education	Werk-Kunst Schule in Wiesbaden, Germany[1]
Known for	Co-founded the Paper and Book Intensive in 1983, former Head Conservator at the American Philosophical Society[1]

Hedi Kyle (born 1937) is a German-born American book artist and educator who has had a major influence on the development of book arts.^[2]

Early life and education

Kyle was born in what was then part of Poland. During World War II, she fled with her mother and siblings; her father served in the army. After the war, the family was reunited and moved to the German island of Borkum. After she completed high school, she attended an art school in Wiesbaden.

Kyle was employed as a commercial artist in Frankfurt. When she turned 21, she spent a year painting in Greece. She moved to the United States and settled in San Francisco.

During the 1970s, Kyle studied with bookbinder and conservator Laura Young in New York City.

Career

Kyle began teaching when Richard Minsky offered her a job teaching at the Center for Book Arts in New York City. She also taught at Cooper Union.

Kyle worked as a conservator for the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia. In 1987, she was invited to teach at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.^[3][4][2]

In 1983, along with Timothy Barrett and Gary Frost, Kyle co-founded the Paper & Book Intensive, an annual series of bookbinding, papermaking, and conservation workshops.^[5][6][7]

Over the years, Kyle has come up with new and innovative ways of assembling books which are often based on traditional bookbinding techniques.^[4] In 1993, the Center for Book Arts held an exhibition "Hedi Kyle and her Influence: 1977–1993" which featured work by Kyle and twenty contemporary book artists influenced by her.^[8] In 2015, the 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland, Oregon held an exhibition called "Hello Hedi" featuring works inspired by Kyle.^[2]

At the urging of paper artist, engineer, and writer, Paul Jackson, she and her daughter, Ulla Warchol, published Art of the Fold about some of her most popular and creative techniques for making simple books and enclosures.^[9]

References

1. "Hedi Kyle - The Guild of Book Workers' 100th Anniversary Exhibition - Retrospective Entries". guildofbookworkers.org.
2. "Hello Hedi". 23 Sandy Gallery.
3. "Visible Shivers Running Down My Spine: Hedi Kyle has an unstructured chat". Fine Press Book Association.
4. "Inventor and artist Hedi Kyle Visits Mills College". The Campanil. April 15, 2016.
5. The Penland Book of Handmade Books: Master Classes in Bookmaking Techniques (1st ed.). Lark Books. 2004. p. 127. ISBN 1579904742.
6. "Paper & Book Intensive: Co-Directors". Retrieved 11 May 2017.
7. "Senior Artists Initiative: Hedi Kyle". Senior Artists Initiative. Archived from the original on 2020-05-15. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
8. "Hedi Kyle and her Influence: 1977-1993". Oak Knoll Press.
9. Podcast interview from "Cut the Craft", March 2021

External links

Hedi Kyle in libraries (WorldCat catalog)