A respected and dedicated champion of the field, Minnesota Center for Book Arts is the largest and most comprehensive center of its kind. We celebrate the book as a dynamic contemporary art form that takes many shapes.
MISSION
Our mission is to ignite artistic practice, inspire learning, and foster diverse creative communities through the book arts.
We do this by creating access to specialized book arts tools, equipment, and knowledge; supporting interdisciplinary artistic development; expanding opportunities for people who have been historically underrepresented in the field; and presenting exhibitions and educational programs that create connections around the art of the book, promote innovation, and advance the future of the field.
VISION
A world in which creative expression through the book arts is accessible to all.
VALUES
Our work is essential to the care of the human spirit. We believe that creativity is a basic human impulse that should be encouraged and recognized in all its forms, and that creative expression is core to a full and free existence. Through embodied, hands-on artmaking in collaboration with community, we cultivate deep connections with ourselves and others. We’re here because we believe in your creative potential.
MCBA engages a continuum of creators, learners, and admirers through high-quality programs that celebrate a diversity of artistic perspectives and voices. We advance the book arts field by inviting innovation, caring for traditions, educating new enthusiasts, inspiring creative expression, honoring artistic excellence, and empowering broad public access to this dynamic art form. From the traditional crafts of papermaking, letterpress printing, and bookbinding to new methods of art-making and communication, MCBA supports the limitless creative development of book arts.
The MCBA/CBAA Collective Scholarship is a studio access program that provides early-career book artists a 12-month Artist Collective membership. This program is for artists who are either CBAA members and recent graduates of a degree-granting program (graduation date within the past 12 months from October 2024) OR have completed an MCBA Jerome Program in 2024 or 2025.
If you are not a member of CBAA and your application is accepted, you must register before December 1st, 2025. You can register here: https://www.collegebookart.org/join-now. Sliding scale options are available.
Applications are open October 1, 2025 - October 31, 2025, 11:59 CST
Program runs December 1, 2025 - November 30, 2026
BENEFITS
- 24/7 studio and equipment access at MCBA
- On-site storage
- The opportunity to participate in Art-Share sessions with MCBA Staff and Artist Collective members
- The opportunity to show work in the biannual Artist Collective exhibition in MCBA’s Main Gallery (August 2027)
- 70/30 consignment split on accepted work in The Shop at MCBA
- 50% discount on tuition for MCBA workshops (there are no discounts on materials fees) when registering three weeks or less in advance of a workshop’s start date.
- 10% discount on retail purchases in the Shop
- 10% discount on workshops (without registration timeline restrictions)
- Exclusive notice of new workshops as soon as they go live
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must have graduated from a degree-granting program in the past 12 months or completed an MCBA/Jerome program in the past 12 months. Applicants must have sufficient experience to work in at least one of MCBA’s studio areas independently. This is not a program for those seeking to learn skills in book arts studio areas.
Applicants must submit the following:
- Artist Resume (three-page maximum)
- Artist Bio (300-word maximum)
- Statement of Intent (500-word maximum): Applicants are required to submit a statement clearly explaining how they will utilize MCBA’s studios and equipment. Strong statements make a clear connection between work samples and the intended use of the studios as well as address why access to MCBA studios is important to your practice.
- Ten Image Samples: Applicants are required to submit ten image samples. Images can be detailed and/or full-scale. Upload images in the order you would like them to be viewed. Images should demonstrate the artist's experience in the intended studio areas of use.
MCBA STUDIOS AND EQUIPMENT
MCBA is the largest book arts center in the United States. It houses eight Vandercook proof presses, a large collection of metal and wood type, including type in languages other than English, guillotine cutters, board shears, two hydraulic presses, Valley and Reina paper beaters, an etching press, screenprinting equipment, and much more. For a complete list of our studio equipment, click here: https://mnbookarts.org/studios-and-equipment
SELECTION PROCESS
A jury composed of MCBA staff with artistic experience will select the artist. Applicants are evaluated and selected based on the quality of their work and their demonstrated need for studio access.
Artists with diverse perspectives and lived experiences are strongly encouraged to apply.
Artist Collective Membership
Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) is a nonprofit visual arts center dedicated to igniting artistic practice, inspiring learning, and fostering diverse creative communities through the book arts. MCBA is committed to fostering a creative community of book artists and appreciators. We lead the field by promoting innovation, sustaining traditions, educating new enthusiasts, inspiring creative expression, and honoring artistic excellence.
MCBA provides critical studio access through its Artist Collective, comprised of dedicated artists working in papermaking, paper marbling, letterpress printing, screen printing, bookbinding, and related arts. Artists must have sufficient training to work independently and safely in the studio areas they wish to utilize. Through this program, members have access to clean and well-maintained artist studios, rare equipment, exhibition opportunities, and participation in an eclectic community of fellow artists
- 24-hour access to MCBA studios and library
- Preferred press access on Open Studio nights
- On-site storage: one shelf and one locker
- The opportunity to show work in the annual Artist Collective exhibition in MCBA’s Main Gallery
- The opportunity to participate in Art-Share sessions with MCBA staff and Artist Collective members
- 70/30 consignment split on accepted work in The Shop at MCBA
- 50% discount on MCBA workshops (by registering two weeks in advance of a workshop’s start date; Artist Collective members still pay full supply fee)
Artist Collective Monthly Membership Rates
LONG-TERM MEMBERSHIP: Requires a minimum six-month commitment at a rate of $185 per month. Membership dues are to be paid by the fifth day of each month. After the initial six-month membership, artists may maintain their membership on a month-to-month basis.
SHORT-TERM MEMBERSHIP: Short-term membership requires a three to five-month commitment at a rate of $215 per month. A limited number of short-term memberships are available based on studio capacity. Members cannot defer during short-term membership.
ARTIST COLLECTIVE MEMBERSHIP FOR BIPOC PARTICIPANTS: MCBA is offering a reduced rate to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) participants to honor equity and increase access and artistic opportunities for those who have historically been underrepresented in the book arts. Long-term membership rates are $125 per month for long-term (6+ months) and $155 for short-term membership (3-5 months).
ARTIST COLLECTIVE FELLOWSHIPS: The Artist Collective Fellowship offers studio space and membership in MCBA’s Artist Collective for one year in exchange for providing support and helping to maintain the studios during MCBA’s Studio Lab. Studio Lab provides artists with regular, low-cost access to our studios and equipment outside of workshops and classes. Selected fellows will work 12-15 hours per month. In exchange, Fellows receive 24/7 studio access, a shelf and a locker, and the opportunity to show work in the Artist Collective exhibition.
COLLEGE STUDENT AND RECENT GRADUATE MEMBERSHIP: To foster the future of the field, MCBA offers a discounted rate on Artist Collective membership for degree-seeking college students and recent graduates of university programs. Membership rate is $125 per month for degree-seeking students and recent graduates for up to five years after graduation date.
MCBA INTERNSHIP DISCOUNT: MCBA interns are offered a monthly rate of $125 on Artist Collective membership for up to one year after completion of internship.
MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP PAYMENTS: Artist Collective member dues are owed by the fifth of each month. Late payments will be assessed a $25.00 fee after the sixth of the month. Artists can pay their monthly membership fee by keeping a credit card on file or by mailing a check each month.
*If artists do not remove their items from storage after their membership is complete, they will be subject to a $50 fine.
Contact MCBA's Director of Exhibitions & Artist Programs, Anika Schneider, with any questions about membership guidelines, fees, or benefits.
Email: aschneiderl@mnbookarts.org
Phone: 612-215-2528
Minnesota Center for Book Arts invites teaching artists to submit proposals for in-studio workshops that focus on process, connection, and creativity. We're interested in participatory half- and full-day workshops in book arts and related mediums on Thursday evenings and Saturdays.
Scheduling is ongoing with a deadline for February 2026 proposals on November 3. We look forward to hearing from you!
Questions and ideas can be directed to Anna Bredeson (abredeson@mnbookarts.org) before submitting a proposal for workshops.
We value a culture of equity and inclusion and encourage individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.
Minnesota Center for Book Arts invites teaching artists to submit proposals for live, virtual workshops that focus on process, connection, and creativity. We're interested in participatory single-evening and multi-evening workshops in book arts and related art forms.
Scheduling is ongoing with a deadline for February 2026 proposals on November 3 and March–April 2026 proposals on January 5. We look forward to hearing from you!
Questions and ideas can be directed to Anna Bredeson (abredeson@mnbookarts.org) before submitting a proposal for workshops.
We value a culture of equity and inclusion and encourage individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.