From Trash to Treasure: Hand-made Artist Books

Instructor: Fruma Markowitz

Dates: Saturday, January 31 & Sunday, February 1, 2026

Time: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Ages: 16+

Members: $117

Non-Members: $130

(Registration deadline: January 27)

Description:

Collect your photographic or printmaking "failures" and upcycle them into beautiful, one-of-a-kind handmade book. Participants will experience the joy and therapeutic process of folding, cutting, pasting, and sewing what they thought were throw-aways, by thinking outside the box and experimenting with sequencing and visual narrative. Learn how to create pamphlet, accordion, flag, and explosion books as well as covers for each book model. The results are often surprising, delightful, and meaningful in a totally unexpected way. No prior book-making knowledge required.

Open Studio Time:

Upon approval from the instructor, workshop participants will be granted access to the lab throughout the duration of the workshop. Aside from scheduled workshop hours, the lab is available for independent use Tuesday – Sunday from 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.

Materials:

Provided by participants: 

• 10-20 original prints (5x7" or larger) or high-quality copies of original images. Images should be related by process, color or subject matter. 

• Other materials (optional) cloth, lace, paints, embroidery supplies, decorative paper, etc. 

Instructor Bio:

Fruma Markowitz’s photography practice focuses on historical, experimental, and hand-made processes, with an emphasis on cyanotype and lumen photography, textile-based mixed-media collage, and most recently one-of-a-kind photobooks. Fruma earned her BFA in photography at the Bezalel Academy of Art & Design in Jerusalem, Israel, where she was the recipient of the Agfa Award, the Jerusalem Student Award. A resident of CT since 2003, she belongs to local organizations such as The Artists’ Collective of Westport, and the Ridgefield Guild of Artists. She has exhibited nationally at the SoHo Photo Gallery, the Griffin Museum of Photography, The Halide Project, RICPA, and she is represented by the CAMP Gallery. She recently had a solo show featuring her cyanotype and lumen work at the Grover Gallery in Port Townsend, WA in September 2025.

Instructor's Website: https://www.frumamarkowitz.photo

All workshops are held at the Five Points Arts Center, 855 University Drive

Workshops may be cancelled due to low enrollment if a minimum number of participants are not met. Registrants will be notified in advance and a refund or credit will be arranged (see workshop polices below for details).

Workshop Policies: Please review the terms of our workshop policies here