Society of Scribes

Barry Morentz shared a letter he received 16 years ago from Ward Dunham about how to create a smoked wax seal. He tried it out and it came out wonderfully. The off-white seal of the Emperor Hadrian is a seal he bought from Ward some time ago.

Thanks for sharing this with us, Barry!

REMINDER! If you’re a member submitting artwork for the 50th Gala Jubilee Exhibition , please deliver artwork the morning of installation on September 29th. If you need to MAIL in or deliver your artwork between September 15th and 25th, please make arrangements with Ann Shoshkes via email [email protected]

*The exhibition will run from October 3rd to November 1st, 2024.

*Opening Reception and Artists’ Talk will be October 8th, 2024 from 6:00-8:00 pm

15 Gramercy Park South

*Each piece must be labeled, framed, and wired for hanging. A work’s inclusion for exhibition will be at the sole discretion of the SoS Exhibition Committee.

If you need an entry form, please let us know!

We’re very excited to celebrate with you all. We can’t wait to see your artwork for this very special Gala Jubilee exhibition!

REMEMBERING WARD DUNHAM
It is with profound sadness that the Society notes the passing of Founding Member, the inimitable Ward Dunham on August 24. Ward was one of the original 18 members who organized and formed the Society fifty years ago. Fittingly, for this year of our Jubilee, Ward designed the commemorative logo for SoS.
Ward was universally celebrated for his incomparable Blackletter calligraphy, in addition to his powerful and dynamic Uncials. His unique letters reflected his passion for the calligraphy of the great Rudolf Koch who was a lifelong influence in Ward’s lettering and immediately recognizable designs. His love for all things medieval was evident in the superb bamboo pens he cut while having a latte in Starbucks, in his magnificent signet rings and wax seals, and in the medieval style denim tunics he sported, occasionally with a metal helmet!
The Society was fortunate to have engaged him as a workshop instructor, and students fortunate enough to have attended were treated to not only comprehensive immersion in gorgeous Blackletter forms, but also to his rapier wit and endlessly entertaining tales of his experiences as a San Francisco bartender and designer of audacious, provocative posters. Ward was also an invaluable presence at numerous conferences since their inception in 1981.
This remarkable artist, friend and mentor to so many in our field will be forever remembered with abiding gratitude and pride. Requiescat in pacem.

*First photo: Ward at his 2008 Blackletter Woodcut workshop in San Francisco, flanked by Carol Pallesen and Susie Taylor
*Second photo: with his wife Linnea Lundquist

Thank you Barry Morentz for writing such a beautiful tribute to Ward.

Here’s a little sneak peek of Alice’s show at the Lubalin Center Tuesday, June 18th. Will you be joining us?! The Cooper Union The Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography

Alice; The Artist and The Alphabet

Selections from the calligraphic archive of Alice (Koeth), now housed at the Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography at Cooper Union. On view will be preparatory sketches and original art for a variety of work (much of it never exhibited before), including facsimile prints of some of her legendary Morgan Library posters.

Alice (1927-2020) was a founder of the Society of Scribes of New York, now celebrating its 50th Anniversary. She was an extraordinary artist and a beloved teacher, mentor, colleague and friend.


41 Cooper Square
(Third Avenue at 7th Street, lower level)
New York City
RECEPTION: Tuesday, 18 June 2024, 6-9pm
GALLERY HOURS: Monday through Friday, 10am - 7pm
Saturdays, 12pm to 5pm

A recording of our Annual General Meeting has been posted on YouTube. The link is below! Thank you so much, Phan!

“Four members of the Society of Scribes reflect on their experiences as SoS members: Ina Saltz and Eleanor Winters, Board members in the Society’s early years, have gone on to distinguished careers in lettering arts, teaching and publishing. Lynne Yun and Jessie Fora, of more recent vintage, have established themselves in type design and calligraphic tattooing, as well as teaching.”

https://youtu.be/z81sBHwZ4CU?si=QrAjVpqBM9o2xXav

Upcoming exhibition of calligraphic paintings by SoS instructor and longstanding member, professional calligrapher and author Eleanor Winters. Opening reception on May 5th 2pm-5pm at The Jewish Museum in New Jersey, 145 broadway, Newark, NJ.

This September the Society of Scribes will reach its milestone anniversary -- 50 years since
18 enthusiastic scribes decided to form an organization dedicated to the calligraphic arts.
We are busy preparing a schedule of events to celebrate the occasion, including workshops, exhibitions, lectures and special presentations.
Our Annual General Meeting, on Sunday, March 24, 2024 at 1:30pm New York time, will kickstart the festivities with a panel discussion:

Who Knew? 50 Years!..how a modest beginning evolved into a recognized center for calligraphic education.

Four of our members will reflect on their experiences as SoS members: Ina Saltz and Eleanor Winters, Board members in the Society's early years, have gone on to distinguished careers in lettering arts, teaching and publishing. Lynne Yun and Jesse Fora, of more recent vintage, have established themselves in type design and calligraphic tattooing, as well as teaching. Our star moderator Phan Nguyen will guide the discussion, which will touch on the trajectory of our panelists' careers and how their calligraphy work has changed in the light of advancing technology. And most especially, how the Sos has figured in their lives...as it has for all of us.

Please join us as we head down Memory Lane, celebrate the present, and eagerly anticipate the future!

https://www.societyofscribes.org/blog/annual-general-meeting-2024?mc_cid=eb577de94f&mc_eid=a165e6b1da

Two spots just opened up for Víctor Kams hand-embossing workshop this Saturday in NYC!

Dates: Saturday, March 16, 2024
Time: 10 am to 4 pm Eastern Standard Time (New York time)
Price: $80

This sampler testifies to the history and continuity of an affluent Black household in Maine. Made by one of the daughters of Francis and Mehitable Heuston—possibly Mary or Lydia—it speaks to the family’s determination to pursue an ambitious education for their children.

Needlework of this quality and complexity was typically worked under the guidance of a teacher who specialized in girls’ instruction. Although we do not know what school the young needleworker attended, her sampler resembles comparable examples made by white students of the time and region. It is thus clear that, during an era of segregation, the Heustons made certain that at least one of their daughters received a level of education that was more often limited to white students.

This needlework sampler is currently on view in the exhibition “Unnamed Figures: Black Presence and Absence in the Early American North,” on view through March 24, 2024.

🪡Girl from the Heuston Family, Sampler, Brunswick, Maine c. 1830 Silk on linen, Collection of Alexandra Peters.

❤️❤️❤️

We have Valentine’s here at the store—genuine, beautiful calligraphy by . They are free (!!) but we have a donation jar next to them, all donations will go to the ♥️♥️♥️
Come by to get them today or on Wednesday! ❣️

All smiles from Marcy Robinson, Debra Dick and Ann Shoshkes at the Holiday Fair! We were so happy to finally plan a responsible in-person event after years of the pandemic, and see our local community again. Stay tuned for details of what's coming up at Society of Scribes this year (and next!). We will be planning both in person and online programming to serve our letter-loving community.

The Society of Scribes Holiday Fair is happening in New York this Sunday!

It’s our first in-person holiday fair since 2019. Reconnect with the NYC calligraphy community outside of Zoom!

Sunday, December 4, 2022
11:00 am to 3:30 pm

The Brotherhood Synagogue
28 Gramercy Park South, NYC
(20th St, between Third Ave & Irving Pl)
FREE ADMISSION

Featuring:
Paper & Ink Arts
Scriptorium with Rosemary Buczek
Demonstrations with many well-known calligraphers
Raffles! Donation Table! SoS Café!

See you this Sunday!

(Mandala design by Debra Dick)

Registration closes soon!

Develop the skills and techniques required to elevate Spencerian and Ornamental Penmanship writing!

“The Art of Movement Writing” with Michael Ward is a month-long course taught live over Zoom from June to July, with homework and critique offered between each class session.

Roll up your sleeves, flex those writing muscles, and learn from one of the most exciting practitioners following in the tradition of the masters of the Golden Age of Penmanship!

For more info: https://www.societyofscribes.org/the-art-of-movement-writing-michael-ward

New Jersey Botanical Garden - May 15, 2022

Our monthly online lecture series on The Age of the Writing Master continues tomorrow, March 27!

Lecture 3 is on “The Golden Age of Dutch Calligraphy (1600–1630)”

In the early 17th century, the Low Countries were awash in flourishes. Could anyone stop Jan van de Velde‘s right hand from looping around and around? There were challengers, such as David Roelands, Felix van Sambix, and the female writing master Maria Strick—the latter of whom faced off against George de Carpentier in a highly contested battle.

In the third lecture of our series with Sybille van Zulen, meet the heavyweight contenders in the competitive world of Dutch calligraphy—both the winners and the sore losers. Who came up on top? Who was felled by a flourish?

And learn about the engraving masters such as Simon Frisius and Jodocus Hondius, who immortalized these epic battles in glorious copper. [Cue epic theme]

Our lectures series on “The Age of the Writing Master” is streamed monthly on Zoom, with recordings available afterward. Society of Scribes members have been sent the Zoom link for tomorrow’s lecture and can also access the Zoom link and recordings through the members forum on our website.

Join the Society of Scribes for access to the livestream and previous and future lectures!

https://www.societyofscribes.org/the-age-of-the-writing-master

From Barry Morentz on behalf of the Society of Scribes:

The Society of Scribes is profoundly saddened by the sudden and unexpected passing of the great Sheila Waters, just five days after her 93rd birthday. An artist of unsurpassed achievement and a teacher of matchless integrity and insight, her impact on the global calligraphy community is beyond measure. Her stunning letterforms, solidly based on the best historical examples yet always imbued with her own incomparable touch, her masterful designs and her exquisite use of color were models of subtlety and taste, qualities that she strove to impart to all those fortunate to have studied with her.

Sheila was a frequent instructor for the Society, and her workshops always sold out within hours of being announced. As a teacher she had a no-nonsense approach to the study of correct letters, occasionally seeming to be rather tough about it … but always with a wink and a smile. She had the uncanny ability to enable you to clearly see what you were doing wrong, and then guided you along the path to correcting the error in such a way that it would not be repeated.

In recent years Sheila no longer wrote because of macular degeneration, but that did not stop her from frequently posting her opinions and critiques on Facebook, the sure sign of a professional totally dedicated to her art and to the edification of her followers.

My first workshop with her was in 1978, and I was fortunate to attend her summer seminars in Gaithersburg for three consecutive years. Her impact on my calligraphic studies provided me with the ambition and the confidence to stake out a career in the lettering arts, just as it had for countless others. Sheila’s legacy is imperishable and lives on through Julian and all of us who were so blessed to have learned so much from her over the years. Rest, rest in peace Dear Sheila, as befitting one whose job was so splendidly done.

“But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; Nor shall death brag thou wanderest in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growest: So long as men [and women, sic] can breathe, or eyes can see. So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.”

It's that time of year again! We hope you can join us on Sunday, December 19, at 12:00PM EST for our annual Virtual Holiday Fair 🍾🎁🎉🖋
We have an exciting line-up to help inspire you to create new work this holiday season and beyond.
Just a few of the highlights:
Ina Saltz, the first president of the Society of Scribes, will present a collection of holiday keepsakes that she created and exchanged with other calligraphers through the years.
Anna Pinto and Christopher Calderhead will present a joint project that pays tribute to Alice Koeth.
And for the first time ever, we‘ll be presenting the SoS Signature Winter Cocktail that you can incorporate in your holiday entertaining!
See you at our Virtual Holiday Fair!
Register (link in bio.)
Holiday Fair 2021 lettering by

http://investigateconversateillustrate.blogspot.com/2021/05/kindred-journey-44-jeanyee-wong.html?fbclid=IwAR29D448SMS22yP1Si-nRibgXV4F8Lz8jV8SsBervUck_Y6svUVf4jGHcsQ

Thank you Art of Robert Liu-Trujillo!

Kindred Journey 44 - Jeanyee Wong This was really fun for me to research because Jeanyee Wong was a type based artist and I love typography. Jeanyee was born in San Franci...

The amazing will be giving a free talk on The History & Art of Flourishing ✍️ today at 2pm EST at ! ✨Link below✨

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-history-and-art-of-flourishing-with-lynne-yun-tickets-146647924891?ref=eios

Flourishes have been around for as long as humans have been writing. Observed from as far back as correspondence letters written in Roman cursive and evolving into the modern typographic swash capitals, their histories have run a wide gamut. Considering the kinæsthetic nature of flourishing, perhaps it was simply inevitable that we would extend the flowing line of letterforms — after all, who could resist embellishing a signature with graceful curves? We will take a sweeping look at the history of flourishing, discuss its modern applications, and ways in which we can critically look at flourished compositions. We will examine how to break down their construction, view them in individual elements, and discuss what makes flourishes appeal to modern eyes.