It Should Be Familiar is an artist’s book and collection of copper and steel intaglio printing plates. Together they examine shifts in external and internal identities, personal symbols, and perceptions of trauma over time. The book is printed with a plant-based dye mixture that reacts differently to each metal plate. As a parallel to the mentioned personal shifts, images in the book will change color with exposure to the metals as well as UV light.

This study focused on the integration of book arts in a fifth grade classroom. As an art teacher turned regular education teacher I was interested in the effects of integrating art into the area of reading. The curriculum unit consists of two lessons in which the students were invited to use books arts as a means of expression and comprehension. The lessons correlated with the novel Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry. The results include my observations and reflections as a practicing elementary teacher.

The conceptual foundation for my creative thesis work is based in research into the development of science, particularly the field of cosmology, and its related visual vocabulary. Three interrelated projects encompass my interests in unique artists' books and variable editions, research based projects, codified presentation of data, and universal interconnectedness, or oneness in all things, that was at the heart of medieval cosmology and is embraced by some 21st century subcultures. The thematic timeline of the artwork spans developments in the Early Middle Ages related to astronomy and cosmology and through 20th century guidebooks and NASA's social media accounts. The resulting artwork includes an artist's book, sculptural bookwork, monoprints, and an edition of broadsides.

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Investigations in Botanical Contact Printing (Where the Light Meets the Trees; Thirteen Variations) explores the process of botanical contact printing on paper, culminating in a series of thirteen handmade artist books. Each of the thirteen books contains a poem from a collection of thirteen poems written by Alice Yousef. Every element of the book: materials, structure, calligraphed text, type of botanical contact print, sometimes the enclosure, responds to the poem, providing a visual interpretation of the written word. The completely different approaches to binding structure in this series intend to not only visually support the text, but also explore the possibilities of botanical contact print imagery in the book form.

This study focuses on developing a book arts curriculum as a tool for teaching about creativity and problem solving. The curriculum's ultimate goal is to introduce and emphasize book arts as an expressive and powerful medium to future teachers and artists. Book arts will be used to offer potentialities for collaborative, learner-centered instruction. Students will create structures and artists' books from their experience, their learning will emerge from personal interactions with the structures and artists' books presented. The curriculum is planned into three modules, each module containing a different set of projects and activities organized to scaffold students learning in an engaging process. The modules examine book structures, artists' books, and a project that can either further explore book structures and artists books, or it can explore incorporating some other aspect of book arts in the project. Each module provides a broad range of examples, discussions, questions, and applications.

I regard the culturally rich bookbinding as formats that hold great meaning; I made models of books that existed in different cultures through the history of the book. I became interested in how each structure had unique features and how the books themselves transmitted knowledge about their form. This interest in bookbinding formats led me to explore ways to add content to The binding plays a powerful role in producing my artist's books, the look and presence of these bindings is an integral part of my work and they are linked to the content and aesthetics. The final pieces encourage the viewer to interact with the work.

A limited variable editioned artist book, by measure of depicts an allegorical conversation between medieval author Christine de Pizan and a contemporary woman. It is, in essence, an exploration of edges in which the characters examine the parameters of identity, both personally and societally designated–how to define/re-define/emphasize/blur them, and what happens in the space where they meet.

This study focused on the integration of book arts in a fifth grade classroom. As an art teacher turned regular education teacher I was interested in the effects of integrating art into the area of reading. The curriculum unit consists of two lessons in which the students were invited to use books arts as a means of expression and comprehension. The lessons correlated with the novel Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry. The results include my observations and reflections as a practicing elementary teacher.

This research project will explore Book Arts through the book of Genesis, focusing on the first seven days of creation. Particular attention will be paid to the interactive multi-sensual aspects of the book as object and to adding life and meaning to the reading experience. This exploration of Book Arts through Genesis will result in the development of a form of book that encourages engagement in both physical and psychological interactions to find new ways of reading – particularly scriptural texts – influencing spiritual growth and personal relationships. Particularly within, but not limited to, a Christian context. This project seeks to turn the book into a viable organism in our lives. The book itself will engage viewers through layers of sensory experience and nuanced psychological interaction.