Events

Save the Date:
Tuesday December 8, 2026
The Colophon Club Holiday Party at SFCB
including a talk with Colophon member Betsy Davids about her show:
"The Joyful Body of the Word: Betsy Davids and the Book"
San Francisco

Next:
Tuesday November 10, 2026
David Rumsey Map Collection Tour
San Francisco

Date: Tuesday November 10, 2026
Location: San Francisco. 

Event donation: $20 (There will be no food or drinks at this event. Following the meeting, some members may meet up nearby for socializing & snacks.)

Limit: 20 attendees*

David Rumsey has been collecting maps since the 1980s, and as stated on the website: 

“In 1995, Rumsey retired from real estate and began a third career focused on cartography and digital humanities. He founded Cartography Associates and launched the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection, making high-resolution images of historical maps freely accessible online. His collection, which began in 1980, focuses particularly on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century maps of the Americas but has expanded to cover the entire world, comprising over 200,000 items including maps, atlases, globes, and related materials from the 16th to the 21st centuries. His pioneering digitization efforts, starting around 2000, dramatically broadened access to cartographic history and inspired many other institutions to digitize their collections. Currently the online database of maps and related materials numbers over 151,000 items.”

David will provide a home tour and share a portion of his collection to Colophon Club attendees. In preparation, take a look at the Rumsey website. It is so full of images and information, you could get lost in it. There’s also a movie that you can watch if you want to navigate through his digital terrain.

*Note: Due to space limitations, only 20 lucky people will be able to attend. Following the official event invitation sent out in our newsletter 10/27/26, the first 20 email responses to the Colophon Club will get on the list. Additional responses will be added to a waiting list. Tour location will be provided to confirmed attendees.

PREVIOUS EVENTS

Tuesday October 13, 2026
Kala Art Gallery & Studio Tour
Berkeley

Date: Tuesday October 13, 2026
Location: Kala Art Institute Gallery
Time: 6-8 pm
Donation: $25 (light dinner buffet and beverages)

We gathered in the Kala Gallery for an epic “light dinner” spread, with  time to catch up with Colophon members and guests.  Co-founder Archana Horsting shared several  personal stories about the early beginnings of Kala, and gave us a sneak-peek of their upcoming book about the institute's 52 year history. Current Co-director Mayumi Hamanaka welcomed us with an overview of Kala's many programs and the current exhibition "What We Hold" (on view through December 23). Sonya Castillo, Art Sales & Collections manager pulled and presented several artist's books for us in the Mercy and Roger Smullen Print & Media Center. 

After a quick look through the new sculpture lab, we headed over to the west side of the historic 1927 Heinz building and all loaded into the freight elevator for a ride up to the third floor. Print Studio Manager Emily Harter toured us through the facilities available to artists-in-residence and fellowship recipients. The open floorplan studio holds multiple etching and lithography presses, a letterpress shop, silkscreen equipment, exposure units, plate-maker, a photography darkroom, and a digital lab. We closed our meeting  with some seasonal  cookies, and a group ride back down in the elevator.

We truly appreciate the members of the Kala staff who shared their time with us for a lovely evening.

Tuesday September 8, 2026
John DeMerritt Bookbinding Studio & DeMerritt | Pauwels Editions
Studio Tour & Presentation
Emeryville

Date: Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Location: John DeMerritt Bookbinding Studio & DeMerritt | Pauwels Editions
Time: 6:00 pm

Donation: $20 (snacks and beverages)

John DeMerritt owns and operates John DeMerritt Bookbinding in Emeryville, CA. His bindery produces editions of books and portfolios for fine-press printers, publishers, galleries and artists. John and his wife, Nora Pauwels, publish collaborative projects with artists under their imprint DeMerritt | Pauwels Editions.

John has taught and lectured at The San Francisco Center for the Book, The Kala Institute, Columbia College Center for Book and Paper, Visual Studies Workshop, Oregon College or Arts and Craft, Mills College, The San Francisco Art Institute, The Guild of Bookworkers, The North Bennett Street School, UC Santa Cruz, Dartmouth College, Mullowney Printmaking, Paper and Book Intensive and the Penland School of Craft. Since 2024, John has been the Design Consultant at Arion Press. In 2026, he received the Oscar Lewis Award from the Book Club of California. John is the previous president of the Hand Bookbinders of California and for 8 years was the co-president, with Steve Woodall, of the Colophon Club.

Sunday August 23, 2026
The Colophon Club Summer Picnic
Portola Valley

Date: Sunday, August 23, 2026
Location: First Bite Press / Portola Valley
Time: 4pm Dinner served poolside buffet style, 6-8 pm Smores and Pool Party

Our Summer picnic was a success. In addition to the good food, great conversations, ephemera picking, and S’mores-making, the attendees got along swimmingly at Steph Kimbro Dolin and Ron Dolin’s house. We had new friends, and long-standing members mingling together, with stories of type, printing, and the other book arts flowing throughout the day.

May 12, 2026
Old Barn Press & Historic Senger House Tour
Berkeley

Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Location: 1321 Bay View Place, Berkeley, CA 94708
Time: 6:00-8:30pm
Donation: $20 (snacks and beverages)

Our May Colophon Club Event will be hosted by Andrea and Michael Scharff, owners of the Old Barn Press, located at their home, the historic Berkeley Senger House, designed by architect Bernard Maybeck in 1907. The studio visit includes letterpress demos, a talk about their tiny art gallery above a free library, Art & Lit, by Andrea Scharff, and Maybeck House walk-through tours with Michael Scharff.