Rachel Simmons

On June 13th, CBAA will host Pivot(al), a nationwide gathering of book artists, printers, librarians, and educators connected through regional hubs. Even as institutional support for book art education shifts, our field is growing, and CBAA is committed to supporting our vibrant community through this day of exciting programming. You can help make it happen. Sponsorship levels include: ⭐️ Student Sponsor ($35) — covers a student registration ⭐️ Friend ($50) — supports a full day of programming for one member ⭐️ Supporter ($100) — expands access for two members plus recognition in the digital program ⭐️ Patron ($250) — funds program materials and includes one complimentary registration ⭐️ Benefactor ($500) — anchors our keynote by IBé Crawley and includes full media recognition across CBAA platforms Support book arts education. Become a Pivot(al) sponsor today at collegebookart.org

CBAA Meeting — PIVOT(AL) 2026 ✨ 🌟Link in bio Join us on Saturday, June 13th at 10 AM for a nationwide gathering of artists, educators, and organizations as we connect through conversation, making, and shared purpose. From demos and member updates to book readings and print swaps, this year’s PIVOT(AL) Meeting is all about shaping the future of book arts—together. We’re honored to welcome keynote speaker Ibé Crawley (@ibearted ), whose interdisciplinary practice centers storytelling, community, and the histories of Black women and girls. Participating organizations (A–Z):
Austin Book Arts Center — Austin, TX - @atxbookarts 
Constellation Studios — Lincoln, NE - @constellationstudios 
Cuneiform Press — Plainfield, VT - @cuneiformpress Duke University Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies — Durham, NC
Flower City Arts Center — Rochester, NY - @flowercityarts Hajosy Arts and New England Book Artists — Canton, MA - @newenglandbookartists 
MAKE Studio — Evanston, IL - @blountben 
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts — North Adams, MA - @mcla_edu 
Minnesota Center for Book Arts — Minneapolis, MN -  @mnbookarts 
Montana State University School of Art — Bozeman, MT - @msucoaa 
Paper Jam + Print — Phoenix, AZ - @paper.jam.print 
Partners in Print — Seattle, WA - @pipletterpress 
Pyramid Atlantic Art Center — Hyattsville, MD - @pyramidatlantic 
University of Alabama — Tuscaloosa, AL - @alabamamfabookarts 
University of Central Florida — Orlando, FL - @ucfcah 
University of Georgia — Athens, GA
University of Nevada Reno — Reno, NV - @unarts 
University of South Dakota — Vermillion, SD @usouthdakota 
University of Utah — Salt Lake City, UT
University of Wisconsin-Madison — Madison, WI @universityofwisconsin_madison With synchronized moments like the President’s Remarks and Hub Wave, we’ll be connected coast-to-coast—celebrating our community and imagining what’s next. 📅 June 13, 2026
📍 Local hubs nationwide #CBAA #BookArts #PivotalConference #Printmaking #ArtistBooks CreativeCommunity

Registration is open for our annual members meeting. We hope to see you virtually or IRL on June 13th for some really fun programming and updates from the organization. Visit collegebookart.org to register now.

CBAA Meeting — PIVOT(AL) 2026 ✨ Join us on Saturday, June 13th at 10 AM for a nationwide gathering of artists, educators, and organizations as we connect through conversation, making, and shared purpose. From demos and member updates to book readings and print swaps, this year’s PIVOT(AL) Meeting is all about shaping the future of book arts—together. We’re honored to welcome keynote speaker Ibé Crawley (@ibearted ), whose interdisciplinary practice centers storytelling, community, and the histories of Black women and girls. Participating organizations (A–Z): Austin Book Arts Center — Austin, TX - @atxbookarts Constellation Studios — Lincoln, NE - @constellationstudios Cuneiform Press — Plainfield, VT - @cuneiformpress Duke University Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies — Durham, NC Flower City Arts Center — Rochester, NY - @flowercityarts Hajosy Arts and New England Book Artists — Canton, MA - @newenglandbookartists MAKE Studio — Evanston, IL - @blountben Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts — North Adams, MA - @mcla_edu Minnesota Center for Book Arts — Minneapolis, MN - @mnbookarts Montana State University School of Art — Bozeman, MT - @msucoaa Paper Jam + Print — Phoenix, AZ - @paper.jam.print Partners in Print — Seattle, WA - @pipletterpress Pyramid Atlantic Art Center — Hyattsville, MD - @pyramidatlantic University of Alabama — Tuscaloosa, AL - @alabamamfabookarts University of Central Florida — Orlando, FL - @ucfcah University of Georgia — Athens, GA University of Nevada Reno — Reno, NV - @unarts University of South Dakota — Vermillion, SD @usouthdakota University of Utah — Salt Lake City, UT @bookartsprogram University of Wisconsin-Madison — Madison, WI @universityofwisconsin_madison

It may not be summer yet where you live, but it has officially arrived in Florida. My advice is to beat the 🥵 with some 😎 ᘔIᑎᗴᔕ. ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️ Now through May 14th, get 10% off any zine purchase over $20 at rachelsimmons.net. I’ve just restocked, so there are loads of options. 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 For purchases over $25, you’ll also score this set of super cute zine stickers designed and printed by @runaway_berry_ at our awesome local Orlando sticker company @stickerprintgo 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 Use promo code SUMMER for your 10% discount. Free shipping in the US. Please inquire about international shipping before purchasing by emailing [email protected] #riso #zines #summersale #bookart #orlandoartist

Collectors, librarians, book artists— you have to get your hands on this incredible resource, the Artist’s Book Year Book 2026/27 edited by @sarah.bodman and Tom Sowden, published by Impact Press at the Centre for Print Research at UWE Bristol. It contains listings of book arts galleries, centers, studios, and book artists from around the world. This issue features an article by Aaron Cohick @newlightspress , artist pages by ABYB founder Tanya Peixoto @bookartbookshop , Paul Laidler, Vanessa Donnelly, Rachel Simmons and many more. Also the cover design is 🤩🤩🤩So excited to dig into this book over the summer! Wouldn’t it be cool to visit all of these locations? #bookart #artistsbooks #artistsbookyearbook #artlibraries

Getting ready to teach one of my favorite combos, ᑭᖇᗴᔕᔕᑌᖇᗴ ᑭᖇIᑎTIᑎᘜ + 𝕷𝖊𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖘 𓇽𓇽𓇽𓇽𓇽𓇽𓇽𓇽 @pipletterpress this July. Which print do you like best? That fluorescent orange makes my eyes water, but in a good way. 😭😭😭and you can really see the shatter effect. But man, I love that juicy, angry red, too. #letterpress #pressureprint #partnersinprint

What stories live in your photos, letters, and personal ephemera? Last week I led a Risograph workshop with library staff @uflib at the University of Florida as part of my Coffey Artist-in-Residence project. Participants brought materials from their personal archives—children’s drawings, vintage magazines, foreign currency, family photos—and we spent four hours translating them into layered, vibrant prints. The result: a collaborative zine we named Brain Jar, full of love, loss, travel, and discovery. Everyone went home with their own copy. Grateful to the participants for their energy and openness, @ellen.knudson for facilitating and the Coffey Foundation for making this possible. #coffeyresidency #BookArts #riso #Printmaking #Zine

Thank you, Rachel Simmons @bearwithjetpack , for your lovely presentation on your Florida Springs artist book, and @ellen.knudson for another fantastic Coffey Residency Book Talk @uflib ! I look forward to revisiting online at https://coffeyresidency.domains.uflib.ufl.edu/2025-2026-rachel-simmons and to be featured in the UF Libraries 2026 Fall Issue of SOURCE (https://go.ufl.edu/source)!

Ever wondered what’s involved in the research and production of a limited edition artist’s book? Or maybe you’re interested in the mermaids, myths and legends associated with the Florida springs? In any case, I hope you’ll join me for my Coffey Residency for Book Arts talk on Friday, April 17, from 10 am - 11 am EST. I’ll be sharing insights into the research, inspiration, and technical craft involved in my 2025-26 residency project, Nymphaea: The Sacred Waters of the Florida Springs. 🧜‍♀️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️ I’m also delighted to share that this artist’s book has been collected by the libraries at the Rochester Institute of Technology, the University of Miami, and the University of Central Florida. Many thanks to these institutions for recognizing this work. Copies are still available through my website or by reaching out to me at [email protected] 🏊🏼‍♂️🏊🏼🏊🏼‍♂️🏊🏻‍♀️🏊🏼🏊🏼‍♂️🏊🏻‍♀️🏊🏼🏊🏼‍♂️🏊🏻‍♀️🏊🏼🏊🏻‍♀️🏊🏼 No registration is needed for the talk. You can access the Zoom link here and in my IG profile. https://ufl.zoom.us/j/95719828457. #bookart #artistsbooks #coffeyresidency #mermaids #weekiwachee

Meet CBAA board President Rachel Simmons! 👋👋👋 Rachel is a queer artist and educator based in Orlando, Florida, who teaches book arts and printmaking @rollinscollege , where she also founded and directs the Rollins Book Arts Collection. Her artist’s books are held in collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Newberry Library. For Rachel, art is most powerful when it brings people together. As CBAA President, she works closely with her VP and bestie @benjaminrinehart to cultivate a national community around book arts education — and locally, she co-organizes @orlandozinefest and directs the @bookartsguildcfl 📖📖📖 Her socially engaged project Flock has taken her around the globe, building friendships through collaborative printmaking and birdwatching 🦆🦅🦢🦉 Fun fact: during the pandemic, Rachel’s family adopted a feisty hedgehog named Peaches, who became the star of an adventure comic series that Rachel mailed to family and friends to spread some cheer. 🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔 Want to learn more about Rachel’s practice? Visit rachelsimmons.net.#arteducation #bookart #artistsbooks #cbaa #artsorganization

Just finished this new hand-drawn Riso zine which pairs layers of bright colors with the heavy subject of finding a pathway through grief. I guess it’s a reflection room of how I grieve through engaging creativity, making new memories while carrying forward the old ones. You can find it on my website or @shopmnbookarts #riso #risograph #zines #grief