UA Book Arts Program Receives National Award

The Master of Fine Arts program in the book arts at The University of Alabama received the 2011 Institutional Award for Distinguished Achievement from the American Printing History Association. 

Steve Miller, professor and coordinator for the program, accepted the award at the presentation on Jan. 29 at the New York Public Library in New York City. 

“It is humbling to think of the past recipients of this award,” Miller said. “Our books arts program is blessed with highly motivated and talented students and their willingness to take the ancient book form from its roots and into the 21st century. It is the daily practice of students, faculty and administrative support that has created the graduate book arts program and caused it to prosper in ways we could not have possibly imagined.” 

Established in 1985, this award is intended for “institutions that have sponsored, supported, or themselves made distinguished contributions to the study, recording, preservation, or dissemination of printing history.” 

These prestigious awards are presented each January at the APHA annual meeting in New York City. Past winners include the Smithsonian Institution’s Division of Graphic Arts, Center for the Book at the Library of Congress and the Gutenberg Museum. 

The MFA in the book arts program is in the School of Library and Information Studies, a unit of the College of Communication and Information Sciences at The University of Alabama. The MFA in the book arts program is dedicated to the art, craft, and history of the whole book through studio work and academic studies. 

The program has been a leader in its field, offering a book arts MFA since 1987. The program is grounded in the belief that mastering the best practices of the past is the best preparation for future artistic achievement. In this way, the UA program has fostered traditional values in modern printing.