From the Bench is SFCB's series of short studio tours with friends near and far. From favorite tools to works in progress, you never know what you'll learn about from these amazing artists.
Mitchel Gundrum (he/they) is a bookbinder, conservator and researcher of historical book structures and decorated papers. He began his training at the San Francisco Center for the Book, afterward earning a diploma in traditional bookbinding techniques from North Bennet Street School and an MA in book conservation from West Dean College. He has previously worked at the US National Archives, the American Antiquarian Society, and UCLA, and taught workshops in book repair and related arts at North Bennet Street School, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, and West Dean College.
Recent and upcoming projects include a peer-reviewed article identifying the toxic yellow pigment orpiment as a 17th-century textblock edge colorant, an online catalog exploring their personal collection of decorated paper and paper bindings, and a research trip to Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp to study the earliest known European bookbinding manual from 1612. He currently works as a Book Conservator at The Huntington.
Mitchel will talk about his fascination with bindings and conservation treatments as mechanical puzzles, and also muse on the idea of establishing provenance for historical decorated papers through material and pattern analysis.
You can learn more about Mitchel’s research into decorated 18th Century papers at schwebenbuntpapier.com.
Please visit our Vimeo page to see our past tours, previously known as Shelter in Studio.
Thursday, September 4, 2025
12:30 PM (Pacific Time)
This is a free online event.
Registration will close at noon on the day of the event. The zoom link will be emailed at 10:30am Pacific time (two hours before the start time).