Your membership helps support book arts in the Charlottesville community and beyond. When you become a member, you are joining a devoted group of people who share and learn from each other, collaborate creatively, and work to innovate using slow technology.
There are many ways you can access and support Virginia Book Arts:
- Become an active member of our expanding community.
- Use our drop-in rate to use equipment infrequently.
- Empower us as a “Friend” of VBA by offering a small monthly donation.
You can choose to be billed once annually for the full amount, or select the monthly billing plan to break up your membership into smaller monthly payments.
Feel free to check out our Membership Standards and Policies and other Organizational documents for Virginia Book Arts.
Journeywork Member $35/month
Journeywork Members receive:
- Access to the shop by appointment.* Members can schedule shop access and supervised time on equipment with the Shop Manager(s) when staff are available* to supervise, or attend during Open Shop hours.
- Use of print shop and bindery to gain expertise, create works, and share knowledge
- A yearly custom-made keepsake
- Discounts on select classes
- Member-only emails
- Advance notice for select classes
- Participation in the annual Member Project
- Invitations to open houses and members-only special events
- Participation and voting privileges on the VBA agenda at the annual meeting.
- Your own designated Flat File for an additional $10/month (based on availability)
* We expect staff availability to be less frequent during the first year, as we transition from full-time paid staff to volunteer-run. Your membership aids in our doing this faster!
Full Time Student Member $20/month
This membership option is for full-time enrolled students at high school or University. Full Time Student Members receive:
- Access to the shop by appointment.* Members can schedule shop access and supervised time on equipment with the Shop Manager(s), when staff are available* to supervise, or attend during Open Shop hours.
- Use of print shop and bindery to gain expertise, create works, and share knowledge
- A yearly custom-made keepsake
- Discounts on select classes
- Member-only emails
- Advance notice for select classes
- Participation in the annual Member Project
- Invitations to open houses and members-only special events
- Participation and voting privileges on the VBA agenda at the annual meeting.
- Your own designated Flat File for an additional $10/month (based on availability)
You must provide documentation of your enrollment to quality for this membership tier.
Artisan Member $60/month
Qualified printers and binders of professional skill that are able to work independently, as certified by VBA. This membership option requires service (donation of time / teaching) to the shop.
Any person can be an Artisan member; however to qualify as a keyholder, the person must have prior involvement with the VBA and must display trustworthiness, familiarity with shop equipment, and commitment to the Shop Guidelines and Membership Standards and Policies. You can do that by becoming a non-keyholding Artisan member. At any point, an Artisan member can submit a request for keyholding access to the Steering Committee.
Key-holding Artisan Members have access to the shop 24/7. You will still need to schedule time on equipment to make sure it’s not in use, and so others can see on the calendar that equipment is reserved before coming into the shop. To use equipment unsupervised, you will need to be approved to do so.
All Artisan Members receive:
- A designated flat file
- Discounts on select classes
- Member-only emails
- Advance notice for select classes
- Participation in the annual Member Project
- Invitations to open houses, and members-only special events
- Participation and voting privileges on VBA agenda at the annual meeting.
Artisan Members commit to offer the following:
Donate 1-2 created works to VBA for our annual auction, if requested.
Volunteer a minimum of 6 “open shop hours” each month (opening and supervising the shop for non-keyholding members), and are strongly encouraged to be available for reservable press time or mentorship, or to teach classes or workshops.
Drop-ins
It is not necessary to become an annual member to have access to the shop and the equipment. Contact the shop manager at shop@vabookarts.org to arrange drop-in status for your needs. You will be asked to demonstrate your knowledge and skill on the equipment to determine whether you can work unsupervised, or if you require supervision. You will still need to reserve time on the calendar, and to arrange access to the shop if it is not during open hours.
4 Hour block Drop-in rate: $60
8 Hour block Drop-in rate: $120
Friend of VBA $10/month
Support the Book Arts community in Central Virginia!
- Receive a discount on one class per year
- Receive a yearly custom-made keepsake
- Receive member-only emails, and invitations to special events
UVA Employee Professional Development opportunities
Only for UVA employees wishing to apply UHR professional development funds. Satisfies HR requirements: a non-“membership” professional development opportunity tailored to their responsibilities or career plans, if possible; with one annual payment. See this page for details.