2022 Alcuin Awards Ceremony
Written by
Chester Gryski
We celebrated on November 6 at The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto the winners of the Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada for books published in 2022. I may be considered biased but it’s my opinion that the evening was an outstanding success.
The books were on display both before and after dinner. All of the books were laid out on tables for everyone to pick up and page through providing an opportunity to see each book in its entirety. Beside each book was a card with the judges’ comments. The setup permitted an understanding of those comments.
The evening also provided an opportunity for designers to meet other designers and others who care about books. There were 68 people for dinner comprising 13 winners or their representatives and their guests, with the remainder being members of The Arts and Letters Club and their guests. The 13 were the designers of 21 books. While most were from the Toronto area, Lara Minja came from British Columbia and Julie Scriver from New Brunswick.
Emma Dolan; Noah Kahansky, Kate Sinclair, Sophie Pass-Lang, Dylan Browne, Talia Abramson, John Martz, Gigi Lau.
Photo: Angel Di Zhang
Many thanks to Grant Hurley for preparing the loop of the winning books of those present shown on the screen during dinner.
Our speaker for the evening was Nancy Jacobi founder of the Japanese Paper Place. The talk entitled From Rembrandt to George Walker: the Timeless Allure of Washi gave everyone a description of how washi was made but more importantly for the designers she gave examples of the ways various artists and designers have used it. Because washi is so versatile, we may start seeing it being incorporated into some trade books.
Finally came the presentation of the certificates. The designers were loudly applauded after their names were called out and the judges’ comments about their books were read out.
This Alcuin Society Awards Ceremony is a wonderful ongoing partnership with The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto. The ceremony has been held there since 2006. The Club has a long and distinguished history in the arts in Canada. Many members through the years have been book designers.
For the designers and publishers and other book lovers, plan to join us for the next celebration in the Fall of 2024.
