Listening to Andrew Huot

In a nondescript strip mall rests an old-fashioned printing press- Big River Bindery. The visit to Andrew Huot’s studio was a look into the techniques and processes used by bookmakers and printers for hundreds of years. We were shown a printing press that required wood or metal blocks to be assembled backward to create words, it was like something out of a movie about the American Revolution to me. Andrew also showed us a bit about how he restores and conserves old books. It was an intricate process that obviously requires mastery. He knew specific details about his materials, including their properties and history. He didn’t get into book creation in much depth, but I really enjoyed seeing the tiny book he had created that even had super tiny print on it. He seemed more interested in this type of fanciful creation, and kind of sighed when he admitted that he mostly was conserving family bibles.

I think this visit showed us the importance of process by letting us observe a more methodical, organized and slow approach. Knowledge is key to Andrew’s art and the processes he uses are complex. He has to understand his machines and the materials he is working with to be able to print correctly and preserve books that are centuries old. He would correct any of our misstatements if we didn’t fully understand the medium we asked a question about. When he answered our questions with corrections that showed a more in-depth perspective on the material, I thought about the current Education class I am taking where we are unpacking the difference between a novice and a master. Masters have a meaningful organization of their knowledge about the subject and I think that was evident for Andrew. It seemed like whenever we asked a question he was looking at the problem from a different angle. He mentioned that sometimes with printing it comes down to luck but I doubt it; I think everything that he does in his studio is highly calculated. I don’t know if I would have the patience for something like that, but we will see.