2024 Annual Spring Brunch and General Meeting, Sunday, April 14th, 11:30am - 2:30pm

Please join us for our annual spring brunch and general meeting at the Norwood Sportsman's Club, 550 Nichols Street, Norwood, MA. New members and guests welcome! Please RSVP: rdcalow@gmail.com

  • Brunch and mingling Please bring a dessert to share. Finger sandwiches, mini quiches and beverages provided.
  • Special Presentation: Packaging, Shipping, and Storing Your Art Guest speakers, Jane Curran and Gregory Garritt, will share with us some critical best practices in handling original art. A longtime member of Masscribes, and experienced framer, Jane studied custom picture framing at DeCordova Museum and ran a business in Franklin for 25 years known as Jane’s Frames. Gregory worked with Fine Arts Express for 17 years, packing, transporting, and storing art for many prestigious galleries and museums.
  • Demonstrations Gilding letters, brush lettering, and both pointed and broad-edge pen work. Visit tables to watch and tryout fun techniques.
  • Show & Share Bring some of your own recent work to share, and be inspired by what others have been creating.
  • Supply Swap Cleaning out your studio? Display books or supplies you’d like to sell or give away

Arriving by train? Take the Franklin/Foxboro line to the Norwood Depot T-stop. Pickup arrangements can be made in advance by e-mailing info@masscribes.org

Not a member yet? Register under our Membership link in the pulldown menu. N0 prerequisites required — Beginners welcome!


2024 Executive Board Meeting Dates

January 20 ~ February 10 ~ March 16th ~ April 13th (later dates t.b.d.)

Members are welcome to join our monthly Board Meetings! Meetings start at 9:30am (on a Saturday) and are held online unless announced otherwise. E-mail us at info@masscribes.org to receive a Zoom link.


2023 Fall General Meeting

“Masscribes Fall General Meeting” was held on Saturday, November 18th from 11am - 2 pm at the beautiful Community Barn in Grafton (37 Wheeler Road, North Grafton, MA 01536). We gathered to celebrate the beauty of Autumn in New England and our place in it as calligraphers and friends. Members and guests brought their lunch and Masscribes provided dessert, coffee, tea, and cider. Highlights from our recent workshop, “Rhythm and Movement” were presented. Many members brought work to talk about in the Show & Share.


“Hands Through Time” Exhibit at the Westwood Public Library, April 1 - April 30, 2023

A members’ show celebrating our passion for the different calligraphic hands that have evolved over the centuries will take place April 1 - April 30, 2023.

Opening Reception: Thursday, April 13, 6-9pm

Live Educational Event | Slideshow Talk and Hands-on Demonstrations: Saturday, April 29, 12-4pm

Gallery Hours: Monday - Thursday 10am - 9pm, Friday 10 am - 6pm, Saturday 10am - 5pm, Sunday 2pm - 5pm



Here's our online gallery of works that you can see on display:


2022 Fall General Meeting

Our meeting was held on Saturday, October 22,  1PM-3:30PM at the Westwood Public Library.


September 10, 2022 - Grafton Site Visit & Colloquium Meeting for Study Groups

This members-only meeting in Grafton to view a possible new workshop/meeting venue, and to discuss the forming of active, dedicated study groups throughout Massachusetts and New England.

join us on Saturday, September 10, 2022 at 1PM - 3 PM.


April 24, 2022 - Spring 2022 General Meeting & Calligraphers Get Together!

Join us at the Norwood Sportsmen’s Club, our good-old-favorite workshop location, as we take our first step back to normal for Masscribes gatherings. Please bring any artwork you’d like to share and supplies you’d like to sell or swap.

Sunday, April 24, 2022
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, at 576 Nichols St, Norwood, MA

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Show & Tell (tables will be setup to display artwork for sharing)
  • Supply Sale & Tool Trade (bring any materials you’d like to re-sell, trade or donate; label accordingly)
  • Hands-0n Activity: embossing demo and experimenting with provided materials
  • Envelope Exchange sign-up
  • Weather permitting; we will have tables outdoors to enjoy small snacks. BYO…water bottle.
  • Make new friends. See old friends!


Save the dates for 2019 General Meetings!

April 13, 12PM-3PM - Spring Brunch/General Meeting at the United Church of Norwood, 595 Washington St, Norwood, MA

September 14, 1-3 PM - Fall Lunch/General Meeting at Norwood Sportsman's Club, 576 Nichols St., Norwood MA

November 9 - Holiday General Meeting at Norwood Sportsman's Club, 576 Nichols St., Norwood MA


Masscribes General Meeting - December 8, 2018

Please come to our Masscribes Holiday Gathering on December 8, 2018!

This will be an all-day event, which will be divided into three sessions. You can sign up for any or all sessions. Each session will cost $10. The deadline to register is November 25th so sign up right away using the PayPal buttons below! You do not need the PayPal account to register.

You may choose to come in the morning and just stay for lunch or just come for lunch orcome for lunch and stay for the afternoon or come for the whole day! This event is not limited to members but registration is required.
Please make sure you press the "View Cart" button in the bottom of this page and complete checkout after choosing the sessions you plan to attend!

Please email info@masscribes.com with any registration questions.

Morning session: Not-in-my House Paste Papers, 9 am to 12 noon

Come get really messy and productive! Nancy Galligan will lead the morning Paste Paper session where we will make paste papers using methyl cellulose paste, acrylic paint and Arches Text Wove paper. The morning paste paper session has a limit of 14 participants due to space.

Fee: $10 which includes several sheets of paper, paste and supplies. Additional paper will be available for sale for $2.00 per 20 x 25 inch sheet.

Paste paper supply list:  Apron, a spray bottle- not a mister- but a laundry type spray bottle; 2 large plastic containers (1 quart size), 2 new kitchen sponges, scissors, oil pastels if you have them, colored pencils (not water soluble), soft pastels (like Nu-pastels), acrylic paints in your favorite colors such as Golden or Liquitex- NOT Golden High Flow (Masscribes will provide some basic colors), any mark making tools that you have that are not sharp enough to rip wet paper, money for additional paper (or your own Arches Text Wove if you have some, torn to 13 x 20 inches, quarter sheet size).
SOLD OUT! Please email info@masscribes.com to reserve a spot on the waiting list.

 

Lunch: 12:30 to 2 pm

Will be will catered from To Beirut, a local Mediterranean restaurant with grilled chicken and veggies, salad, falafel, humus and pita. Also included are some yummy desserts! Drinks will be provided. Lunch will be $10 per person. (You are also welcome to bring your own lunch if you choose.)

 

Afternoon session: Binding a Winter Book, 2 to 5 pm

Anna Belkina will guide everyone through binding Arches Text Wove paper into an Ethiopian/Coptic hardcover binding. We will make and pierce signatures, plan the book structure, sew it together and add headbands. Everyone will create the same basic book and then make it truly yours with lettering, mark making and decorations over the winter months. We will reconvene at our Spring meeting to see how each book morphed into a unique creation of calligraphic art.

Fee: $10 includes book board, thread, 2 half-sheets of ATW, needles, and a piercing cradle. If you decide to make a thicker book, an additional half-sheet will be available for $2.00.

Book Binding Supply list: awl, long sturdy ruler to tear paper, an X-acto knife with a sharp point, a mat or some thick cardboard (8x11.5'' piece is enough),  bonefolder (if you have one), desk light with extension cord.

Once you picked the sessions you wanted, please complete the checkout here:


Save the date - Masscribes December 8, 2018 General Meeting

On December 8, we will have a general meeting at the  Norwood Sportsman’s Club, Norwood, MA. Lunch will be catered and there will be two sessions (morning and afternoon) with some exciting techniques to try. More details to follow!


2018 General Meetings

September 30, 2018 General Meeting 2 PM – 4 PM at Norwood Sportsman’s Club, Norwood, MA

2017 General Meetings

March 18, 2017: Spring Brunch and General Meeting – 12 – 3 PM at First Baptist Church, Norwood, MA

May 21, 2017: Mini-class and General Meeting – 11AM – 3 PM at Norwood Sportsman’s Club, Norwood, MA

Sept 10, 2017: Mini-class and General Meeting – 11AM – 3 PM at Norwood Sportsman’s Club, Norwood, MA

December 9 or 10 – STAY PUT! 2017: Mini-class and General Meeting – 11AM – 3 PM at Norwood Sportsman’s Club, Norwood, MA

In keeping with our guiding principle of fostering the awareness of calligraphy, Masscribes regularly exhibits the work of its members at various venues throughout the area. A member benefit, exhibits have been held at Rhode Island’s South County Center for the Arts , Vintage Books, Newbury College, Mass Bay Community College, the West Roxbury, Framingham, Norfolk and Wellesley Public Libraries, and Moose Hill and Broadmoor Audubon Sanctuaries, just to name a few.