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00:00:21 - Start of Interview/ Introduction 00:00:22 - Parents/ Early Life

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Partial Transcript: So Jim, um I thought maybe you could um tell us a little
bit...

Segment Synopsis: Jim Escalante (JE) talks about his parents. His mother was of European descent and grew up in rural north Texas. His father was from Brownsville, Texas, on the border, and JE's paternal grandparents were from Mexico. During WWII, JE's father was a bombardier in the Army Air Corps, and he met and married JE's mother. JE's father was one of the youngest players to become a professional golfer in the 1940s and worked on golf courses his entire career.

Keywords: Brownsville, Texas; Mexico; childhood; golf; military

00:05:33 - Moving to Mexico

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Partial Transcript: Um..So, after the war..um he went back to Brownsville had two
children.

Segment Synopsis: In 1950, JE's father thought he would have better economic opportunity in Mexico than in the U.S., so the family moved. In 1954, JE was born, the youngest of three children. JE grew up with bicultural, bilingual experiences.

Keywords: Mexico; bicultural; bilingual; childhood; economic opportunity

00:11:01 - Education in America

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Partial Transcript: So we...we...we grew up in different parts of Mexico. I still
think...

Segment Synopsis: JE lived in Mexico City from 1962-1970, and the place shaped him. Later he came to the U.S. to go to an all-boys boarding school, Allen Academy, in Texas. He and his brother were expected to go to college in the U.S., so JE thought he should graduate from a high school in the U.S. Then he went to North Texas State, now called University of North Texas. He talks about being a first-generation college student and figuring out how to choose a school.

Keywords: Allen Academy; Mexico City; North Texas State; University of North Texas

00:18:03 - North Texas State/ University of North Texas

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Partial Transcript: So, I went to North Texas. And my brother had gone
to...

Segment Synopsis: JE's brother went to Texas A&M University and took a photography course while studying journalism. When he came back to Mexico City, he asked JE to take photos of Christmas decorations downtown. This sparked JE's imagination, and he began taking photos in high school. He and his friends started a photo club and worked in the darkroom. In college, he first declared a major in marketing, but a fellow student prodded him to consider majoring in photography.

Keywords: North Texas State; University of North Texas; marketing; photography

00:25:08 - Changing Majors

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Partial Transcript: So I showed Don my photographs and he said "yea you could be an
art...

Segment Synopsis: JE took an introductory photography course and then other art courses for the major. He met his future wife in a class in 1974. He also took a Chicano literature class, which stood out as one of the few classes to include Chicano artists or writers. The class read stories about migration, farm work and discrimination.

Keywords: Chicano literature; classes; discrimination; farm work; migration; photography; undergraduate

00:30:52 - After Graduation

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Partial Transcript: So um in 1976 I graduated and Mary's mother had moved back to
Racine...

Segment Synopsis: JE graduated with his BFA in 1976, and his future wife, Mary, graduated with her MFA. Mary was born in Racine, Wisconsin, and the couple went there for the summer of 1976 before heading to France. Mary had a scholarship, and they both enrolled in courses for nine months. While in France, they were married.

Keywords: France; marriage; scholarship

00:36:28 - Moving back to Wisconsin

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Partial Transcript: So we got married, and when we came back um we didn't
know...

Segment Synopsis: They moved back to Racine, and stayed with Mary's mother. JE wanted to get his MFA, and Mary's mother suggested he look into UW-Madison. JE arranged to meet Cavalliere Ketchum, who showed JE photography books made by students. JE also saw the letterpress room and decided he wanted to go to the UW.

Keywords: Cavalliere Ketchum; Master's Degree; marriage; photography

00:41:26 - Moving to Madison

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Partial Transcript: So I came here and started in January...

Segment Synopsis: JE and Mary moved to Madison in November 1977, and he began his degree program in January 1978. They became houseparents for the Tri Delta Sorority on Langdon Street.

Keywords: Langdon Street; Tri Delta Sorority; book arts; graduate degree

00:46:50 - First Year at UW-Madison

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Partial Transcript: So I came here and you know my first semester here was hard.

Segment Synopsis: The first winter was difficult for JE, but the next winter was better because he had a down coat. The program was also challenging, but JE was really interested in making photography books. Ketchum recommended that JE take a class with Cathie Ruggie, a recent UW grad.

Keywords: Book Arts; Graduate School; Photography; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Winter

00:52:30 - First Experiences in Book Making

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Partial Transcript: Um.. So in those days it was harder too get into
classes...

Segment Synopsis: Like JE, Susan K. Grant, Richard Zauft and Gloria Baker Feinstein were photography students interested in making books, and they coached each other on book bindings. Ruggie focused on teaching printing.

Keywords: Book Arts; Gloria Baker Feinstein; Letterpress; Photography; Richard Zauft; Susan K. Grant; University of Wisconsin-Madison

00:55:33 - Book Arts Courses Taken During Graduate School

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Partial Transcript: And then I think the nest semester Cathie went on to
teach...

Segment Synopsis: JE studied with Phil Hamilton and took papermaking with Walter Hamady. JE and other students wanted to learn bookbinding from Jim Dast, book conservator at Memorial Library, and lobbied to have him teach in the program. JE also learned binding techniques from Al de la Rosa.

Keywords: Al de la Rosa; Book Binding; Graduate School; Jim Dast; Papermaking; Phil Hamilton; Photography; Walter Hamady

01:01:19 - Interactions with Instructors

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Partial Transcript: Could you talk a little bit more about your interactions with
teachers?

Segment Synopsis: Hamady and Hamilton both taught typography, but taught it very differently. JE repeated courses with Hamady, who would change a course from semester to semester and share information about the business aspects of making books.

Keywords: Book Arts; Book Making; Courses; Phil Hamilton; Typography; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Walter Hamady

01:06:56 - Collaborative Book Making

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Partial Transcript: We were very interested in paper making. When I was... The students
I...

Segment Synopsis: Students that JE studied with, including Kathy Kuehn, Walter Tisdale and Jim Lee, shared information with each other. Books can be intensely collaborative, and often an artist starts in one of three ways: with structure, imagery or text. Sheila Webb connected JE and Kathy Kuehn with poet Andrea Musher for a book [In Training]. The students learned from each other by working on one another's books.

Keywords: Andrea Musher; Book Making; Collaboration; Jim Lee; Kathy Kuehn; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Walter Hamady; Walter Tisdale

01:18:57 - What Makes an Artist Book?

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Partial Transcript: Well I wanted to ask you umm.. if you could give me a definition of an
artist book?

Segment Synopsis: What is an artists' book? Hamady stressed publishing new work using historical methods for artists' books. Artists' books are books made by artists for a specific purpose and audience, generally in a limited edition. They enable artists to play with the form of the book.

Keywords: Art; Artist Book; Book Arts; Printing; Publishing

01:27:33 - Readers and Artist Books

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Partial Transcript: I wonder if you could expand a little bit. When you were talking about
your...

Segment Synopsis: JE published Scales & Weights by Todd Moore, who wrote poems about historical photos. Moore's short lines seemed challenging to print, but then JE thought of them as longer sentences. You make a book in hopes that the reader will value it.

Keywords: Artist Books; Readers; Scales & Weights; Todd Moore

01:34:00 - Technology and Book Arts

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Partial Transcript: But... You know if we were trying to increase an audience the best
way...

Segment Synopsis: Some artists have tried to incorporate sound or Web elements into the reading experience. Technology is being used to create marbled paper today. Young people are forced to use technology in letterpress printing today.

Keywords: Book Arts; Paper Making; Technology; University of Wisconsin-Madison

01:42:26 - Iguana Press

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Partial Transcript: I wondered if we could go back... uh are you feeling good?

Segment Synopsis: Cathie Ruggie asked students to create letterhead for an assignment and suggested creating a press name. Iguana Press harkens back to JE's time in Mexico and interest in Pre-Columbian art as well as TV personality Loco Valdez's puppet called Iguana Rana. JE was also impacted by Lance Wyman's logo design of the 1968 Olympics.

Keywords: Cathie Ruggie; Iguana Press; Lance Wyman; Mexico

01:51:31 - First Books Created

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Partial Transcript: I also wanted to ask you about some of your early
collaborations...

Segment Synopsis: JE's first book was A Letter From Granville Moss, and he made This Is a Printing Office, which his wife, Mary Moss Escalante, illustrated. He also contacted Naomi Shihab Nye to request printing her work for what became On the Edge of the Sky. Rosemary Catacalos didn't want any illustrations to accompany her poems in As Long as It Takes.

Keywords: A Letter From Granville Moss; As Long as It Takes; Mary Moss Escalante; On the Edge of the Sky; This Is a Printing Office

02:01:51 - Incorporating Technology in His Designs

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Partial Transcript: And at that point I began to realize that there were
people...

Segment Synopsis: JE bought a Mac and convinced [Missouri State University] to buy a laser printer. He designed The Miracle of Typing on his computer and had metal type made. He also published Todd Moore's poetry [in Scales & Weights].

Keywords: Computers; Missouri State University; Technology; The Miracle of Typing

02:08:52 - Beginning to Teach

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Partial Transcript: If um... cause I think we are probably gonna wind
down...

Segment Synopsis: JE taught photography to students in continuing education classes and was able to use that experience to get his first teaching job.

Keywords: Photography; Teaching

02:15:07 - How UW-Madison Impacted His Career

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Partial Transcript: Well I thought maybe we could finish off with um...

Segment Synopsis: When JE graduated and began looking for jobs, he appreciated the cachet a UW art degree held. He was also impressed with what many of the people from Wisconsin went on to do and feels fortunate to have studied with the people he did.

Keywords: Career; Graduation; University of Wisconsin-Madison

02:23:45 - First Teaching Position

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Partial Transcript: Jim.. um we talked a lot about your background as a student here and then
we...

Segment Synopsis: Jim Escalante (JE) got his first teaching position in 1981 at Missouri State through Bill Armstrong, a former professor at the UW, and JE taught graphic design there for eight years.

Keywords: Bill Armstrong; Missouri State; graphic design; teaching

02:30:19 - Teaching Graphic Design at Missouri State

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Partial Transcript: Is there anything else you would like to add about that time?

Segment Synopsis: JE talks about teaching graphic design with a background in fine art printing rather than advertising. He discusses how the duality of his cultural background helped him find a balance teaching design in a fine arts program.

Keywords: fine arts; graphic design; teaching

02:33:51 - Exhibitions

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Partial Transcript: Um so I thought maybe we could talk a little bit about some of the

Segment Synopsis: JE was not in Madison when the Breaking the Bindings exhibition occurred. JE says the term "artsists' books" became popular in the 1980s. In the 1970s, they used "small press" and "fine printing." JE's work was in the show, but he didn't see it. The curators, including Kathy Kuehn, Walter Tisdale and Ruth Lingen, exhibited their own work in a separate show at the union.

Keywords: Breaking the Bindings; Kathy Kuehn; Ruth Lingen; Walter Tisdale; artists' books; exhibition

02:41:39 - Teaching Design Without Text

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Partial Transcript: I wanted to switch gears here a little bit. I kinda going chronologically
here...

Segment Synopsis: JE liked working with the text in book projects, but it was challenging to teach design without actually using text. He taught with prototypes in the early 1980s. Then the Apple MacIntosh and laser printers changed how he would teach design. He could create text in PostScript, send the disc to a company to create a negative of the text, and then have plates made.

Keywords: Apple MacIntosh; PostScript; design; laser printer; technology; text

02:48:53 - The Miracle of Typing and Other Works

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Partial Transcript: So the Miracle of Typing was a transitional piece...

Segment Synopsis: The Miracle of Typing was a transitional work. He designed the layout on a computer and then ordered the type in metal and printed the book. Tomorrow We Smile features a short story by Naomi Shihab Nye, and JE had plates made from a negative of the text file. JE began to understand that software could become useful to graphic designers and printers.

Keywords: Naomi Shihab Nye; The Miracle of Typing; Tomorrow We Smile; technology

02:55:52 - Job Opportunity at UW Madison

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Partial Transcript: Well...um... speaking of um your returning to Madison I though
um....

Segment Synopsis: Chancellor Donna Shalala implemented the Madison Plan, which aimed to recruit and hire minorities at UW. JE contacted Cavallierre Ketchum about an opportunity to interview at the UW and got one. 

Keywords: Donna Shalala; Madison Plan; teaching

03:03:44 - First Years Teaching at UW Madison

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Partial Transcript: So when I first got here I was a tenured faculty
member...

Segment Synopsis: JE started out teaching photography, graphic design and paper at the UW, and thought of himself as a utility player willing and able to teach whatever courses needed an instructor. As he picked up more administrative work, he began teaching book arts.

Keywords: book arts; graphic design; photography; teaching

03:07:43 - Working with Fellow UW Instructors

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Partial Transcript: So could you talk a little bit more about what it was
like...

Segment Synopsis: JE worked with his former teachers Cavallierre Ketchum, Phil Hamilton and Walter Hamady after eight years away from the UW. Hamilton welcomed JE and put him on a committee to visualize a new art building. Truman Lowe asked JE to be the undergraduate adviser. JE also became the interim director of Chicano Studies.

Keywords: Chicano Studies; family; teaching

03:14:10 - Book Arts Classes at UW Madison

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Partial Transcript: I wondered if um you could go back a little bit...

Segment Synopsis: JE began to teach more book arts classes as Hamady taught fewer classes in letterpress and more in collage. JE questioned whether the Art Department would have hired someone externally to continue the book arts courses.

Keywords: Book Arts; Hiring; UW Madison Art Department; Walter Hamady

03:21:36 - Papermaking Lab and Flexible Courses

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Segment Synopsis: After years of making do with whatever spaces were available for papermaking, JE was asked what he needed in a new papermaking lab. He also enjoyed some flexibility in the courses he teaches in a given semester, because the Art Department offers concentrations rather than a strict series of required classes.

Keywords: Administration; Papermaking; UW Madison Art Department; teaching

03:27:29 - Teaching Book Arts VS. Learning Book Arts

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Partial Transcript: So um how do you think that...this might be hard to
say...

Segment Synopsis: Hamady inspired students through his examples and wanted to move new literature forward, rather than reprinting classics. Hamady encouraged experimentation while also adhering to certain established rules of printing.

Keywords: Book Arts; Teaching; Tradition; Walter Hamady

03:31:23 - Teaching with Limited Tools

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Partial Transcript: And when I went to teach in Springfield, Missouri I realized
that...

Segment Synopsis: In Springfield, JE had to learn to teach in a classroom with a limited set of tools very different from the classroom he learned in. He taught students who wanted to work in graphic design and advertising, whereas JE came from a fine arts background. 

Keywords: Springfield, MO; advertising; graphic design; teaching

03:33:57 - Hamady Vs. Hamilton/ Friends in Book Arts

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Partial Transcript: You know Phil Hamilton was much more let you do...

Segment Synopsis: Hamady and Hamilton taught very differently. JE learned to print from Cathie Ruggie-Saunders. The students helped each other as much as, if not more, than Hamady. Walter Tisdale and Kathy Kuehn were JE's close friends.

Keywords: Kathy Kuehn; Phil Hamilton; Walter Hamady; friendship; teaching

03:38:19 - Advice On Teaching

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Partial Transcript: And becoming a teacher. I tell my young students...

Segment Synopsis: JE tells students you have to find your own way to teach based on who you are and the situation you're in. Changes in technology affect teaching, and a lot in print communication changed from 1970. Today young letterpress printers embrace the CNC router and laser cutter and make their own wood type. Incorporating technology in the classroom can be challenging when tools produce sawdust and/or smoke.

Keywords: letterpress pinting; print communication; teaching; technology

03:48:28 - A Printer's Exquisite Corpse

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Partial Transcript: Well umm... I wonder if we could go backwards a little
bit...

Segment Synopsis: Barb Tetenbaum at the Silver Buckle Press invited printers, including JE, to contribute to A Printer's Exquisite Corpse. Tracy Honn later worked at Silver Buckle and organized Exquisite Horse: A Printer's Corpse.

Keywords: A Printer's Exquisite Corpse; Barb Tetenbaum; Silver Buckle Press; Tracy Honn

03:54:20 - Wisconsin Book Festival Book-off

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Partial Transcript: Well speaking of Tracy I know the two of you umm worked together on
the...

Segment Synopsis: Honn and JE worked together on the Wisconsin Book Festival Book-off in 2006. Participants were in a book arts class. JE thought of it as a fun parody of the Iron Chef cooking competitions, but students took it seriously.

Keywords: Book Arts; Tracy Honn; Wisconsin Book Festival Book-off

04:03:01 - Changes in Artists' Books

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Partial Transcript: Well I thought maybe just a couple of wrap up questions
left...

Segment Synopsis: Over the years, JE has seen more one-of-a-kind artists' books rather than editioned books. He sees a bit of a return to making books with photos, though now they are inkjet-printed rather than dry-mounted photos on paper. Today artists learn bookmaking techniques from online tutorials and share work on social media.

Keywords: artists' books; bookmaking techniques; online tutorials; photography; social media

04:10:48 - Students' Artist Books

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Partial Transcript: Well I forgot what I was going to ask you... I'll think about it in a
minute...

Segment Synopsis: One of JE's students surprised him with an artists' book that aimed to encourage her mother to continue writing. Another student created a book with a dragon scale structure, and yet another student created a book using handmade paper created from the cotton diapers her children wore.

Keywords: artists' book; students' work; teaching

04:21:55 - Encouraging Students During the First Class

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Partial Transcript: How many different structures do you cover...

Segment Synopsis: JE begins his class on bookbinding with an assignment in creating a book from a single sheet of paper. Then he encourages students to get playful in creating folios and signatures. Some students who haven't sewn find they love coptic stitch binding. JE teaches students to make portfolio boxes and encourages making hybrid books.

Keywords: Bookbinding; portfolios; teaching

04:28:39 - Thankful for His Time at UW-Madison

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Partial Transcript: Well I think umm... I just wanted to see if you had any final
thoughts...

Segment Synopsis: JE feels fortunate to have taught at the UW for 28 years. He believes he has benefited from timing and luck.

Keywords: Book Arts; University of Wisconsin-Madison; teaching

04:31:07 - End of Interview