Certificate of Proficiency in Book Arts Launches Fall 2026

Written By: Rachel Putman

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith is expanding its role as a regional destination for art and design with the launch of a new academic Certificate of Proficiency in Book Arts.

Beginning in fall 2026, students will be able to earn a nine-hour certificate focused on artist books, letterpress printing, papermaking, bookbinding, and works on paper. The certificate is designed to give students hands-on experience with traditional materials and processes while preparing them to apply those skills in contemporary creative practice, design, conservation, repair, librarianship, and other related fields. 

Housed in the UAFS Department of Art & Design, the program builds on growing student interest in book arts and the university’s investment in specialized studio spaces inside the Windgate Art & Design Building. 

“This is a place where students can slow down, work with their hands, and understand how books, paper, type, image, and structure come together,” said Jay Fox, director of book arts and assistant professor of art and design. “Students in Book Arts courses are accessing and becoming a part of an international community that values skill and intention in thoughtful making. We begin with exploring traditions like papermaking and letterpress printing but employ them to meet contemporary themes and works.” 

The Book Arts Certificate of Proficiency is designed as a stackable credential, allowing students in the Studio Art B.A., Graphic Design B.S., or Studio Art minor to complete the certificate as part of their existing elective requirements. 

The certificate requires three courses: Intro to Book Arts or Intro to Letterpress, Fine Printing and Book Making, and Advanced Fine Printing and Book Making. Students must earn a C or better in each course and maintain a 2.75 GPA in the courses applied to the certificate. 

The program also gives UAFS a distinctive place in Arkansas higher education - no other school in the University of Arkansas System or in Arkansas offers a certificate of proficiency or degree program in book arts. 

For Katie Waugh, department head and associate professor of art and design, that distinction matters not only for recruitment but for the kind of education UAFS can offer students. 

“The field of book arts employs an innovative and always-evolving mixture of technologies from multiple centuries, while engaging at the forefront of artistic discourse.” she said. Students studying in this field learn to develop thoughtful, intentional connections between craft, concept, language, image, and material. These are skills that enrich students’ creative work in any field, while familiarity with book arts processes provides students highly specialized and unique skillsets that can define their future professional opportunities.” 

For graphic design students, the program offers direct experience with the physical structure of printed materials, from paper and binding to type, layout, and production. For studio art students, it expands material understanding, craftsmanship, critical thinking, and conceptual development. 

Carlee Davis, a recent UAFS graduate who earned both a Studio Art B.A. and a Graphic Design B.S. said book arts courses have had a direct impact on her work as a professional graphic designer. 

“Book Arts has impacted my career directly in so many ways,” she said. “As a professional graphic designer who works on printed materials, being able to understand the physicality and structure of books has helped inform my design choices.” 

She said the experience helped prepare her to work on books, pamphlets, manuals, and other print projects, while letterpress work deepened her understanding of leading, kerning, and production. 

“I do not believe I’d have had these same opportunities without these book arts courses,” she said. 

Book Arts courses will take place in the newly constructed Center for Book Arts, a purpose-built facility in the 15,000 sq. foot addition to the Windgate Art & Design building set to open this fall.

A public open house will be held for the complete expansion and the Center for Book Arts Thursday, August 20, from 4–6 p.m. Guests are invited to drop in any time during the event to tour the new spaces, visit with students and faculty, and see the studios and classrooms in use.