Johanna Smick
Johanna Smick is a professionally trained hand bookbinder and restorer. Johanna received her BFA in Printmaking from Washington University in St Louis, MO. During her undergraduate degree she focused much of her time to letterpress and artist books, as well as the history of bookbinding and conservation. After graduating Johanna spent many months in India creating an inventory of precious objects for the Tsuklakhang monastery in Gangtok, Sikkim. There she was introduced to many thangka paintings and prayer books that required restoration. To further her education she went to the North Bennet Street School in Boston, MA for bookbinding and restoration. During her time in school she worked for Quercus Press in Waltham, MA where she was able to continue working in letterpress and custom binding. At the end of her time in school she began working for the Boston Public Library in their rare books lab and continued after graduation. There, Johanna worked on numerous books from the John Quincy Adams collection. Today Johanna lives and works in Asheville, NC and is the owner of Monkfish Bindery. Here she offers custom binding work as well as restoration.
