Verein für die Schwarze Kunst
Association for the Black Arts
The Verein für die Schwarze Kunst (Association for the Black Arts), established in 2013, is dedicated to preserving traditional letterpress printing and typesetting. Over the past six years, it has awarded scholarships for an eight-week program where young individuals learn these crafts at nearly 30 workshops across Europe. To date, the association has invested € 35,000, with workshops volunteering their time. It also seeks to have letterpress printing recognized as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage.
To mark the 111th anniversary of poet Christian Morgenstern’s death on March 31st, 2025, the association is producing a handcrafted book featuring his works. This project is a collaboration with Johannes Follmer of Homburg Paper Mill, the MDE – Master Bookbinders International, and various bookbinders. Morgenstern, renowned for his “Galgenlieder,” is highly regarded in typographic circles, making this a fitting tribute.
The book will include texts typeset and printed manually using pre-1914 typefaces, complemented by illustrations in traditional techniques. The handmade paper—4,000 sheets in total—is being created at Homburg Paper Mill with contributions from scholarship recipients, alumni, and members. Additional papermaking sessions are planned for 2024. Approximately 10,000 pages will be hand-printed, assembled into five folded sections, and distributed to 20 bookbinders selected by the MDE. Each binder will craft a unique artistic binding for one book, which will be displayed in exhibitions, while additional copies will feature simplified bindings.
This project celebrates the craftsmanship of papermaking, printing, and bookbinding while honoring Morgenstern’s legacy, with its completion planned for March 2025.
The Büchergilde Gutenberg will serve as the exclusive partner for 111 copies of the Prêt-à-porter editions. Proceeds from these sales will be shared among the Association for the Black Arts, the MDE, and Johannes Follmer to support their work and cover paper production costs. At least one exhibition is planned at the Christian Morgenstern Literature Museum in Werder an der Havel, which opened in 2014 for the poet’s 100th anniversary and is part of the “Märkische Dichterstraße” literary route.
Further information here.
