Creatives in Publishing: Binding a Path to Being Published and Self-Publishing - Camden Art Centre
Type
Courses & Workshops
Format
In the Building
Date 1/22 May 2025
Price £150/£200
Book

A four-week workshop with Johanna Tagada Hoffbeck

Publishing is a timeless method to share one’s art practice with local and broader internal audiences. In an ever-shifting landscape, how does one work towards being published or self-publishing as well as collaborative publishing ventures? This course aims to demystify the artist publishing world by addressing key topics such as finances and sharing guidance based on first-hand experience from Johanna Tagada Hoffbeck about being published by international imprints and running an artist imprint for a decade.

This course is suitable for beginner to established artists or writers interested in publishing their work or learning about self-publishing, particularly for those with a visual arts practice, and welcomes those from other art practices, including writing. Participants will learn how to prepare their practice and body of work towards publication and gain skills, confidence and an appreciation for the patience and playfulness this process requires.

 

Modules

– Welcome and introduction to the history and context of artist publishing, setting a framework for the course
– Introduction about Johanna Tagada Hoffbeck’s practice.
– Introduction to the course and its aim – including an overview of what participants will learn in the following modules.
– Group introductions and aims (Prompt: Share your practice, your goals for the course, and your current thoughts on publishing).

Part A
– How to get published by an (established or indie) publisher?
– How to approach galleries, publishers, and institutions.
– Understanding what publishers look for in submissions.
– Contracts and legal considerations.

Part B
– How to make yourself ‘publish-ready’
– How do you refine your pitch and portfolio for submission?

Part A
– Keys to self-publishing, as follows
Planning: Understanding the different types of publications (e.g., zines, art books).
Financing: Crowdfunding, self-funding, or working with collaborators to raise money.
Printers: Selection, understanding paper types, and print runs.
Marketing: How to market a self-published book (not in-depth due to time constraints).
Part B
– A 45-minute bookbinding session.

– Artists in publishing, looking and discussing examples, including examples, come from a range of different publishing experiences—both from established publishers and self-published works.

– Final Q&A — wrap up with a reflective session. Prompts: What are your next steps after the course? How do you envision applying what you learned in your practice

The Artist

Johanna Tagada Hoffbeck (b. 1990, France) is a transdisciplinary artist based in rural Oxfordshire. Her practice, rooted in ecological awareness, spans painting, sculpture, photography, publishing, horticulture, and participatory projects.

Johanna founded the independent, artist-led imprint Poetic Pastel Press in 2015, perhaps best known for its printed publication series Journal du Thé: Contemporary Tea Culture, which she co-founded in 2018. The deep ecology movement influences the imprint, with works printed in England using vegetable-based inks and distributed in over thirty countries. Poetic Pastel Press has participated in notable international book fairs, including Offprint in London and the Tokyo Art Book Fair. Johanna has also led and participated in talks on artists in publishing at venues such as BOAN Books in Seoul.

International imprints, including InOtherWords (UK), Chose Commune (FR), Nieves (CH), Hat Press (UK), Jane & Jeremy (UK), Editions Ulmer (FR), Ao-hata (JP), and Tombolo Presses (FR), have released publications on her practice. Her forthcoming photography book, Please Take Your Shoes Off and Come In, has been edited and published by Pon Ding (TW).

Johanna’s work expresses care and tenderness, reflecting on the fragility and beauty of life. Recent solo exhibitions include Dreaming About Tomorrow at Nidi Gallery, Tokyo (2022). Group exhibitions include Soil at Somerset House, London (2025), The Equal Right to Live and Blossom at Kate MacGarry, London (2024), One Foot in the Sky at Contemporary Sculpture Fulmer, UK (2023), and Edge Effects at Whitechapel Gallery, London (2024).

In addition, Johanna founded the collaborative initiative The Gardening Drawing Club. She has organised and facilitated workshops and learning programs for adults and children at multiple British art institutions, including Camden Art Centre.