Pergamena Parchment Master class
Join us at the Tannery for a two-day hands-on workshop with Parchment Master Jesse Meyer.
Registration is now open.
Master Class #1 - Friday, September the 12th through Saturday, the 13th 2025 from 9am-5pm.
Master Class #2 - A three-day class for Artist’s that want to make their own parchment and vellum and then explore creating on it. On the third day —September 27th— we will host an educational hands on workshop and material testing time. - Thurs., Sept. 25 - Sat., Sept. 27 from 9am-5pm.
At the end of the two-day class, each attending student will have:
>> Created two parchment skins: one Dyed Goatskin and one Calf (vellum) skin.
>> The chance to browse our inventory of binding leather, calligraphy parchment, and all of the rest of our offerings firsthand. Plus 10% off all material purchased during the class.
>> A deeper understanding of how parchment is made, its uses, the material history, and the methods you can use to adjust and readjust the material yourself to suit your needs. We will also send everyone home with a 10-page educational document to keep the knowledge fresh in your mind.
>> An opportunity to have a custom consultation on your own personal project.
>> The ability to ask questions and interact with a master parchment maker and a small group of like-minded individuals who would rather experience life than read about it.
Class heads outside.
A student works on their hide.
Attendees of a 2021 Parchment Master Class.
Jesse watches as an attendee works on her hide.
Parchment Master Class
Parchment is one of the oldest and most durable materials for bookbinding, calligraphy and manuscript creation. It was the principal writing material of the Medieval Ages and remains one of the strongest natural materials available to bookbinders, calligraphers, and even interior designers.
During the master class students will get to tour the tannery, access our library of resource material, and have the opportunity to ask questions about their own personal projects.
Both days begin around 9 or 10 am and go until 5 or 6 pm with an hour break for lunch.
Snacks and drinks will be provided.
Day One
The first day of the workshop involves "wet work": taking the fresh skins through the dehairing stage to the point of stretching and scraping them on the frame. Attendees also get to choose a color to dye their own goatskin parchment.
Day Two
Day two will be spent on the "dry work," with the majority of the day spent on the finishing processes of the skins, including scraping, sanding, and trimming. The workshop also includes a tour of the tannery facilities and some historical context for both parchment and leather.
Registration is now open for the Fall 2025 Master Classes.
First Class: Friday, September the 12th - Saturday, the 13th 2025.
Both days will begin around 9:30 and go until 5 or 6 pm. We provide snacks and will have coffee, tea, water and juice available throughout the day. Lunches are usually left to the individual and are given about an hour. We also like to invite anyone who can attend to a nice dinner at a really good local restaurant one of the nights just to meet, greet and eat. (Additional cost.)
Cost of Attendance for the two-day Master Class is $1,000. CLICK HERE to REGISTER
Second Class: Thursday, Sept. the 25th - Saturday, the 27th, 2025.
All three days will begin around 9:30 and go until 5 or 6 pm. We provide snacks and will have coffee, tea, water and juice available throughout the day. Lunches are usually left to the individual and are given about an hour. We also like to invite anyone who can attend to a nice dinner at a really good local restaurant one of the nights just to meet, greet and eat. (Additional cost.)
Cost of Attendance for the three-day Master Class is $1,500. CLICK HERE to REGISTER
Class takes place at the Tannery located at 11 Factory St Montgomery NY, 12549
These classes are on a first come first served basis.
To sign up and reserve your spot, click the images to your right to get started.
If you can not attend these classes but would like to join us for a future class, please fill out the form below and we will reach out when we schedule our next Master Class. -The Team at Pergamena.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Parchment Master Class Sept. 12-13, 2025
$1,000.00
Join us at the Tannery for a two-day hands-on workshop with Parchment Master Jesse Meyer.
Friday, September the 12th through Saturday, the 13th 2025.
This registration is non-refundable after 24-hours from sign-up. Please be sure that you can attend before purchasing a registration.
Artist's Parchment Masterclass Sept 25-27, 2025
$1,500.00
We are excited to announce our first ever 3-day Parchment Master class Co-hosted by Paper and Ink Arts’ resident calligraphy expert, Molly Kunkel.
This special three-day Master Class will take place from Thursday, September 25th to Saturday the 27th.
This three-day Master Class will have all the elements of our standard Master Class plus on the third day, our friends down the road at the Wallkill River Center for the Arts, will host an educational workshop taught by calligraphy educator, Molly Kunkel of @mollycanmake and Paper and Ink Arts. This will give you hands-on experience with fine tuning the surface of the parchment with sandarac and pumice, writing on parchment and vellum, and practicing correcting errors. You will have the opportunity to test out different types of nibs, inks, preparations and types of parchment all under the guidance of Molly and Liv Virta-Meyer from Pergamena. You will have the opportunity to shop both Pergamena’s and Paper and Ink Arts’ collections.
Due to feedback, we have decided to make a small tweak. We are thrilled to say that the workshop is now open to all artists —and not just calligraphers— that want to make their own parchment and vellum and then explore creating on it. This change means that on the third day —September 27th— we will host an educational workshop featuring multiple teachers and led by arts educator Molly Kunkel of @mollycanmake and Paper and Ink Arts. This workshop will give any artist hands-on experience with:
Choosing that exact parchment that is right for your project
Fine tuning the surface of parchment and vellum with sandarac and or pumice to achieve your ideal surface texture
Testing out different types of nibs, inks, paints, brushes, and pens, etc. all with guidance provided by experienced artists and makers
And, fixing “mistakes”
Like our standard Masterclass, the first two days of the workshop will be spent handcrafting your very own parchment and vellum skins under the guidance of America’s leading parchment expert, Jesse Meyer. You will:
Create two parchment skins: one dyed Goat skin (your choice of colors) and one Calf (vellum) skin.
Gain a deeper understanding of how parchment is made, its uses, the material history, and the methods you can use to adjust and re-adjust the material yourself to suit your needs.
Have an opportunity to have a custom consultation on your own personal project with our staff.
Access to our research library collection, filled with both modern publications and material research no longer published.
—Between potential special appearances by some of our calligraphy, botanical and bookbinding friends and your fellow masterclass students, we can guarantee a weekend filled with like-minded individuals who would like to also experience life rather than just read about it.
— This three-day Master Class will take place from Thursday, September 25th to Saturday the 27th. The cost for this experience: $1,500
This registration is non-refundable after 24-hours from sign-up. Please be sure that you can attend before purchasing a registration.
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