Domonique Alesi

I live half of my life in books, surrounded by books, in piles of books. My fascination with the art of book binding started when I was twelve. After reading a book that described the process of bookbinding and went to work. I used the only materials I had available to me, an old pair of blue jeans, left over foam core and construction paper from my fifth grade English project, and Elmer’s glue. After a couple of hours, I had somewhat successfully turned my favorite paperback book into a blue jean hardcover. I still keep that book on my shelf and it is one of my most precious items. I attended University of the Arts, where I studied Illustration and Book Arts and learned artistic bindings and techniques. I then apprenticed under David Donahue of David Donahue Book Restoration Studio in Philadelphia, PA to further my training and knowledge of bookbinding. What was once a passion of a twelve year old me has now become my life.