Instructor Spotlight: Regin Igloria
Regin Igloria, multidisciplinary artist and educator, will be teaching multiple workshops for Artists Book House throughout Summer 2026. We asked him about his background, practice, and connection to ABH. We highly recommend learning from Regin if you have the chance.
Tell us about your experience and key highlights of your work as it relates to the workshops you will be teaching for Artists Book House (ABH).
I am an advocate for inclusive work spaces and community connections, and as a lifelong educator, bring my formal visual art training into what I feel is a complex and nuanced environment of thoughtful people. I started North Branch Projects in 2010 out of what I described in the past as frustration with my relationship to the contemporary art world, but now consider it more of my navigation of a much more universal life of just making do with what surrounds me. I approach all of my work as a constantly evolving process where I am learning more as I go, enjoying the questions that keep me exploring and feeling as much as possible.
What can prospective students expect to learn in your workshop (that might not be included in the official class description or that expands upon that)?
I would like to say everyone everyone will learn how to improvise as necessary.
If a student were to walk away with one or two key lessons, skills, or principles from your workshops, what would you hope that would be?
My hope in any and all of the workshops I teach is that one can go far and learn useful techniques and advance their skills without spending a lot of money, and that there is always joy to be found in making books.
Can you name an example or two of past workshops you’ve taught, and what most excited you about them?
I have recently worked with The Hull House Museum and Red Line Services for a unique program where I introduced basic bookbinding skills over three separate sessions. I met artist Amira Hegazy and it's always a joy to teach and work with fellow artists who share similar values. More recently I led a workshop for Earth Day co-sponsored by Fleet Feet and New Balance, where I taught a bookbinding workshop using re-purposed shoe boxes. The most exciting thing about both of these classes is how they both resulted in producing remarkably advanced books, and it is profoundly meaningful to me to work with those who don't call themselves "artists." The students truly made the most of their creativity.
What are the most important features of your workspace?
My workspace is my home, and I am in the process of converting the entirety of it, from bathroom sink to the backyard fencing, as part of my exploration of the book form.
What are some of your favorite tools in your studio?
My new favorite tool is the teflon folding rib bone folder from Talas.
What inspires and informs your work (other artists, works of art, art forms, aspects of life, etc.)?
Everyday interactions inform my work, and I try not to draw the line to limit my resources. I'm mostly interested in conveying the human condition so I enjoy spending time seeing how people interact, trying to find truth in media, enjoying moments with others as well as alone, and spending a lot of time outdoors.
How did you first become associated with ABH?
I studied and/or worked with many of the founders and their colleagues, and served on the board for a few years.
What interests and excites you most about working with ABH?
I am most excited about being part of a truly important institution of the city (and the rest of the world) and being able to work with like-minded people who are book artists. It's an honor to just be associated with them.
Other than your ABH workshop, can you name a few other key events or projects in your near future?
I'm working on a national Community Binding Tour on the East and West Coasts to take some of my North Branch Projects outside of the Chicagoland area within the next year or so, and developing and publishing a series of zines that will be available via subscription.
ABOUT
REGIN IGLORIA is a multidisciplinary artist and educator based in Chicago. His drawings, artists’ books, sculptures, and performances portray the human condition as it relates to the natural environment and inhabited spaces. With a background in arts administration and education, he founded North Branch Projects, an extension of his studio practice that builds connections through the book arts. His work creates crossover between various communities and populations, aiming to broaden the roles of both artists and non-artists. Igloria has taught at places such as Marwen, Rhode Island School of Design, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Snow City Arts, and Carthage College. He received a 3Arts Next Level Teaching Artist and Individual Award as well as local, national, and international grants and support through artist residencies. His work has been exhibited internationally. He received his MFA from Rhode Island School of Design.
Links:
IG:
@reginigloria
@northbranchprojects