A master of traditional bookbinding, Scott Kellar has been working with books for the past 30 years. Introduced to bookbinding as a hobby in 1972, his commitment to the craft was immediate.

In 1974 he began his training at Monastery Hill Bindery under master binder Joseph Zuffant. In 1976 he was employed at the Newberry Library where he undertook further training and studied bookbinding and library conservation. Later, he became the Collections Conservator at Northwestern University Library where he established and developed the Library’s Conservation Lab. After twelve years of experience in two of Chicago’s primary research institutions he established his current studio in 1994.

As well as providing services to major academic institutions such as the University of Chicago, DePaul University, the Chicago Historical Society, the Chicago Botanic Gardens and American College of Surgeons, the studio also has an extensive client list, including Warner Bros., the Chicago Tribune, and Harpo Studios. Scott has taught bookbinding for many years, currently teaching an advanced bookbinding class for the MFA program in the Interdisciplinary Arts Department at Columbia College Chicago. Scott is a member of the Guild of Book Workers and Chicago’s Caxton Club.