About

The Colorado Calligraphers’ Guild was formed to promote the study, practice and appreciation of calligraphy in all its historical and present day applications, to encourage individual excellence and foster a deeper understanding of calligraphy.

A non-profit organization, the Guild elects officers and holds regular meetings to conduct its business.

Each year, the Guild sponsors one to two workshops. They can be online or in-person and are usually held on the weekends or at night. Workshops are fee based and members have priority registration and a discounted fee.

Programs are held monthly, both in-person and online. These one-to-two hour programs utilize the talents and knowledge of our Guild members, calligraphy instructors and related lettering arts. The programs are free to members.

The Guild occasionally sponsors juried and non-juried shows of members’ work.  It also actively encourages local business and institutions to sponsor calligraphy exhibitions.

• Free monthly programs
• Priority and discounted registration for all guild sponsored workshops
• Guild YouTube Channel link to view past programs and other events
• Member taught workshops and class listings publicized on website and social media sites
• Email updates of events and opportunities for calligraphers and books arts

The Colorado Calligraphers’ Guild was founded in 1978 by a small group of enthusiasts including Sandy Marvin who designed the guild’s logo. That fall David Ashley and Margaret Stookesberry joined at a lecture by James Hayes and have been on the board nearly every year since. Mr. Hayes, a noted Chicago calligrapher who retired to Colorado, served as mentor and teacher to the guild for many years.

The first workshop sponsored by the guild was taught by Jaki Svaren in 1979. She also juried the entries for the guild’s first exhibit which took place in Silver Plume.

Through the years, many talented calligraphy instructors have included Denver on their workshop circuit. In the fall of 1985, the guild sponsored an exhibit which combined works by these teachers with a juried member show entitled “Goosequills and Dovetails” at Foothills Art Center. The guild continued sponsoring an annual open show at Regis University for 26 years.

Members of the guild helped to facilitate the purchase of James Hayes’ important collection of books and art work by the University of Colorado. It is now housed in the rare books room in Boulder. The guild’s own library of books outgrew the librarian’s basement and is part of the Regis University Library collection. 

The guild continues to sponsor programs and workshops by local and nationally known calligraphers to provide quality instruction and inspiration to its members.