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For Immediate Release
August 15, 2022
WASHINGTON — On August 27, Museum of the Bible will host the first-ever Bible Craftsmanship Conference.
The Society of Bible Craftsmanship (SoBC) celebrates beauty, creativity, and innovation in Bible publishing. The Society’s mission is to nurture and highlight excellence in the industry and help the general reader discover and appreciate all that goes into the finest examples of Bible craftsmanship—in all languages and media.
Sponsored by Tyndale House and Cambridge University Press, the one-day event will include design-focused tours of the museum’s collections, expert speakers, and the official introduction of the Society of Bible Craftsmanship.
The steering committee of the Society of Bible Craftsmanship includes Dr. Jeffrey Kloha, chief curatorial officer of Museum of the Bible; J. Mark Bertrand, Bible design author and creator of Lectio; and Klaus E. Krogh, president and CEO of 2K/DENMARK.
“The Bible is the most important book ever to be published,” said Kloha. “It is also one of the most challenging in terms of design and production. The innovation displayed in meeting these challenges is at an all-time high, and the society will showcase the best examples in Bible publishing today.”
A central task of the society is to gather and exhibit new Bible publications from around the world. The society's awards program will recognize the finest work in a broad range of categories, with winners exhibited at Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC.
"The knowledge of the craftsmanship of 2,000 years of handwritten Bibles and 500 years of printed Bibles is exciting in itself," said Krogh, President of the Society of Bible Craftsmanship, "Still, it is only when this knowledge becomes an active design foundation for today's craftsmen that we ensure future Bibles also present Scripture readably, functionally, and with gentle authority."
In partnership with publishers and industry professionals, the society will host events and virtual seminars through Museum of the Bible to explore every aspect of craftsmanship, illuminating the work of translators and editors, designers and typographers, printers and bookbinders, and many others.
“We are living in a golden age of Bible publishing,” said Bertrand, chair of the Society’s Awards Committee. “The landscape has never been more exciting, and the Society of Bible Craftsmanship aims to raise awareness of the work of Bible craftsmen, encouraging professionals in the industry and recognizing excellence in the field.”
Tickets to the Bible Craftsmanship Conference are available here.