Preserving cultural and personal heritage through historical and contemporary book art practices in Portland, Oregon.

above: drop-spine “clamshell” box with built-in cradle, housing an oversized rare book, created for Tulane University Special Collections, New Orleans, LA

below: business card box with hinged lid, letterpress printed cards with custom illustration by Sara White

About me:

My name is Sara White, and I make and repair books and paper-based works from my home studio in Portland, Oregon. Alluvium Press & Bindery aims to support cultural and personal heritage by offering custom box-making services, book repair and conservation, and small batch letterpress printing and design. I value working sustainably, reusing and preserving materials when possible, and rather than solely working with Rare Books (though I do love them), I enjoy working with collections that hold meaning to community members for reasons beyond their monetary value.

My training:

I earned an MFA in Book Arts in 2016 at The University of Alabama, where I studied bookbinding and repair, letterpress printing, papermaking, book history, and contemporary artist books. I taught bookbinding courses at Florida State University during a year-long residency with Small Craft Advisory Press in Tallahassee, FL (2015-16) and worked as a library conservation professional with Loyola University New Orleans Special Collections & Archives (2016-19), The Notarial Archives of New Orleans (2016-17), The National World War II Museum (2019), and Tulane University Libraries (2019-21) before moving to Portland, OR, where my current local clients include the Multnomah County Public Library and Textile Hive.

Get in touch:

In addition to conservation and repair services, I love to collaborate on creative projects and welcome inquiries to work together on chapbooks, broadsides, illustrations, and community events in the book arts. Email me with questions or to say hello!