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Hundreds of people from various states and countries met to share their appreciation for penmanship and to continue the centuries-old tradition when the International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers and Teachers of Handwriting (IAMPETH) hosted its 64th annual convention July 9-12 at the Hotel Albuquerque.
The event included classes taught by master penmen, meetings and a public open house. Harvest Crittenden, a master penman at the event, said it takes a long time to earn that title.
“(Potential master penmen) go through a several-year learning process, and then they have to get voted on by the existing master penmen before they are able to be inducted as one,” she said.
Crittenden became a master penman three years ago. Though it is an honor, the position comes with the responsibility to preserve the art form, she said.
Crittenden said she got her start in penmanship when she took a calligraphy class 20 years ago. After yearning to create art, she chose the class in hopes of paying for fewer supplies than are required by other art classes. She said she enjoyed the class and decided to continue these techniques through her work and by teaching.
“I was very fortunate to have a wonderful teacher, so I learned really good technique from the beginning and have been able to make a very good living at it,” she said.
Crittenden attends many conferences and teaches illumination on vellum, an art form that has been around since the late Middle Ages that involves grinding pigment, laying out gold and painting and lettering sacred texts.
“It’s gratifying to teach (others) to continue the process and know that it will be passed on and appreciated,” she said.
IAMPETH includes many apprentices who are looking to become master penmen one day, Crittenden said.
“They’re excited about (writing) by hand again, instead of everything being done by computers,” she said. “It’s so meditative and prayerful. It brings me much joy to share it.”
Crittenden said a deeper level of interaction occurs through writing by hand.
She said that interaction appeals to the young people in the group who may never have taken a handwriting class in school.
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Rosemary Buczek, another master penman who attended the convention, said she does most of her work creating corporate awards or accolades that are given for high honors. She said she uses her work to tell somebody’s story.
“I often think of the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who will (see the awards and) think of their grandfather,” she said.
Buczek doesn’t claim ownership of her calligraphy, however.
“I don’t see it as a lasting legacy of my work … it’s a legacy to that person being honored,” she said. “Much of my work honors someone.”
Every year Buczek assembles a book for the Association of the United States Army which is given to the people who have been selected for their services to the country. She took up the job after a friend retired from the position.
She said it is one of her favorite projects because of her ability to honor such service, and because of the work she does for it.
Initially, the book was plain, and Buczek decided she wanted to push the envelope and add artwork and make it more creative. She started out simple, and has been able to do finer work on it each year, in hopes to make it more memorable and improve her skills.
“(What motivates me is) the desire to do the best I can, to do it as perfectly as I humanly could,” Buczek said.
