About

Erica Ekrem weaves mini tapestries up the spines of journals, brings beauty to book layout, and catches poems that wander from curious and reverent spaces of the heart. Her favorite libraries are ones made of trees still breathing.

In 2003, Erica studied with Dr. Elsi Vassdal Ellis (Professor Emeritus in Design Production & Books Arts, WWU). From there, Erica joined the team at Bison Bookbinding & Letterpress in Bellingham, WA, as their in-house bookbinder. Since then, she’s been experimenting in book design and developing her voice through the integration of freeform weaving and patterning.

Erica's handcrafted journals have appeared in DesignSponge and Terrain: Proudly Made Series. She is author of internationally published Bound: Over 20 Artful Handmade Books (2015) and it's sequel Bound by Hand: Over 20 Beautifully Handcrafted Journals (2018). Her work has been featured in a number of international book arts anthologies. Erica’s signature piece, Book of the Sea (2011), is a clam shell bound into book form as an ode to the storied shores of the Salish Sea and was featured in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Paper Project.

Erica has facilitated skillshares at Sitka Center for Art & Ecology, Spirit Weavers Gathering, and Mercado Sagrado. She urges participants to contemplate impact, to honor those who have come before, and to choose environmentally-sustaining practices.

Erica is a Graphic and Visual Designer (B.A. Fairhaven College) devoted to storytelling projects that foster intimacy and reciprocity between people and land. She created visuals for the award-winning environmental films Survival Prayer (2013) and When Old Growth Ends (2016), as well as the oracular Can I Get A Witness (2022).

Rooted in work that values interconnectedness and ecological care, Erica serves as Co-Director, Art Director, and Board President at For The Wild (2015-present), Co-Founder of up and coming Sub Rosa Press (2022-present), and Publication Designer for non-profit organizations such as Loam (2021-present), NDN Collective, Kalliopeia Foundation, and other organizations and small businesses. For freelance and collaboration inquiries—erica@loombound.com.

She makes home in the Black Hills of So. Dakota.