Barry Morentz owns and operates his Manhattan studio where he creates calligraphic works and hand-made books, boxes, and portfolios. He holds an MA in Medieval History, but abandoned pursuit of a doctorate in favor of an even less likely career in calligraphy. Initially self-taught, he began his formal calligraphic studies, primarily with Sheila Waters, in 1977, and eventually with
almost every internationally recognized master. A seminal experience was
participation in the Hermann Zapf Master Class at Rochester Institute of Technology in 1985, and subsequent paleographic studies in Rome and
the Vatican Library. He has taught numerous workshops throughout the US, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, and at five international
Calligraphy Conferences.