The Book as Art V. 11: Myth & Magic is the eleventh edition of an art show celebrating books: objects that, in an increasingly digital world, stubbornly survive. 

Humans possess a fundamental attraction to stories and storytelling. Folktales, fairy tales, and myths are foundational narratives that bridge the secular and the spiritual and merge the factual with the fantastical. 

Art can challenge and disturb, restore peace and calm, uplift and inspire. Myths and magic transport us and bind us together in the world of imagination.  

The objects in this exhibition will interpret the concept of the book and invite the viewer to look beyond the printed page to where ideas, words, and symbols are transformed and are transfigured. Artists are challenged to look inward and outward, to interpret classical myths and tales, to explore and expose modern myths and myth-making, and to create new, magical tales.             

The Book as Art series seeks to showcase beautifully made volumes, sculptural and conceptual interpretations, and one-of-a-kind approaches to the book format. We also encourage artists to submit wall-hung interpretations.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we realize that shipping artwork may take longer than expected, be more expensive than planned, or may not be accessible to some artists at this time. We welcome international artists to submit works for consideration, but encourage awareness of the potential for added complications to the entry process. 

EVENTS

Several events are planned throughout the run of the show. The Georgia Center for the Book inaugurated a series of artist talks and discussions in 2020 that will be continued in 2023. Through these presentations, artists were able to talk in depth about their books, and lead us on virtual tours through their volumes. You can review these presentations at bookasart.com, and on the Georgia Center for the Book’s YouTube channel. We encourage exhibiting artists to volunteer for these opportunities to showcase their work.

SALE OF ART
Sales are encouraged. The DAA handles all sales and collects a 25% commission on all artwork sold as a result of this exhibition. All artwork for sale must be priced by the artist and so stated in the online entry. Please be sure to include the 25% commission for the DAA in your price. The Georgia sales tax will be added at the point of sale.

AWARDS
First Place Award -                                     $1000.00
Second Place Award -                                  $700.00
Third Place Award -                                      $500.00

The Jurors:
Macy Chadwick is a book artist, letterpress printer, and Director of In Cahoots Residency. She received an MFA in Book Arts and Printmaking from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and assisted book artist Julie Chen at Flying Fish Press in Berkeley for three years. After fifteen years of teaching at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco Art Institute, and San Francisco Center for the Book, Macy moved to Petaluma, California, where she is the founder and director of In Cahoots Residency. The residency provides housing and studio space to both emerging and professional artists with a focus on artists books, letterpress, printmaking, writing, and collaboration. Macy continues to create books and limited edition prints in her letterpress studio and her work is in prominent collections in the U.S. and abroad, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Yale University Special Collections, and the Jack Ginsberg Collection in South Africa. Her work can be seen on macychadwick.com, and on Instagram @in_cahoots_press and @incahootsresidency.

Tatana Kellner’s work is rooted in social issues. She has exhibited in numerous venues across USA, Canada and Europe, and she has had over 50 solo exhibitions. Recently, her work was selected for inclusion in Hunterdon Museum, Art Alive Gallery (Delhi, India), Ringling School of Art, the Everson Museum, University of Albany Museum, Dorsky Museum, CEPA Gallery, Kentler International Drawing Space, Collar Works, New York Public Library, among many others. Kellner is a co-founder and past artistic director of Women’s Studio Workshop. In 2021 she was inducted into the Hall of Champions, North American Hand Papermakers. Kellner is a recipient of numerous grants and awards, including the Pollock Krasner Foundation, The Creative Climate Award, the Puffin Foundation, Photographer’s Fund Award (CPW), New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowships, and many others. Kellner has been awarded fellowship residencies at The MacDowell, Yaddo, Banff Centre for the Arts, Light Work, Visual Studies Workshop, Saltonstall, I-Park, Millay Arts, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Artpark, Blue Mountain Center, Jentel, Fundación Valparaiso, Bogliasco Foundation, Siena Art Institute, Ucross, Haystack and Ragdale Foundation. She was born in the Czech Republic and immigrated to the USA in 1969.

Eileen Wallace is a Senior Lecturer in Printmaking and Book Arts at the University of Georgia where she teaches courses in hand papermaking, book arts, and letterpress printing. She is a former resident artist at Penland School of Craft and has taught workshops at Penland, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and at other venues across the country. Eileen is a co-director emeritus of the Paper & Book Intensive (PBI) and has been a board member of Hand Papermaking Magazine. She curated the book Masters: Book Arts published by Lark Books.

The Organizers:
Decatur Arts Alliance (DAA) connects residents, businesses, tourists, and artists to increase arts access and engagement in the city of Decatur, GA. Founded in 1989, the nonprofit produces the annual Decatur Arts Festival, numerous city-wide public art programs, and in 2023 continues the success of The Book as Art that began as an event of the book festival. The DAA provides a collaborative environment to coordinate the interests of artists, gallery owners, theater groups, dance groups and performance venues within the city - helping to make Decatur home to a strong arts community. The Decatur Arts Alliance is supported by membership and sponsorship, along with proceeds from the Decatur Arts Festival and the Decatur Wine Festival. To contact the Decatur Arts Alliance call 404-371-9583, email admin@decaturartsalliance.org, or visit www.decaturartsalliance.org.

The Decatur Branch of the DeKalb County Public Library and the Georgia Center for the Book are located at 215 Sycamore Street, Decatur, Georgia 30030. For information, visit http://dekalblibrary.org/branches/deca, and http://dekalblibrary.org/, or call 404-370-3070.

The Location:
The City of Decatur, Georgia is located just east of and adjacent to the city of Atlanta’s in-town communities and near the metro area suburbs. With more than 200 shops and restaurants in commercial districts around the Square and in historic Oakhurst Village, Decatur is a popular shopping, dining, entertainment, and arts destination. Twenty-four thousand residents live in Decatur’s quiet, tree-lined neighborhoods and downtown condominiums, and as the DeKalb County seat, this thriving commercial community is the epicenter of county business. www.Decaturga.com

Application Requirements

HOW TO ENTER:
All entries will be submitted digitally through www.callforentry.org (CaFÉ).

All entries are to be submitted digitally through www.callforentry.org (CaFÉ). Please retain a copy of the information you provide on the entry form. 

If you have not registered previously with CaFÉ, setting up your portfolio is free. Artists may submit to The Book as Art three entries for one fee of $30. Each artwork, which may include up to five images, must be submitted on a separate entry form. After completing the entry information, a credit card number or PayPal account will be required to confirm the entry process for the first submission.

Please note: The first entry will be paid by credit card or PayPal.  Second and third entries (optional) will use a coupon code in lieu of a fee per instructions on the CaFÉ website.

Entries will be active on the CaFÉ website beginning April 26, 2023, and must be completed by 11:59PM MDT on June 18, 2023.

Each entry will receive the jury’s decision in a separate email, via CaFÉ, no later than Friday, July 21, 2023. It is the artist’s responsibility to monitor his/her CaFÉ account where all submissions will be listed and marked either invited or not under “My CaFÉ Entries.”

Applicants should keep a record of each artwork's application number, as this identifier will be used to announce the accepted works. Please retain a copy of the information you provide on the entry form.

CaFÉ requires that all images conform to a specific format. Before you begin the entry process, review CaFÉ’s instructions and tutorials.

For technical assistance with your entry, please see https://www.callforentry.org/cafehelp.phtml, or contact cafe@westaf.org. 

For questions about exhibition guidelines, please contact bookart@decaturartsalliance.org.

EACH SUBMISSION MUST INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

• Contact information including mailing address, telephone number, email address, and website address (if applicable)

• Title of work submitted and year the work was completed

• Brief statement about the work. This may include descriptive material. Limit to 75 words.

• Up to five images of the work submitted for jurying. The five images may include one video. If the work is in standard book format, it must include an image of the book closed and one of the book opened. If applicable, it should include an image of how the work is presented. Other detailed images are optional, but all submitted images must be formatted to the specifications outlined on the CaFÉ website. (https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/uploading-media/). *

*By submitting images of your work, you give permission to the Decatur Arts Alliance to use the images for publicity in the organizations’ websites, digital publications, press releases, DAA publications (both print and electronic), and an online catalogue of the exhibition.

• Information on size of the edition (i.e., whether this is a one-of-a-kind piece or one of a limited edition)

• Image list titled to correspond to the portfolio images submitted. Please include full photography credits as well as title, dimensions, and description of each work.

• Presentation/installation requirements for the work submitted, including any special fixtures required.

NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE
Notification of acceptance will be made by email only, to the email address provided on the application, no later than Friday, July 21, 2023. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to confirm the correct corresponding application number, if multiple applications were submitted.  Applicants not chosen will also be notified. No phone calls, please. Images of accepted work will be retained by the DAA for archival purposes.

Shipped artwork must be received by Friday, August 25, 2023. In-person drop-off days are tentatively set for Friday, August 18, and Monday, August 21, 2023 .

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY
Artists are invited to enter original, limited edition original, or altered books. Participating items will be selected from submitted entries by a panel of three jurors on the basis of creative excellence and quality of execution. All works must be the work of the entering artist. Collaborative projects are eligible, with the names of all participating artists included in the statement or description of the work.