The Decatur Arts Alliance (DAA) presents the fifth edition of the juried exhibition of artists’ books, The Book as Art, August 11–September 29, 2017. This edition will be installed once again at the Decatur Branch of the DeKalb County Public Library.  The show’s dates encompass the AJC-Decatur Book Festival, which takes place each Labor Day weekend throughout the City of Decatur. The DAA will sponsor a festive opening on Friday, August 25, 2017.

 Entries will be open April 15 – June 2, 2017 on callforentries.org.

V. 5 of The Book as Art again will emphasize the art form that can be a delight to the eye, a pleasure to the hand, and made tangible in forms that introduce us not only to new interpretations of an ancient concept but also to questions and ideas on 21st –century form and format.  This is an exhibition that has been described by critics as, “wildly eclectic” and finding “. . . new and often startling ways to reimagine not just the physical format of a book but also the ideological essence of the content.” (ArtsATL, “Year in Review”, December 31, 2014); with examples that “. . .push boundaries and challenge expectations in ways that are both startling and exhilarating.” (Jeff Stafford, Burnaway, “Art as Books, Books as Art”, August 25, 2014).

The Book as Art v. 5: Illuminated’s location at the Decatur Branch of the DeKalb County Public Library is just off the Decatur Square, ideally accessible to the more than 85,000 attendees at the Festival as well as to visitors throughout the run of the show.

We are interested in showcasing 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.

EVENTS
Several events are planned throughout the run of the show. The DAA will sponsor an opening and juror’s talk on August 25, 2017. The library is planning programming and there will also be sessions of White Glove Nights, when viewers can enjoy close-up examination of the artwork and hear selected artists discuss their work. We encourage exhibiting artists to attend these functions.

The Jurors:
Anne Beidler has been on the faculty of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia since 1992, where she is a Professor in the Department of Art and Art History. She teaches drawing, printmaking, artist bookmaking and an occasional first-year seminar. Her work has been selected for inclusion in exhibitions throughout the United States and internationally over the course of the last 30 years. In 2000, Beidler received the Southeastern College Art Conference, (SECAC) “Annual Award for Creative Achievement” at the mid-point in her career.  She has been a visiting artist and speaker at a number of colleges and universities including Rollins College in Florida, the University of Georgia-Cortona Program, Tulane University and Seoul Women’s University in Korea, and her work is in private and public collections and numerous print portfolios, most recently, “Where we have gone, before we go”, for the Southern Graphics Council International Conference 2017. Beidler served on the Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC) Board of Directors from 1996 through 2002, published an article on her creative work and process in the ASIANetwork Journal, Spring 2011, and has presented papers at numerous professional conferences including the College Art Association, the Asian Network Conference at Emory University, The Southeastern College Art Association, and the SGC International. 

Daniel Essig was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and studied at Southern Illinois University, Penland School and the University of Iowa. Nineteen years ago he moved to Asheville, North Carolina, where he has maintained a full time studio at Grovewood Gallery. He lectures and offers workshops at book centers, craft schools, colleges, and artist retreats, as well as privately. He has created wooden and sculptural books for more than 25 years.  He is a recipient of the North Carolina Artist Fellowship Grant. Essig exhibits his work nationally and is in numerous private and public collections. Recently his work has been collected by the Smithsonian Renwick Museum, University of California Santa Cruz, McHenry Library, Special Collections and the Topeka Public library. Many of his sculptural pieces are featured in The Penland Book of Handmade Books. 

John Risseeuw, Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University, taught book art, printmaking, and papermaking for 40 years. He founded the Pyracantha Press, the book art imprint of ASU, in 1982 and his own Cabbagehead Press in 1972. His prints, books, and collaborative works, many on handmade paper, have been shown in over 450 exhibitions in 26 countries and have been widely collected. The Library of Congress purchased an archive of his work on paper and all books from his Cabbagehead Press. He was founding president of the College Book Art Association, has chaired the board of Hand Papermaking magazine, and served the SGC International as conference organizer and Printmaker Emeritus. Research has included handmade paper from silk, sustainability issues in fine art print practices at the Centre for Fine Print Research in Bristol, England, and the analysis of metal printing type alloys using the Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) laboratory at ASU.

AWARDS
First Place Award -                                     $1000.00
Second Place Award -                                     $700.00
Third Place Award -                                     $500.00
Merit Award -                                                       $100.00

Purchase awards are being solicited. An online catalogue is anticipated.

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.

 AGREEMENT
Submitting an entry form to this exhibition through Call for Entries (www.callforentry.org) constitutes an agreement on the part of the artist with all conditions set forth in this prospectus. No work accepted for the exhibition may be withdrawn before the close of the exhibition. After acceptance, the artist cannot substitute another work for the accepted one or raise the sales price.                 

The Decatur Arts Alliance reserves the right to refuse to install any work that, upon arrival at the Library, differs markedly from the images submitted or that does not, for any reason, meet the exhibition’s standards of excellence.                 

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, and an online catalogue of the exhibition.

 LIABILITY
All reasonable precautions will be taken to ensure protection of submitted work upon receipt. Work will be insured for the duration of the exhibition. No liability can be assumed by the DAA during storage or by sponsors or personnel connected to the exhibition for damage incurred or loss of work while in transit. Artists are advised to arrange their own shipping insurance.

ELIGIBILITY
Artists are invited to enter original or 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, and names of all participating artists should be included in the statement or description of the work.

How to enter:
All entries will be submitted digitally through www.callforentry.org. (CaFÉ)
• If you have not registered previously with CaFÉ, setting up your portfolio is free of charge. There is a $30.00 charge for entering up to three items in this exhibition, with up to five images per item. After completing the entry information a credit card number will be required to confirm the entry process.  Participants may enter up to three pieces for one fee. The first entry will be paid by credit card, and entrants will use a coupon for second and third entries that are included in the entry fee. Directions for this process are included in the text of the entry forms.                  
• CaFÉ requires that all images conform to a specific format. The DAA encourages all entrants to review the instructions and tutorials for formatting images and entering before beginning the actual entry process.                 
• Entries will be active on the CaFÉ website April 15 – June 2, 2017, and all entries must be completed by midnight MST on June 2.
• Instructions for submitting entries to The Book as Art can be accessed through the CaFÉ home page (www.callforentry.org/) in the scrolling listings under CaFÉ Listings, as well as through this Call for Entries. Please follow directions carefully. The Call will be active on April 15, 2017.
• For technical assistance with your entry, please see www.callforentry.org/cafehelp.phtml, or contact cafe@westaf.org.
• For questions about exhibition guidelines, please contact admin@decaturartsalliance.org.
• Please retain a copy of the information you provide on the entry form.
• Notification of acceptance will be made via email no later than Wednesday, July 10, 2017.

Submissions will include the following:
• Contact information including mailing address, telephone number, email address, and website address (if applicable)
• Title of each 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 each work submitted for jurying. 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. (www.callforentry.org/image_prep.phtml#resources). *
• 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 numbered 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
*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.

Notification and Return of Entries
Notification of acceptance will be made by email only, to the email address provided on the application, no later than July 10, 2017. Instructions for shipment and retrieval of artwork will be included. Applicants not chosen will also be notified. No phone calls, please.                 

Images of accepted work will be retained by the DAA for archival purposes. The exhibition will hang from August 11 through September 29, 2017, in the Decatur Branch of the DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, Georgia.

The organizers:
Decatur Arts Alliance (DAA) is a nonprofit partnership of artists, business owners, residents and government dedicated to supporting and enhancing the arts in the City of Decatur. Founded in 1989, the Alliance sponsors the annual Decatur Arts Festival, is a founding sponsor of the AJC Decatur Book Festival, and in 2017 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; and helps make Decatur home to a strong arts community. The Decatur Arts Alliance is supported by membership, 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 is 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 Place:
The City of Decatur, Georgia is located just east of and adjacent to the city of Atlanta’s intown 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. Nineteen 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

Eligibility Criteria