The Book as Art v. 6.0: Pulp
Presented by the Decatur Arts Alliance
Decatur, Georgia

August 10–September 28, 2018

The Decatur Arts Alliance (DAA) presents the sixth edition of the juried exhibition of artists’ books, The Book as Art, August 10–September 28, 2018. 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 24, 2018.

Entries will be open April 5 – May 15, 2018 on callforentry.org.

V. 6 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

The Book as Art v. 6: Pulp’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 24, 2018. The library is planning programming and there will also be a White Glove Night connected to the closing party, 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:

Lisa Beth Robinson is the proprietor of Somnambulist Tango Press where she makes artists books, fine art, and collaborative chapbooks and broadsides. Her media include handmade paper, letterpress printing, linoleum carving, and fused glass. Robinson’s research focus includes colony collapse disorder, primarily as a metaphor for global sociopolitical acts, and her collaborative work with sculptor Kristin Thielking examines ocean health/conservation, wave science, and shipwrecks as a reflection of the human condition. She is extremely interested in the interconnectedness of things, particularly with regard to the environment. Robinson is an assistant professor at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Recently, institutions such as Emory University and the New York Public Library have purchased her work.

Stephanie Smith is an artist, printmaker, and educator. She earned her BFA from the Atlanta College of Art and an MFA with Distinction from the University of Georgia. Smith is a full-time Lecturer at the University of West Georgia where she teaches drawing, 2D design, printmaking, and book arts as well as serving as gallery director. In 2005 she co-founded the non-profit arts organization the Atlanta Printmakers Studio and served as president for five years. Smith has received numerous grants and awards, including artist residencies at the Hambidge Center for Creative Studies in Rabun Gap, Georgia, and in 2003 was awarded a KBFUS Cultural Exchange Grant and traveled to Belgium, Holland, and France. While in Belgium she was an artist in residence at the Frans Masereel Centrum. Her work can be found in many public and private collections and at www.StephanieSmithArt.com.

Cynthia Nourse Thompson is currently Associate Professor and Director of the graduate programs in Book Arts + Printmaking and Studio Arts at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has also been named Curator and Consulting Visual Arts Director for the Joy Pratt Markham Gallery at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Prior to this position, Thompson served as Associate Professor and Curator of Exhibitions at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She has an established reputation for exhibiting cutting edge, contemporary art. She also served for twelve years as Professor of Book, Print and Paper Arts at Memphis College of Art [MCA], Chair of the Fine Arts Department and Curator and Director of Visiting Artist Lectures.
     Thompson has also been visiting faculty at University of Georgia’s study abroad program in Cortona, Italy, as well as several others, and has been awarded numerous residencies. She earned her BFA in Printmaking from the Maryland Institute College of Art and her MFA from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. In addition to teaching and curating, previously Thompson worked at Dieu Donne Papermill, Harlan & Weaver Intaglio, and the Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Paper, now the Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions.

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 one accepted 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. 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 (optional) 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 5 – May 15, 2018, and all entries must be completed by midnight MST on May 15.

• 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 5, 2018.

• 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, June 27, 2018.

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. 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. (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 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

*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 of Entries

Notification of acceptance will be made by email only, to the email address provided on the application, no later than June 27, 2018. 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 10 through September 28, 2018, 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 2018 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 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 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. Twenty-two 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