Another opportunity to exhibit

This notice came my way and I said I'd let others know.

Cover to Cover

t h e    a r t    o f    b o o k s

Expression of interest to exhibit artwork

The Moreton Bay Regional Council would like to invite you

to participate in an exhibition on the art of books  to be held at the

Bribie Island Seaside Museum

The works will be on exhibition from Thu, 4 Oct – Sun, 2 Dec 2012

Requirements:

1. As we are restricted in space the artwork/s will need to be selected

2. From each participant MBRC would need the following

·      Please include image of artwork/s you would like to display

·      Bio/CV

·      Indication of artwork is for sale

·      Full description of artwork/s

·      Weight/ dimensions of item –  as MBRC will pay for return postage

·      Indicate if artworks can be handled with gloves or are not to be touched

(MBRC will provide gloves for those that are allowed to be handled)

·      Insurance value of artwork/s

·      Special handling requirements

The above details need to be sent to the curator by 17 August 2012

Artists will be notified of selection by 31 August 2012

3. It has to be your own work

4. There is no restriction on when the artwork was created

5. All binding structures and designs will be considered

For more information please contact the curator

Leonie Meyer

Venue Supervisor

Bribie Island Seaside Museum

Community Services Arts & Heritage

Moreton Bay Regional Council

Ph: (07) 3408 0007 Mon - Fri 8-4pm

email: Leonie.Meyer@moretonbay.qld.gov.au

Postal Address:

Attn - Leonie Meyer

Moreton Bay Regional Council

PO Box 159

CABOOLTURE QLD

When I returned yesterday from a month away, this was waiting in the mailbox. It is Alicia's "Overboard," a small meander book made from a covered old journal page enclosed in a re-shapeable boat. Everything about it charms me: the way each of us can shape the boat to our own vision, the idea of setting afloat our possibly outworn ideas, the permeability of it all, the way a meander moves much like our emotions. One of my strongest beliefs is that the work of art is made at the intersection between the maker, the receiver and the materials. This makes that manifest. Thanks, Alicia

Interview on ABC With One of Our Authors.

I've just had an email from Alison alerting me to an upcoming author interview and I thought I'd post it here, in case some of you (Australians) don't know. For others, I think ABC does have on-line repeats. Worth looking at http://www.abc.net.au/

There is an interview with Jeanette Winterson by Jennifer Byrne on ABC Sunday week I THINK as missed the date so keep the ears peeled for it.

Love the drawings too.

Ali

Meeting in Real Life

Amy (Groups 7 and 12) contacted me a few weeks ago to say that she would be visiting my town in the rural northwestern part of California. Would I like to meet her? This was quite a surprise, since I live 6 hours north of San Francisco and not exactly in an easily accessible part of the state. Amy lives in Southern California. 

Me (Ellen), Michele and Amy

There is one other BAO member who lives here in Humboldt County, Michele who, of all things, is also in Group 7 with Amy. So we decided to have a BAO bookie get-together at my studio. Michele brought her prototype for her edition (I don't want to give away any secrets... but it's tantalizing). And I showed the prototype for my Group 6 book, which I'm now working on. We all talked about our ideas for our books and how we got to be making books in general. The fog was rolling in through the redwoods, making it particularly atmospheric. It was a wonderful BAO-inspired afternoon that went by all too quickly. 

Me (Ellen) providing entertainment as I puzzle over my new-ish
 tripod and getting the shutter delay to work.

--Ellen, Groups 6 and 10

Another opportunity but short notice

Artisan Books in Fitzroy is holding another exhibition of Artist books this August, You can view past exhibitions on their website. I have pasted the first part of the conditions of entry here but please contact Daniel at Artisan Books for the full conditions. Email artisan@alphalink.com.au  Sorry about the short notice, images and statements need to be emailed by this coming Saturday.

The Exhibition will be held at Artisan Books, 159 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, from 11^th of August until the 8^th of September 2012.

The Exhibition Holder is Artisan Books.

Exhibitors may submit 1 book. To be included in the exhibition and the online catalogue each exhibitor must EMAIL a digital image (8cm high x 7cm wide, JPEG, with their name as the title) of their piece, photographed on a white background, a list of materials used and an emailed 20 word statement about the piece, by no later than July 21^st, 2012.

Size limit, H 30cm. W 30cm. D 30cm.

Cover and text block must be the work of the exhibitor/s. 

Collaborative works are acceptable. 

All books must come with the title, name, address and telephone number of the exhibitor, materials used and price written on the labels at the bottom of this sheet.

Entry fee      1 book = $20

Cheques or postal orders should be made payable to Artisan Books and entry form and entry fees sent to Artisan Books, 159 Gertrude St. Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065, no later than August 4^th, 2012.  Late entry forms will not be accepted.  Please enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope if a receipt is required.

Books to be delivered or posted to Artisan Books, 159 Gertrude St. Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065 by August 4^th 2012.  Late deliveries will not be accepted.

After the exhibition, books will be available for collection at Artisan Books or by post or courier at the exhibitors’ expense.  Work must be picked up within 2 weeks of the conclusion of the exhibition. If work is to be posted or couriered, include prepaid courier slip or correct postage for return of work.

Books must be for sale.  There is a commission of 25% of the retail price.  (Which is the wholesale price plus 33.33%)

Now that I know everyone in Group 7 has received my book, I am posting the explanation sheet I included in each package, and some images of the work. I had such a good time that, glutton for punishment that I am, I am musing on having books as well as prints in my next show. 

(Enclosure)

As a printmaker, I’ve never been drawn to exact multiples, preferring to explore the variations on a theme that print methods allow. Each book in this varied edition is unique because of the hand-made nature of all the elements. Well . . .except that the text of poem and colophon is printed on my home printer.

The paper is an aged Yamato Chiri—the small inclusions are different in each sheet. I wanted a paper that conveyed a sense of history in its look and feel, that would fold easily and print with sensitivity. Whatever is printed on the paper shows through to the other side, a trait that suits my theme. History, both personal and cultural, shows through us all. And personal experience contributes to history.

The backs of the books are printed one at a time on an etching press, with various grid-patterned materials. All the images and the title panel are soft lino, relief-printed by hand. The ink is Akua; it is soy-based and water-washable, as close to non-toxic as one can find.

Though each book has the same layout, no two have the same palette; that includes the text which compliments the colours of the imagery.

This has been a labour of love, and I still feel excited every time I unfold a book and stand it up. 

On behalf of Gene Epstein...

Gene Epstein from Group 7 gave me permission to include part of an email she wrote me, which includes some background on the edition she produced for her title, Delicate. (She mentioned that she isn't very comfortable with going such things on the computer.) I have also included a few photos I took of the copy I received from her.

I have been experimenting with folded book sculptures for several years. Last year I rescued a carload of 80 year old Chinese books that were destined for recycling, and have been exploring ways to use them as sculpture. I chose that one to duplicate because it seemed easiest to mail, plus it was a favorite of one of my artist friend.

So, thank you very much to Gene. You did a lovely job of expressing the concept of 'delicate'...

The 'cover'

The folded pages

Side view showing the pages delicately fluttering

Updated information about Edition Four

Just to let you know that if you click on the "Edition Four" page, scroll to the bottom and click on the "HERE" button you will now be taken to an up-to-date list of which titles have been taken, by whom, and to which group they belong!  It's only taken me a few months to do, but never mind...

Thank you for your patience!  Sara

A bit of BAO promotion

Hello from the (cold, wet) 2012 Sturt Winter School in Mittagong, NSW,  where Ronnie and I are freezing our butts off teaching Calligraphy (sorry, Text in Art) and The Complete Book (ie book arts bindings) respectively.

Yes, my poet friend Rosemary Dobson died last week at the ripe age of 92 after a long happy life, and yesterday I drove back to Canberra for her funeral and then back to Mittagong again in time to give a talk to the Winter School in general (each afternoon there is a lecture program featuring the tutors). It was a long day, but very worth it.

I talked about YOU. And you, and you. Yes, about the whole Book Art Object project, and hello to anyone who is reading this blog because of my talk. You are very welcome.

I started from the beginning, which meant that I talked up the fact that it all started here at Sturt after Sara Bowen brought up her fabulous idea in my 2009 Sturt Winter School class. That is something for the Sturt staff and supporters to feel proud about.

I showed pictures along with the various texts and also a selection of the books for edition 4 that have been finished to date. There were a few people interested in joining to select from the leftover titles!

Ronnie sat in the audience and helped me out with dates and the sorts of details that my overloaded brain never retains. I also had a selection of the various project books out on a table and talked up Sara so that she gets some students for her 2013 class at the Summer School. 

Ronnie also gave a talk today about her practice (accidentally: she'd meant to do a general Text in Art survey but we discovered at the 11th hour that she hadn't saved it to her thumb-drive -- DOH) and it was terrific. She even quoted poetry from memory at the end.

So here's a wave from us and lots of encouragement to anyone who was there to jump in to the project... the water's fine!

Rosemary Dobson 1920 - 2012

I was saddened to read on Caren Florance's blog of the death of Australian poet Rosemary Dobson on June 27th, at the age of 92.  She has a special place in the history of BookArtObject as she was the first author to allow us to use one of her texts as the starting point for Edition One, "Learning Absence" 1986.  Eight members of BookArtObject made artists' books in response to that poem, kicking off the collective, the way in which we collaborate, and a strong body of contemporary book arts work.  Caren knew Rosemary Dobson well and wrote a lovely post which you can read here, and an obituary also appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, here.


Photo from the SMH Obituary, by Kate Callas

News update - our first BookArtObject exhibition!

Hello again!  I've had a wee break from blogging recently, partly due to the annoying fact that I have to use Firefox to access Blogger now and my poor little laptop doesn't like it.  Anyway, never mind, it's been good to catch up and read all your news.

I've got some news for you, too, which is that Sarah Bodman (lovely author of An Exercise for Kurt Johannessen, from whence we have our story titles, and general all-round book-arts-goddess) will be displaying sundry BookArtObject books in the Tom Trusky display cases at the University of the West of England, UK, in March next year.  Hooray!  Our very first dedicated BAO exhibition, in the home of the Impact international multi-disciplinary printmaking/book arts conference.  Thank you Sarah!

And given how many of you are close to finishing, I'd like to remind you to please send your author copy to ME as I am collecting them up to send to Sarah Bodman in one go, at the end of this year.  Additionally it gives me the chance to sneak a peak at your books and catalogue them which, since BookArtObject is becoming better known, is a GOOD THING.  So please send them off to me, and if you don't have my address either ask your group co-ordinator or send me an email.  Many thanks.

Give away at Barnacle Goose

I don't know how relevant this will be to BAO folk but I am giving away a copy of Michael DeMeng's assemblage art book Dusty Diablos. I accidentally bought two copies! Beautifully illustrated with Michael's art works, it has provided me with ideas for unusual (ie weird) book covers.

If you are interested, please leave a comment at www.barnaclegoose.com
I'll draw a winner on Sunday 30 July.

Best of luck to everyone with their BAO editions, I hope to join you again perhaps next year.
Carol