Become an Exhibitor
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
MAIN GALLERY
About the Call: Main Gallery
The WNY Book Arts Centers is pleased to announce our first annual call for submissions for a solo exhibition in our Main Gallery. We invite New York residing artists to submit proposals for an upcoming exhibition in November 2020. The exhibition will take place during our annual fundraising gala – an event that historically hosts 200+ individuals – providing great exposure in the Western New York area for emerging artists.
Though we accept submissions from everyone, we encourage indigenous, people of color, women, and LGBTQ2+ people to apply. We are especially looking for work or projects that are completed or nearing completion.
Book Arts will provide promotional materials and support for the exhibition, and offers a $400 stipend to assist with shipping and production costs. Artists will keep 70% of works sold, with Book Arts retaining a 30% commission. Additionally, we supply hand-crafted show pamphlets (printed on one of our mid-century Vandercooks), as well as documentation of the exhibition.
Please contact our curator Kate at press@wnybookarts.org with any questions.
How to Apply
Applicants must submit the following in a single PDF document.
- Artist Statement – 250 words max
- Artist Biography – 100 words max
- Exhibition Proposal – 500 words max. Please address how you intend to use the space available. Your supporting images should reflect your proposal.
- Resume or CV – limit to 3 pages
- Supporting Images – 10-15 images. Each image should have it’s own slide, with a description below explaining the year, medium, title, and dimensions. Works in progress should be indicated as such. Videos should be linked to a hosting site, such as vimeo or youtube.
Please email your submissions to press@wnybookarts.org with the subject line “2020 Main Gallery Submission.”
Eligibility
- Artists should reside in New York state.
- Submissions should reflect work with an emphasis or focus in the book arts. This includes, but is not limited to, papermaking, artists books and book binding, printmaking, and letterpress. Please see our Curatorial Statement below.
- Artists should be able to deliver a workshop, artist talk, or demonstration that accompanies their exhibition (to be held on a date after the opening).
- Artists who have had a solo exhibition at Book Arts within the past three years (2017-2019) are not eligible to apply.
Deadline:
Submissions must be received by Tuesday, February 18th at Midnight, EST. Notifications will be sent out the first week of March.
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
STUDIO GALLERY
About the Call: Studio Gallery
The WNY Book Arts Center is pleased to formally introduce our Studio Gallery and announce our first call for submissions. The Studio Gallery lives in our lower-level studio, which houses our family of antique letterpresses, a wide collection of metal and wood type, an intaglio press, and our screen-printing studio. This gallery is a space for our members, volunteers, and interns to highlight the discoveries and creative explorations they produced in-house.
We invite Book Arts Members, volunteers, and interns to submit proposals for an upcoming exhibition in 2020. Though all book arts related work is encouraged, we are particularly interested in work that has been produced in the studio at Book Arts. Openings in the Studio Gallery will take place alongside our Main Gallery exhibitions. We are currently looking for proposals for the following time slots:
March 13 – April 11
April 24 – May 9
July 24 – August 22 (this will take place during our Annual Members’ Exhibition)
September 25 – October 24
November 6 – December 5
Book Arts will provide limited assistance for installation in terms of supplies, materials and labor. Artists are responsible for promoting their exhibition; the opening will take place alongside our main exhibition schedule to boost exposure. Artists will keep 70% of works sold, with Book Arts retaining a 30% commission.
Please note, the Studio Gallery is 25’ in length, and can comfortably house works up to 36” in height.
Please contact our curator Kate at press@wnybookarts.org with any questions.
How to Apply
Please email your submissions to press@wnybookarts.org with the subject line “2020 Studio Gallery Submission.” Applicants must submit the following in a single PDF document:
- Artist Statement – 100 words max
- Artist Biography – 100 words max. Please use this space to specify your relationship with Book Arts (eg. how long you have been a volunteer/member, when you were an intern, etc.)
- Exhibition Proposal – 250 words max. Address how you intend to use the space available. Your supporting images should reflect your proposal. Please indicate your preferred time slots (see above).
- Resume or CV – limit to 3 pages
- Supporting Images – Up to 10 images. Each image should have it’s own slide, with a description below explaining the year, medium, title, and dimensions. Works in progress should be indicated as such. Videos should be linked to a hosting site, such as vimeo or youtube.
Artist Eligibility
- Artists should be Book Arts Members, Volunteers, or recent Interns.
- Submissions should reflect work with an emphasis or focus in the book arts. This includes, but is not limited to, papermaking, artists books and book binding, printmaking, and letterpress. Please see our Curatorial Statement below.
- A portion of the work submitted should have been developed in the studio at Book Arts.
- Artists should be available to install and uninstall their own work. Book Arts will be able to provide limited assistance.
Deadline
Submissions must be received by Thursday, February 11th at Midnight, EST. Notifications will be sent out the last week of February.
CURATORIAL STATEMENT
The galleries at the WNY Book Arts Center showcase contemporary explorations in the creative practice of the book arts. They are spaces that seek to promote, question, and advance on-going definitions of bookbinding, printmaking, papermaking, and more.
By providing an inclusive environment that fosters growth and development, our exhibitions serve as an entry point for our diverse community to learn and critically engage with this expansive medium. For everyone from newcomers to seasoned professionals, crafters to critics, our galleries create a site where artists and spectators alike enable the future of the book as art.