Women's Book Art Collective
About: Too often women see their work in diminutive terms, as craft, or handicraft, or 'just fiddling around'. Much of their work is tucked away in drawers, 'not good enough' to be seen, let alone taken seriously as 'art'. The Women’s Book Art Collective (WoBoArCo) seeks to change that.
WoBoArCo is an open ongoing collective of women artists (artists who are, will be, or identify as women), each of who have responded to a call to create a small work of art in the form of an accordion pop-up book.
The artists receive a blank copy of the 8 page book and are told, "Fill it with whatever you want. The point is to play with what is at hand. 8 little scrappy bits of whatever you have lying around your studio. Partially finished ideas, unrealized sketches, parts of paintings that didn't make it..." Women complete the book, send it to ME!! as I am the collective’s curator. (Would you like a blank copy too? Read on to find out how to get YOUR hands on one!)
I then include the books in a travelling exhibition. As long as you’ve given me your email address, you will be notified by email each time your book will be included in an exhibit. Each book will be in at least two and possibly more exhibitions (depending on how many books are received and how many exhibitions there are).
When the exhibitions are done, your book will be returned to you (as long as you included a return address!
Exhibitions: The collection of books has been, or will be, exhibited at:
Warkworth Public Library, November 1 - December 12, 2018
Central Branch, Burlington Public Library, December 15, 2018 - February 10, 2019
Brampton Public Library, February 10 - April 17, 2019
Grimsby Public Art Gallery, April 27, 2019, as part of Wayzgoose!!
Peterborough Public Library, May 26 - August 1, 2019
Belleville Public Library, August 30 - October 18, 2019
Word on the Street 2019, Toronto Book and Magazine Festival, September 22, 2019
Espanola Fibre Festival, October 19 - 20, 2019
Italy and Holland Nov 1, 2019 - Feb 1, 2020 (tbd)
Grimsby Public Art Gallery, Wayzgoose, April 25, 2020
If you have a location that you feel would make a good place to exhibit WoBoArCo, please contact me.
Get Your Hands on a Blank Copy and Get Creative: If you are a woman (or will be, or identify as a woman) and you would like to participate too (and YES PLEASE!! I’d love your take on it), you can visit an exhibition and pick a copy up in person (along with the instructions). Or, if that’s not convenient, you can email me your mailing address and I’ll send you one!
I’ve got a blank copy, but I don’t remember what to do: Play! Play! Play!!! Fill it with 8 panels or images (or 12 if you want to go double sided). 8 little scrappy bits of whatever you have lying around your studio. Partially finished ideas, unrealized sketches, parts of paintings that didn't make it...
The point is to play with what is at hand. And the size makes this the perfect tiny vehicle to test out ideas! Any medium, any content, any style. It’s all up to you!
I’ve finished it, now what? Send it to: The Women’s Book Art Collective, 2860 10th Line E, Campbellford ON, K0L 1L0.
When is it due?
Books received by August 23, 2019 will be included in the exhibition at the Belleville Public Library. Books received by September 13, 2019 will be included in the exhibition at the Word on the Street. Books received by October 14, 2019 will be included in the Espanola Fibre Arts Festival. Books received by October 23, 2019 will be included in two exhibitions in Europe (in Italy and Holland, locations to be finalized). Books received by April 17, 2020 will be included in the Wayzgoose Book Arts Fair.
Here are some of the submissions I've received so far! (If you click on the photo, and then hover over it, you can see the name of the artist who created it!)
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