Collage Publishing Workshop
A five-week, virtual/online workshop with Kolaj Institute in November & December 2023
Deadline: Sunday, 15 October 2023
Consider this: The book, not the gallery, is the best place to experience collage. This sentiment has broad implications for how collage artists work and how their work is received by an art world whose orientation is decidedly fixed on the gallery wall. Can the book provide for the functions that the exhibition has provided to artists for so long? Will the public accept a book as an experience of artwork or even as an object of art in and of itself? Unlike an exhibition where only original work is on display, a book depends on reproduction for its distribution. And if we now accept the book as on par with the exhibition, how does that affect how we think of the history of art publishing that has come before? These are the questions we seek to answer. As we will see, collage artists are not alone in this endeavor. Artists have been wrestling with how to make the book work for over a century, often returning to the same questions that we are asking.
In this five-week workshop, artists will turn a body of work or a project into a zine, art catalog, monograph, or book. We will explore different models of publishing and types of book projects. We will walk through the steps and support one another as we create publishing projects and prepare to put them out into the world. Artists will either develop a publishing project during the workshop or create a plan for one. While we acknowledge the book can be an art object in and of itself, the focus of this workshop will be on artists who want to create a publishing project that is mass-produced and distributed.
This workshop is part of Kolaj Institute’s Collage Books project, which began as a directory and resulted in the October 2019 symposium on The Book as a Place of Collage at Volume 2 MTL and a publication. So much of collage is experienced in printed, published form. Collage Books is Kolaj Institute’s tool for organizing, documenting, and cataloging books in which collage plays an important role. We take a broad view of collage books and include trade editions, art criticism, coffee table books, ‘zines, artist books, catalogs, and literary endeavors that feature collage.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
This call is open to collage artists of all backgrounds, nationalities, and levels of experience. We encourage emerging artists, as well as established practitioners, to apply. Applicants must demonstrate a strong commitment to their artistic practice, as well as a genuine interest in publishing a book project of their own.
COST
The cost of the workshop is $600 per artist; however, no artist will be turned away for lack of funds and the organizers will work with artists to build a financial aid package.
HOW TO APPLY
Submit your application HERE.
WORKSHOP LOGISTICS
Dates: 13 November-12 December 2023
SESSION DATES
Tuesday, November 14th, 4-6PM EST
Tuesday, November 21st, 4-6PM EST
Tuesday, November 28th, 4-6PM EST
Tuesday, December 5th, 4-6PM EST
Tuesday, December 12th, 4-6PM EST
The workshop will begin with an invitation to join the Slack workspace on Monday, 13 November, followed by an Introduction and Orientation on Tuesday, 14 November, 4-6PM EST. The remaining sessions will take place on the following four Tuesdays at 4-6PM EST.
Artists are expected to attend all scheduled sessions and complete assignments. Artists will either develop a publishing project during the workshop or create a plan for one. By participating in the workshop, artists grant Kolaj Institute, Kolaj Magazine, and Maison Kasini permission to publish images and texts created during the workshop in the promotion of the project. Any original work made during the workshop remains the property of the individual artists with all rights retained.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The submission process asks applicants for:
• Contact information
• Artist Bio (50-250 words)
• Statement of Artist Practice (50-300 words)
• 5-7 images of artwork
QUESTIONS
If you have questions, send an email.
FACULTY
Ric Kasini Kadour
Ric Kasini Kadour, a 2021 Andy Warhol Foundation for the Arts Curatorial Fellow, is a writer, artist, publisher, and cultural worker. Working with the Vermont Arts Council, Kadour curated four exhibits: “Connection: The Art of Coming Together” (2017) and Vermont Artists to Watch 2018, 2019 and 2020. In 2017, he curated “The Art of Winter” at S.P.A.C.E. Gallery in Burlington, Vermont. In 2018, Kadour curated “Revolutionary Paths: Critical Issues in Collage” at Antenna Gallery in New Orleans, which bought together collage artists whose work represents the potential for deeper inquiry and further curatorial exploration of the medium; followed in 2019 by “Cultural Deconstructions: Critical Issues in Collage” at LeMieux Galleries in New Orleans, which furthered the conversation; and “Amuse Bouche”, also at LeMieux Galleries in 2023. Since 2018, he has produced Kolaj Fest New Orleans, a multi-day festival & symposium about contemporary collage and its role in art, culture, and society. As Curator of Contemporary Art at Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh, Vermont in 2019 and 2020, he curated three exhibitions, “Rokeby Through the Lens” (May 19-June 16, 2019), “Structures” (August 24-October 27, 2019), and “Mending Fences: New Works by Carol MacDonald” (July 12-October 25, 2020). He also curated “Contemporary American Regionalism: Vermont Perspectives” (August 17-October 20, 2019); “Where the Sun Casts No Shadow: Postcards from the Creative Crossroads of Quito, Ecuador” (November 1-30, 2019); and “Many Americas” (August 20-November 27, 2022) in the Wilson Museum & Galleries at the Southern Vermont Arts Center. “The Money $how”, co-curated with Frank Juarez, was presented at the AIR Space Gallery at Saint Kate-The Arts Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (April 10-September 12, 2021). For Birr Vintage Week & Arts Festival in Birr, County Offaly, Ireland (August 13-20, 2021), he curated “Empty Columns Are a Place to Dream”, which traveled to the Knoxville Museum of Art in January-February 2022. At 516 ARTS in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Kadour co-curated with Alicia Inez Guzmàn two exhibitions: “Many Worlds Are Born” (February 19-May 14, 2022) and “Technologies of the Spirit” (June 11-September 3, 2022). In 2023 at the Knoxville Museum of Art, Kadour curated “Where the Sun Casts No Shadow: Postcards from the Creative Crossroads of Quito, Ecuador” (January 9-February 16, 2023) and “Mystical Landscape: Secrets of the Vale” (March 17-May 28, 2023), which will travel to A’ the Airts in Sanquhar, Scotland in September 2023. His short film, The Covenant of Schwitters’ Army, debuted at Collage on Screen during Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2023. Kadour is the editor and publisher of Kolaj Magazine. He has written for a number of galleries and his writing has appeared in Hyperallergic, OEI, Vermont Magazine, Seven Days, Seattle Weekly, Art New England (where he was the former Vermont editor) and many others. Kadour maintains an active art practice and his photography, collage, and sculpture have been exhibited in and are part of private collections in Australia, Europe and North America. In January-February 2020, he was artist-in-residence at MERZ Gallery in Sanquhar, Scotland. He holds a BA in Comparative Religion from the University of Vermont. Kadour splits his time between Montreal and New Orleans. www.rickasinikadour.com