Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z0piGVYXVc

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv8fsF4ZVPg

And yet again, BookOpolis was an awe-inspiring event of art and people! Over 200 visitors enjoyed this fabulous 2-day event showcasing book arts, posters and prints. A video of this year’s festivities, a mini-doc, will be available for viewing soon.

The Annual Purchase Award was presented to Elsi Vssdal-Ellis of EVE Press, Bellingham, WA, for her book entitled, Fever of Matter [2]: Do Not Blame Pandora. In her words, “This book is a reaction to VanDeMark’s Pandora’s Keepers: Nine Men and the Atomic Bomb. His transformation of Pandora into the atomic bomb really irked me. Rather than focus upon the “nine brilliant men” who were responsible for the creation of the first two atomic bombs it [my book] focuses upon defending Pandora. Between the frames of the exploding atom bomb it simply assigns the true responsibility for the bomb to them.”

If you’d like to see the rest of the Curator’s Selection, a collection of 36 pieces from the entire group of 101 entries, you can view it on-line at Picasa Web, or view it up-close, in-person, at BookWorks Gallery through November 27th, 2011.

In addition, a full-color catalog of BookOpolis 2011 featuring artist statements and nine extra images of books from the Small Book Edition, entitled, Parallax, is available for sale.

As part of the BookOpolis weekend festivities, Sept. 23, there will be 40+ posters by Amos Kennedy on display at BookWorks. In addition, visitors will be delighted by a special screening of Proceed and Be Bold, a film about Amos Kennedy by Laura Zinger / 20K films. The film will be projected outdoors, larger than life, against our building wall.  The screening will commence at dusk, around 7:30, following the drawing for this year’s Small Book Edition, we’ll begin the screening. No Fee for attending any of the BookOpolis weekend activities. Anyone interested in viewing the film in it’s entirety in the comfort of your own home, you can stream it for 1.99. You can also view the trailer on YouTube.

How far would you go for your one true love? Would you give up all of your earthly possessions, your job, and your family? What if your one true love was a printing press…

At 40 years of age, Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. abandoned the traditional American Dream to follow his own. Unsatisfied with his comfortable, middle-class life, Amos traded in his computer for a printing press and his white collar for a pair of overalls. Armed with life, liberty, peanuts, and a meager yearly income of $7,000, Amos cranked out a new, mutinous declaration of independence.

Proceed and Be Bold! Join Amos for a titillating retelling of his story, while examining the pretensions and provisions of the art world. The work of this self-proclaimed “Humble Negro Printer” raises emotionally-charged questions and reveals remarkable depth beneath the bold print. By learning the rules and then choosing to break them, Amos redefines what life (and letterpress printing) can be: exhilarating and subversive.

His provocative sense of humor seeps out of every word he speaks and his radical philosophies on the American consciousness (or unconsciousness) will awaken any listless bystander. After experiencing Amos’ humble journey, you’ll never look at your middle class life the same way again.

Plan to send your BookOpolis entries the week of August 29 – September 2, 2011. We’re looking forward to celebrating 7 years of BookOpolis and want to showcase your print and book arts. All work will be exhibited BookOpolis weekend, September 23 / 24. Eileen Wallace will select from the entire group of entries to create a special collection of the best of the best to remain on display through November 28, 2011.

Send your best bookwork or printwork created in the past two years. Letterpress, Fine Press, Zines, Sculptural Books, Pop-ups, Prints and more…

Prospectus and Entry form can be found on the BookOpolis Page of the BookWorks website, just scroll to the bottom of the post.

Opening Reception and Awards
Friday, September 23, 2011
6:00-9:00 pm

Open House and Demonstrations
Saturday, September 24, 2011
1:00-5:00 pm

CALL FOR ENTRIES – Entries for BookOpolis are due at BookWorks the week of August 29 through September 2. See the Prospectus and Entry Form BELOW for details.

BookOpolis, in its seventh year, showcases the contemporary book arts & original prints. BookOpolis is a weekend event displayed in the BookWorks Gallery and walls of the BookWorks studio. The weekend opens with a grand reception and unveiling on Friday evening. With permission of the artist, work may be handled with care under supervision of BookWorks staff and volunteers. On Saturday BookOpolis remains on view with an open house demonstrating the unique tools of the trade associated with papermaking, letterpress printing, book binding, and printmaking. Visitors can meeting with artists and participate in guided projects. After the BookOpolis weekend, a selection of work juried from the full submission of artists’ books and prints will remain on display in the BookWorks Gallery through November 28, 2011. It is called the Capital Works Show.

The BookOpolis 2011 juror is Eileen Wallace.

Eileen Wallace is a letterpress printer and book artist specializing in custom printing and bookbinding. In addition to maintaining a private studio, she teaches workshops across the country and is currently Visiting Assistant Professor in Printmaking and Book Arts at the University of Georgia. She is on the board of directors of Hand Papermaking magazine and has been a co-director of the Paper and Book Intensive since 1995. She recently curated the book Masters: Book Arts, available soon from Lark Books. Her permanent home is Chillicothe, Ohio, where she assists in maintaining the archives and studio of renowned papermaking scholar Dard Hunter and recently co-curated “The Artist’s Hand: Dard Hunter and the American Arts and Crafts Movement”, an exhibition held at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio in Lancaster. Wallace holds a MFA in Book Arts from the University of Alabama and is a former Resident Artist at Penland School of Crafts.

BookOpolis began in 2004 as the inaugural event for Asheville BookWorks and has become a signature annual event showcasing Book Arts. BookOpolis has introduced Book Arts, Letterpress and Print to many people. Artists send their BEST work to BookOpolis, work that best integrates Concept and Craft; merging content and ideas with creative use of materials, inventive construction and techniques. The first year, BookOpolis exhibited 60 entries and the next year it rose to 80 and 2009 and 2010 saw well over 100 entries. Artists’ Books and Prints arrive for BookOpolis from all across the United States and beyond, we’ve exhibited books from Canada, England, Mexico and Australia. Opening night features the raffle of the Small Book Exchange, the annual project of the BookWorks Co-op. Proceeds support BookWorks Artist-in Residence program. Tickets for the raffle can be purchased at the studio beginning in July until the drawing. With the addition, in 2010, of BookWorks Gallery, we are able to keep a juried selection of the BookOpolis entries on display for an extended period.

Please click here to download a Prospectus and here for a printable Entry Form.

Many thanks, Laurie Corral, Director