Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) is pleased to announce the selection of four recipients for Series X of the MCBA Jerome Foundation Book Arts Fellowships:

Bethany Kalk, artist and art educator at Minneapolis College of Art and Design
A careful exploration of nature takes shape in Kalk’s proposed bookwork. From one specific spot on the bank of the Mississippi River, she will document the landscape as well as found minutiae in drawings, paintings and video. These representations will be reproduced through digital printing and screenprinting, then combined with text (documentary and/or commissioned site-specific poetry) in a hand-bound bookwork produced in an edition of 15. Original paintings, drawings and video will accompany the book in exhibition.

Anna King, printmaking artist
King plans to create a bound collection of lore and lessons around urban agriculture, specifically the raising of poultry in urban neighborhoods, in two editions: a fine press limited edition, and a commercially-produced edition for free distribution. King’s studies in folklore and history bring to this project a desire to document these traditions, as well as to disseminate information to increase interest in the practice as a sustainable small-scale alternative to factory farming.

Cecilia Ramón, artist and art educator at University of Minnesota–Duluth
Ramón’s proposal explores the sense of “self” in various spiritual and philosophical contexts from ancient to modern. These explorations will take shape as three one-of-a-kind sculptural books in paper, vellum and wood, each interpreting the poem "I am not I / Yo no soy Yo" by Spanish poet Juan Ramón Jimenez, recipient of the 1956 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Joanne Price, wood engraver and printmaking artist
Combining old and new technologies through hand-carved wood engravings, metal type and polymer plate letterpress printing, Price’s proposal explores fantasy and narrative. An interest in fairy tales and folktales led her to select The Palm Tree Story, a traditional Columbian tale, as source material for her proposed book, entirely hand-printed and produced in two editions: a hand-bound letterpress-printed pamphlet edition, and a deluxe portfolio edition housed in a box.

Three jurors, reflecting diverse perspectives and considerable expertise, reviewed 28 applications and selected the four recipients. Jurors were: Laurel Bradley, Director of Exhibitions and curator of the College Art Collection at Carleton College, Northfield; Joyce Lyon, Associate Professor of painting and drawing at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities; and Maria Santiago, Professor of fine arts at College of Visual Arts, St. Paul. With generous funding from the Jerome Foundation and technical guidance from MCBA, the Fellowship recipients will develop their independent projects throughout the coming year. The program will culminate in a group exhibition at MCBA, opening in November 2010.

Since 1985 the Jerome Foundation has helped emerging artists push the boundaries of contemporary book arts by supporting the creation of new book works. Under the previous nine series of fellowships, Minnesota artists of diverse disciplines -- including printers, papermakers, binders, painters, sculptors, poets, photographers, essayists and others -- have created projects ranging from exquisitely crafted fine press volumes to documented performances to one-of-a-kind installations that “break the bindings” and redefine conventional notions of book form and content.

 

About the Fellowship Program

The fellowship program is open to artists of all disciplines interested in exploring the book form. Fellowship recipients will receive project funding, studio and equipment use, artistic support from MCBA staff and artists, and a one-year MCBA membership. Recipients have one year to complete the proposed work, which will be featured at MCBA in a culminating exhibition. Recipients will also give public presentations relating to their work.

Applications must be submitted by an "emerging" artist or team thereof. An emerging artist is generally defined as an artist who shows significant potential, yet has not achieved a commensurate amount of professional recognition regardless of age or recognition in other fields. MCBA and the Jerome Foundation reserve the right to review and determine any applicant's status as emerging or established.

Minnesota residency must be maintained during the entire program.

You are NOT eligible for this fellowship if you are:

• a student pursuing a degree, full-time or part-time.
• an MCBA artist-in-residence or staff member.
• a Book Arts Fellowship recipient in the prior funding cycle.
• a two-time prior Book Arts Fellowship recipient.
• an established artist in any field or discipline.

 

If you have any questions about the fellowships or the application process, please contact Jeff Rathermel, MCBA Artistic Director, by phone at 612.215.2526 or by email at jrathermel@mnbookarts.org.