CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: The Bookmark Project 2008: Insert (deadline Oct.10)

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS - DEADLINE EXTENDED TO OCTOBER 10, 2008

The Bookmark Project 2008: Insert
Part of FLEX… an ongoing program of site-works and interventions at the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre, organized by the Koffler Gallery of the Koffler Centre of the Arts


November 2 to 10, 2008
Reception: November 3, 6 – 8 PM
Guest Curator: Liya HyunJoo Choi
Held in conjunction with the 32nd Annual Jewish Book Fair
Leah Posluns Theatre Lobby, Bathurst Jewish Community Centre, 4588 Bathurst Street, Toronto

For the seventh year in a row, the Koffler Gallery is organizing The Bookmark Project, an intervention of artist-designed bookmarks concurrent with the annual Jewish Book Fair organized by the Koffler Centre of the Arts. This year's theme, Insert, explores the interplay between the reader and the bookmark in the act of reading. The reader inserts him/herself into a book, activating it with their emotions, memories, and thoughts. When the reader pauses, the act of inserting a bookmark tangibly signals a temporary exit while simultaneously indexing the point of re-entry into the text. As an insert, the bookmark becomes a place holder for the reader's hands, eyes, and thoughts, marking territory and preserving their intimate relationship with the book. Denoting the reader's absence, the bookmark's presence echoes their memory inside the book. Upon returning, the reader once again replaces the bookmark in order to immerse back into the text. The act of reading therefore proceeds in the continual interchange between the reader and the bookmark, initiated and sustained by the process of 'inserting'.

Both unique bookmarks and multiples created by fine art students and practicing artists will be introduced into the 8,000 books on display during the Koffler's 32nd Annual Jewish Book Fair held in the Leah Posluns Theatre Lobby at the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre, Toronto, November 2 to 10, 2008. The event draws an attendance of approximately 10,000. The bookmarks will also be on display in the Koffler Gallery showcase through November.

Bookmarks for the intervention should be functional and should not damage or scratch the books on display. Artists are requested to submit two original bookmarks: one for the public intervention that will not be returned, and one for display in the showcase. Artists whose bookmarks are selected for this project will receive a nominal artist fee, the amount of which is dependent on the number of participating artists. Fees will be issued by mail within 30 days of the close of the exhibition.

The Koffler Gallery is not responsible for the loss or damage of bookmarks submitted for consideration or those selected to participate in The Bookmark Project. The bookmarks will not be insured by the Koffler Gallery while on the Gallery's premises or in its keeping.
IMAGE AT TOP: The Bookmark Project 2007: Parallax, installation detail. Photo: Isaac Applebaum.

Deadline for submissions extended to October 10, 2008
Results will be announced shortly afterwards.


SUBMISSION FORM
The Bookmark Project 2008: Insert

Submission Form (Please complete a form for each entry):
Name:
Mailing Address:
City:
Postal Code:
Telephone:
Fax:
Email Address:

Please include:

A) A short written statement identifying the relationship of your bookmark to the project theme, the form and the function of the bookmark, and materials used;
B) An artist statement describing your practice;
C) A curriculum vitae detailing your education and exhibition history;
D) Recent reviews, where applicable; and
E) A self-addressed stamped envelope for the return of your submission.

Please note:

A) Bookmarks for the intervention should be functional, and not damage or scratch the books on display. Artists are requested to submit two original bookmarks, one for the intervention that will not be returned, and one for display in the showcase.
B) The Koffler Gallery is not responsible for the loss or damage of bookmarks submitted for consideration or those used during The Bookmark Project.
C) Bookmarks will not be insured by the Koffler Gallery while on the gallery's premises or in its keeping.

For more information, please see www.kofflerarts.org
or contact Liya HyunJoo Choi at bookmarkproject2008@gmail.com

Forward submissions by mail to:
The Bookmark Project 2008
Attention: Liya HyunJoo Choi
The Koffler Gallery
Koffler Centre of the Arts
4588 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario, M2R 1W6

Tel. (416) 636-1880 x268; Fax (416) 636-5813