EXHIBITION THEME
Printed imagery, and sewn fibers, are a seemingly ancient combination. At their confluence there is pigment and pressure, woven layers, and borders sewn with fiber. There is color and also texture, form, intention, ingenuity, and many stories. Textile and print go hand in hand, and the combinations are constantly being reinvented. Printmakers often reference fiber and stitching, while textile artists/art quilters incorporate printed elements into their work.
California Society of Printmakers (CSP) and Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) are working together to examine the overlap between the hand pulled print, and the art quilt. This is a call for new work exploring work that is both printed and stitched.
Participation is open to members of both groups. There are no other restrictions in terms of theme or subject matter.
**Submission deadline extended to Dec 18, 2022
ELIGIBILITY / FEE
Artists must be CSP members OR SAQA members and membership must be current as of 2022/2023.
Eligible SAQA artists must be members of either the Northern California/Northern Nevada or Southern California/Southern Nevada region. Participation is open to SAQA artists for whom California/Nevada is their selected secondary region. See www.saqa.com for SAQA membership information.
Open to CSP Juried Artist Members. For information about membership in the California Society of Printmakers, see: https://www.caprintmakers.org/members/
$35 USD for up to 3 entries. Entry fee must be paid online before the entry deadline via a credit card or PayPal at www.saqa.com/fees.
ARTWORK REQUIREMENTS
Artwork must meet the SAQA definition of an art quilt AND the CSP definition of a fine art print:
The art quilt is a creative vision work that is layered and stitched or that references the form of stitched layered structure.
The fine art, hand-pulled print portion of submitted projects must employ some form of traditional printmaking technique, such as etching, lithography, relief printing, screenprinting, monoprint, and/or artist book techniques. Artists may use elements of digital printing to a lesser degree, so long as some hand printmaking is involved.
Size Requirements:
- The majority of works accepted into Printed & Stitched will be 2D wall art. The total size of submitted 2D work (including frame, if used) should be no less than 10” on any side and no more than 40” on any side.
- The exhibition will also accommodate a limited number of 3D works/book arts. For 3D work, maximum sizes should be less than 24” for any dimension. If the 3D work can be disassembled or will lay flat, the maximum dimensions can be 40” maximum on a side.
- Artwork included in Printed & Stitched must travel well. If framed, two dimensional works may have a maximum depth of 3”, and only plexiglass will be allowed. There must be no sharp or breakable objects attached to unframed work which may need to be rolled for shipping. Book art should arrive carefully boxed with specific display instructions.
All artwork must be for sale. Sold pieces will be available to buyers when the show closes at the last booked venue.
All art must be available through July 2027.
QUESTIONS?
For SAQA: Barbara Kibbe: hello@barbarakibbe.com (Northern California/Northern Nevada); Connie Rohman: crohman1@yahoo.com (Southern California/Southern Nevada)
For CSP: Kevin Harris: kharris252@sbcglobal.net; Kate Deak: kdeakcsp@gmail.com
Q: What does it mean for art to be printed AND stitched for this exhibition? A: As stated in the Call for Entry:
Artwork must meet the SAQA definition of an art quilt AND the CSP definition of a fine art print:
The art quilt is a creative vision work that is layered and stitched or that references the form of stitched layered structure.
The fine art, hand-pulled print may employ traditional printmaking techniques, such as etching, lithography, relief printing, and silk screen. It also includes hybrid prints, monoprints, elements of digital prints, and artist books, so long as some hand printmaking is involved.
Q: Does Cyanotype meet the criteria for a hand-pulled print?
A: Yes.
Q: Will etching or other original artwork that is scanned and digitally printed qualify?
A: The hand pulled print must be the predominant part of the piece. This applies to work originally hand printed then digitally printed onto another surface. If the Digital aspect dominates it is not hand pulled anymore.
Q: What about our own monoprints or screen printed fabric?
A: Yes, monoprints and screen prints both meet the definition of hand pulled prints.
Q: What about techniques like block printing, stamping and stenciling?
A: Block printing, stamping and stenciling are all acceptable printing techniques.
Q: Do we have to use fabric?
A: No. Paper and other woven or non-woven substrates - alone or in combination - are acceptable.
Q: What about marbling? And what if someone else does the marbling?
A: Marbling as a base for printing and stitching sounds really interesting though marbling is not a traditional printmaking approach. That said, we are artists and we will stretch the limits and the definitions of printing and stitching for this exhibition. And. collaborations are welcomed. If another artist contributes - through marbling or any other aspect of the printing or stitching, they should be named as a collaborator. All collaborators must be members of either CSP or SAQA.
Q: Can we use commercially printed fabric as a backdrop for our own prints?
A: Commercially printed fabrics can be incorporated into the overall design, but the hand-pulled print must be the predominant part of the piece.
Q: What is the minimum/maximum size for artwork submitted to Printed & Stitched?
A: The minimum size for submissions is 10” per side and the maximum is 40” per side. These size requirements include frames if the piece submitted will be framed.
Q: Who sets the price for artwork in Printed & Stitched?
A: The artist sets the sales price.
Q: What is the submission process and deadline for essays to be submitted? Has a word count been decided? Where does an essayist send it? Finally, would the author necessarily need to belong to CSP or SAQA? I was excited to share the request to a member of Central Oregon Writers Guild, who collects prints and has sewn quilts. She had these questions that I am passing on to you.
A: Our intent as curators was to invite select people to be essayists. We will, however, accept essay submissions, but we are not putting out a general call for them. If someone does want to submit an essay for consideration, the word count should be between 150 and 1,500 words. The essayist does not need to be part of either group but should be an expert or have some sort of experience, either professional or long-term, surrounding the subjects. Essays would need to be submitted by the end of December 2022. If you or someone you know is interested in submitting an essay, please get in touch with one of the Printed & Stitched curators.