Call for Submissions: Exploring Handmade and DIY Aesthetics with ‘A Handmade Assembly’

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A Handmade Assembly

About: A Handmade Assembly originated in response to an increased interest in the handmade, deskilling, and DIY aesthetics that emerged in contemporary art practices near the beginning of the decade. The topic continues to appeal to artists exploring the extraordinary potential of craft processes, materials, and techniques, both for their capacity to speak directly and viscerally and for their political and historical potency.

For its tenth and final iteration, the long-running programme will be re-envisioned as an ambitious, bilingual book project that parlays nine years’ worth of inquiry into a comprehensive volume, with the goal of providing a multi-faceted view of the role of the handmade in contemporary art, while also extending these discussions to a new format.

Submissions: A Handmade Assembly has always encompassed a wide range of artistic practices and areas of research, including photography, performance, mending practices, food culture, collage, printmaking, flower arranging, and the intersection of new technologies with traditional craft approaches. A Handmade Assembly invite artists working in all disciplines to consider how the broad theme of the “handmade” might translate to a project on the printed page. Artists may document existing projects or produce new works. They encourage play within the format of the book, including handmade tactile elements, instructional works, creative writing, printed cut-outs, pull-out and tipped-in materials (bearing in mind cost, labour and edition size), etc.

Submission Format for Artists:

Please submit the following materials via WeTransfer to [email protected] with the subject heading: A Handmade Assembly

  • One-page (max.) description of the proposed project and the themes addressed
  • Up to 10 images of past work
  • Descriptions for each image including: title, date, materials, dimensions, etc.
  • A brief biography (250 words)
  • A brief artist statement (250 words)
  • Curriculum vitae (max. 3 pages), including contact information.

We encourage applications from IBPOC, LGBTQ2S+, disabled, and neuro-diverse artists.

Pay: Artists will be paid fees consistent with the current CARFAC fee schedule.

Deadlines: Submit your work via WeTransfer to [email protected] by January 5, 2021.