Call for Artists: Call and Response Book Collaboration
- shoeboxartsla
- Sep 15
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 20
Sign up Deadline: September 30, 2025
About Call and Response
Since 2020, Call and Response has connected over 500 artists across six continents through collaborative art-making. This international project pairs artists randomly to create work together through a back-and-forth exchange, building unexpected connections and fostering creative community across geographic and cultural boundaries.
Now we're taking this digital collaboration into the physical world for the first time.
The Project: Collaborative Book Art
Two artists. One book. Endless possibilities.
You'll be randomly paired with another artist to create a collaborative book together. This isn't about individual pieces—it's about true collaboration where your creative voices blend into something neither of you could have made alone.
How it works:
Partners decide together how to approach their collaboration
Some pairs will mail the physical book back and forth
Others will create pieces individually, photograph them, and combine at the end
Format, size, and binding style are entirely up to you and your partner
Timeline: 2-3 months to complete your collaboration
What is book art? Book art can be anything from altered existing books to handmade volumes, accordion books, sculptural books, or mixed media works. Photography, painting, collage, writing, printmaking—all mediums welcome. If you're new to book art, we'll provide resources and examples.
Exhibition
All collaborative books will be exhibited at the Start Up Art Fair in Venice Beach, California, February 28 - March 1, 2026. This is a selling exhibition where your work will be available for purchase. Sales will be split equally: 33% to each collaborating artist and 33% to Shoebox Arts.
Who Can Apply
Open to artists working in any medium, nationally and internationally.
We welcome both Call and Response veterans and newcomers. No experience with book art required—just willingness to collaborate and experiment.
Requirements
Free to participate (as always with Call and Response)
Must be available for the full collaboration period (October 2025 - January 2026)
Commit to working with your randomly assigned partner
Open to communication and compromise in collaborative process
Responsible for your own materials and shipping costs (if mailing work)
Must be able to have work in California by mid-February 2026
What We Provide
Random artist pairing
Basic guidelines and book art resources
Exhibition space at Start Up Art Fair
Marketing and promotional support
Community of artists supporting each other through the process
International Considerations
International artists welcome! Consider shipping costs and customs when deciding whether to mail physical books or use the photograph-and-print method. Many successful Call and Response collaborations have happened entirely through digital exchange of images.
Sign up Process
Complete the Google form by September 30 2025 to officially sign up:
Artist pairs will be announced in early October 2025.
About Shoebox Arts
Call and Response is a project of Shoebox Arts, a community-focused organization dedicated to supporting artists and creating accessible opportunities for creative collaboration and exhibition.
Questions? Contact shoeboxartsla@gmail.com
Ready to create something you've never made before with someone you've never met? Join us.
Examples of hand made art books by Nancy Kay Turner, Photo book unknown, Connie DK Lane and April Bey
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