The only Artists' Book Fair in Wales! This will be the 2nd annual artists' book event in Newtown for book artists to sell their work. The venue is situated in Newtown, Powys, alongside the beautiful River Severn. There will be 20 tables available at the fair, which will run over the weekend of September 7/8 and will include some demonstrations and workshops.

 Artists making book forms, books made by artists, using text, image, stitch, fold, print, small press and zines are some of the wonderful works that we want on show at the 2nd annual artists' book fair in Wales.

Wales has many book artists and we want to showcase their work, as well as artists from further afield.

We want to encourage more visitors to this idyllic rural area to find out what artists' books can be and encourage them to get involved and learn about the different creative processes that make a great artist book.

There will be workshops hosted by Oriel Davies nearby, zine demonstrations, and other activities. The event will again coincide with the Newtown Food Festival, so there will be a lot going on!

About the Venue

The Wales Artists' Book Fair Llyfr Artistiad Cymru will be upstairs at Hafan yr Afon in Newtown. Hafan Yr Afon is a new community centre located on the bank of the river Severn, next to the back lane car park.

It is a green and welcoming gateway to Wales and next to the Oriel Davies Gallery, where we will have the space to host workshops. The room is spacious, has disability access, and is family and dog-friendly.

There is plenty of room to relax and a balcony overlooking the park.  A cafe is downstairs, which has wonderful cakes, tea, coffee and other savory snacks.  https://opennewtown.org.uk/hafan-yr-afon/

This year the event will again coincide with the Newtown Food Festival which will take place around the town hall grounds next to the venue. This should ensure a good crowd for the fair! https://www.newtownfoodfestival.org.uk/home

Criteria

The Artists' Book Fair will be open to individual artists, groups and small publishers who create high-quality artists' books or zines using print, textile, stitch, fold, or other paper-based techniques.

We will not accept mass-produced published works as we want to champion the art of the handmade book.

Please fill out the online form with as many details as possible with social media or website links.

Please include jpegs that are clear and of high standard so we can use them for publicity purposes if you are accepted.

Successful applicants will sell their work directly to the public with no commission fees. There will be workshop and demonstration opportunities, so please let me know if you would like to take part in these. Details will follow for successful applicants.

Stand prices and plan

There will be 20 tables available evenly placed around the room. Some will have space behind, let me know if you need extra space. The tables are small at 160 x 60 cm so keep this in mind when thinking about the display. Tables are only £30 per pitch for the 2 days.

Publicity

We will be printing leaflets which I will send out to you and distribute locally as well as banners and posters for the local area. I will try and contact as many local press/publicity organizations as I can.

I will advertise in Artists' Book Newsletter and other arts publications and inundating social media. Please follow @ffairllyfrcelf on Instagram to follow events of the fair!  I will make a small catalogue about all the exhibitore which will be given to visitors when they arrive.

Application process

Please fill out the application form and read all the details. Successful applicants will be notified shortly after the deadline and they will be instucted to pay by BACS or Paypal. An invoice will be sent with the bank details. 4 weeks before the event, we will send out any other information you need about directions, access needs and any other details.

On arrival, you will also receive an info pack with exhibitor badges, local event info and free coffee or tea.

Fair dates and times

Saturday and Sunday, 7th and 8th of September 2024. 

Artist arrival 9 - 9:30 am to set up. Fair open to the public 10 am to  4 pm. Sunday take down 4 to 5 pm.

For any other questions, contact the curator Amy Sterly via Curatorspace.