The Book As Art V.13: Exhibition (Decatur, GA) – Call For Artists
[Side Arts Certified Sponsored Listing] Decatur Arts Alliance announces a call for artists for The Book As Art V.13: Mixed Messages, a juried exhibition.
International artists of all mediums may apply for the exhibition, which will be installed in the newly renovated Fourth Floor Gallery at the Decatur Branch of the DeKalb County Public Library, home to the Georgia Center for the Book.
The Book As Art series seeks to showcase beautifully made volumes, sculptural, and conceptual interpretations, as well as one-of-a-kind approaches to the book format and wall-hung interpretations.
Click here for the application / registration
Enter by: 16 June 2025
There is an application fee of $30, with which artists may submit up to 3 pieces for consideration. Each work requires its own unique application, but a coupon code is provided in the application instructions that permits 2 additional submissions without charge. For each application, artists are required to include 1 – 5 images of the submitted artwork and/or may include 1 video.
The Book As Art V.13: Mixed Messages is the thirteenth edition of an art show celebrating books: objects that, in an increasingly digital world, stubbornly survive. The objects in this exhibition should interpret the concept of the book and invite the viewer to look beyond the printed page to where ideas, words, and symbols are transformed and transfigured. Artists are challenged to embrace the dualities and paradoxes of communication—to celebrate the static and the shifting, the familiar and the foreign, the clear and the cryptic.
“Mixed Messages” draws on the layered complexities of language, saying one thing but meaning another. In a world inundated with myriad ways to communicate and connect, messages are muddled, signals crossed, and meanings distorted. Ambiguity is the native tongue of nuance. The book, as both object and idea, holds space for these contradictions.
The Book as Art is an annual showcase that’s made possible through partnership between the Decatur Arts Alliance, the Dekalb County Public Library, and the Georgia Center for the Book. Located in Downtown Decatur, Georgia, the exhibition is accessible to the greater Atlanta community and a free art experience for local residents and tourists.
The Book As Art Awards
- Best of Show: $1,000
- Gold Award: $700
- Silver Award: $500
Purchase awards totaling $2,500 are selected by the City of Decatur for inclusion in its public art collection. Local universities and institutions regularly purchase work from this exhibition.
Sales are encouraged. The Decatur Arts Alliance handles all sales and collects a 25% commission on all artwork sold as a result of this exhibition. All artwork for sale must be priced by the artist and so stated in the entry. Please be sure to include the 25% commission for the Decatur Arts Alliance in your price. The 8% Georgia sales tax will be added at the point of sale. Sales from the Fine Art Exhibition have increased each year and works from the exhibition have been added to private, corporate, and non-profit collections.
About Decatur Arts Alliance
Since its founding in 1989, the Decatur Arts Alliance has continually expanded its impact. Today, the 501(c)3 nonprofit brings a full- spectrum arts experience to the community every day through outdoor installations, live music, art events and festivals, community classes, and exhibitions – deliberately available at no/low cost to the public. The Decatur Arts Alliance works to connect residents, businesses, tourists, and artists to increase arts access and engagement. The organization is committed to ensuring equitable opportunities for emerging and established artists of diverse experiences and backgrounds, and to producing work that is impactful for a broad range of community members.
For more information, contact info@decaturartsalliance.org
