International

In January 2022, Kolaj Institute issued a call to artists for a Poetry & Collage Residency and received so many excellent responses that we organized a series of three residencies. In the residencies, we challenged artists to move beyond taxonomical debates. Ric Kasini Kadour said, “What is a poem? We do not need to have a singular answer to that question. Individually we must each answer that question for ourselves. In practice, every poem we make will be an example of what a poem is. In considering other people’s work, we should ask ourselves, How is this a poem?” During the residencies, artists interrogated each other’s artwork, collaborated, and shared ideas. And at the end of it, they sent us more page spreads than could fit into a single book. Impressed and moved by the volume and quality of cultural output and a deep belief that this practice, however you want to describe it, at the intersection of collage and poetry deserves a platform, we decided to create a new journal dedicated to it. 

PoetryXCollage is a printed journal of artwork and writing that operates at the intersection of poetry and collage. We are interested in found poetry, blackout poetry, collage poems, haikus, centos, response collages, response poems, word scrambles, concrete poetry, scatter collage poems, and other poems and artwork that inhabit this world.

After releasing several volumes of the journal and opening an ongoing call for submissions, we are returning to this residency program as a way to help artists develop their ideas, explore the intersection of collage and poetry, collaborate and form community, and prepare submissions for the journal. This project-driven residency is open to artists and poets.

Kolaj Institute Coordinator, Christopher Kurts will co-lead the residency with artist, poet, and writer, Jennifer Roche. Together they will guide artists in collaborative activities, research and discussion, and understanding the technical needs of design and layout necessary to submit page spreads to the PoetryXCollage Journal. Ric Kasini Kadour will talk about artist practice, the book as a place for collage, and how Kolaj Institute works to diffuse collage and poetry. Rod T. Boyer creates art and poetry under the moniker our thomas, exploring themes of redemption, mystery, and transformation. In Kolaj #32, his article, “Mind the Gap,” explored how collage and haiku share similar mechanisms of juxtaposition and disjunction. He will speak to these themes during the residency.

In four virtual meetings over the course of the month (see schedule below) and through ongoing, online discussion, artists will leave the residency with a deeper understanding of the intersection of collage and poetry. Individual participants will each be invited to create and submit 3-5 page spreads to the PoetryXCollage Journal.

Read the full Call to Artists to apply: https://kolajmagazine.com/content/content/calls-for-artists/call-to-artists-poetry-collage-residency-2024/

The artist’s and writer’s call for the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Future issue is now open.  

Abstractions are all around us. Ideas can be abstract; existing as an idea, feeling or quality but not having a tangible existence. Some conversations can be abstract, vague and theoretical and not based on particular examples or facts. And of course, there is abstract art which evokes feelings without trying to realistically represent the appearance of people or things. Abstract art, like poetry, offers a fragment of a mysteriously familiar narrative without directly revealing it in a realistic way. Reveal your most ABSTRACT thoughts.

ArtAscent is a theme-based publication and online exhibition that showcases artists and writers from around the world practising a broad range of skills, including painting, illustration, photography, mixed media, ceramics, sculpture, textile, jewelry, printmaking, digital graphics, fashion, film, video, installation, performance, story writing and poetry writing.  

The selected artists and writers, up to 40, will be published in our print and digital magazine and the two-year online exhibition, as well as receive a free digital copy of the magazine. Four will also receive a feature section with a profile written about them. All benefit from professional portfolio presentation to art lovers and engage our readers through our social media, website, and print and digital issues. ArtAscent provides the opportunity for the voices and visions of writers and artists to be shared in a professional and accessible platform.

ArtAscent presents up to 100 high-level designed pages printed on premium-quality paper. This magazine issue is curated editorial content with no outside commercial ads.

Entries may include all art mediums that can be represented in 2D and written explorations of up to 1,800 words. We love diversity. Submissions must be the original work of the applicant(s). Creatives featured in the past can apply again with other works not previously published in ArtAscent. HOW TO APPLY: Apply using the online application form on our website. Application fees help cover costs such as design, writing, administration and artist promotion. NOTIFICATION: Notification is made by email to subscribers of the ArtAscent newsletter.