Winners announced in SCU Acquisitive Artists' Book Award

Winners of the Southern Cross University Acquisitive Artists' Book Award have been announced, with seven artists taking the honours including SCU visual arts students and recent graduates.

Winners were announced at the official opening of the Southern Cross University Acquisitive Artists' Book Award exhibition at SCU's NEXT Gallery on August 18.

Judge for the awards was artist Alex Selenitsch, senior lecturer in architecture at the University of Melbourne, freelance artist, poet, critic and publisher of artists' books. Former SCU Librarian Alison Ransome officially opened the exhibition.

The seven works selected by Mr Selenitsch will join the SCU Artists' Book Collection held in the Manning Clark Room at SCU's Library. This year works to the value of $2000 were acquired. The SCU Artists' Book Collection came into existence seven years ago.

Mr Selenitsch said while he felt he could have selected many more than seven works as winners, he felt strongly the seven selected stood together well as a group.

"I am aware of the purpose of the acquisition and feel that these works will make a strong contribution to the collection of artists' books at SCU," he said.

"I looked for a range of what artists' books are actually about and what they explore. These seven works cover a variety of styles — handmade and mass produced; a Xerox-type creation contrasting with a work by a visual artist and poet; different bindings and sizes; some works are commercial looking and others more one-off. They cover a huge range."

Artists' books are unique art objects — not books about art or artists. They use the book form as a crucial element to create a new work. They are created with the intention of viewer participation or 'reading', so the structure and 'reader' interaction are integrally linked.

The winners of the SCU Acquisitive Artists' Book Award are: Deidre Brollo with an untitled work; Tommaso Durante with "Terra Australis"; Courtney-Ann Griffiths with "A Recipe for Making Matches"; Patrick Jones with "Words and Things"; Noel McKenna with "Maps of Australia Drawn by Eighteen Year-5 Boys"; Scott Trevelyan with "Temporary Australian"; and Normana Wight and Anne Kirker with "As It Is".

The 2005 SCU Acquisitive Artists' Book Award attracted about 70 entries from all eastern states and Western Australia. The 2006 award is expected to be open to international entrants.
Entries in the award now go on display at SCU's NEXT Gallery.

Curator of the exhibition and coordinator of NEXT Gallery Shelagh Morgan said artists' books were a relatively new and growing art form.

"SCU's development of and commitment to an annual award will contribute to a better understanding of the art form. This exhibition program at SCU will ultimately result in a collection of national significance. I understand SCU's exhibition is the first acquisitive art award dedicated solely to the collection of artists' books in Australia," she said.

Ms Morgan said the current SCU Acquisitive Artists' Book Award was a rich visual experience with works ranging from intimate to robust, from whimsical to political, from tiny to not-so-tiny.

The exhibition is at SCU's NEXT Gallery until September 1. The Gallery, located in Goodman Plaza, is open Monday to Thursday from 11am to 4pm. For exhibition enquiries contact the gallery on 66269421.