The Griffin Museum recognizes the importance of photobooks. Distinct from the gallery aesthetic, photobooks offer their own visual language, often conducive to more narrative qualities and seriality than the standard on-the-wall format. We celebrate this form of artistry and want to see the photobooks our community is working on. Juried by Karen Davis, Curator and Co-owner of Davis Orton Gallery, and Crista Dix, Executive Director of the Griffin Museum, our 14th Annual Photobook exhibition will showcase 15-20 books in our Griffin Gallery during the summer of 2024. The call for entry will open March 1 and close April 3. Submissions will be held on CaFE.
Eligibility and Details:
Entrants may submit up to three different titles that are self-published photobooks of any size, format, or style.
Photobooks will be juried by their pages. They will be judged on the basis of: book design including page layouts, text, cover; strength of the photography; and emotional impact of the overall book. All judging is at the complete discretion of the gallery/museum and all decisions of the gallery/museum are final. Please include a page with a biography and artist statement with your entry. You will be able to submit up to 50 jpegs of the pages. Please title these as their page numbers to ensure we read the pages in order. There is also the option to add a PDF to you application, no larger than 2mb, if you require addition context or pages.
All Submissions must be original works of authorship created by the photographer who submits the Submission
By entering, Contestant warrants that your Submission does not infringe any third party’s rights, and that you have obtained any necessary permissions from any third party to submit the Submission.
Once entered, all Submissions are final; no changes or edits may be made to your book.
SUBMISSION FEE
The fee for submission of up to three books is $35.
Once selections are made, the winners will send one physical copy of the photobook to the Griffin Museum, to be displayed in the Griffin Gallery from July to August of 2024 (at the museum’s expense). Winners will be given the option to donate the copy to the Griffin Library Collection to remain on the shelves for posterity.
We look forward to seeing your work!
About the Jurors:
Karen Davis, Co-owner & Curator, Davis Orton Gallery.
Karen is a teacher, gallerist and photographer. For over 15 years she taught Photography Atelier, a portfolio development course in the Boston area at Radcliffe Institute, Lesley University and, most recently, at the Griffin Museum of Photography. She now teaches Portfolio Development and Marketing for Fine Art Photographers and The Self Published Photobook Workshop ONLINE for the Griffin Museum of Photography.
Karen is co-owner and curator of the Davis Orton Gallery. She has been an invited reviewer of portfolios at the New England Portfolio Reviews, Photolucida in Portland OR, FotoFest in Houston TX and Critical Mass (online/Photolucida) and Magenta Foundation’s Fence project.
Her photographs are in the collections of the CPW, Kingston NY, the Lishui Museum of Photography (China), and the Houghton Rare Books Library, Harvard University, and can be seen at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA).
Karen is a Critical Mass finalist and recipient of the CPW Artists Fellowship Award. Her word/image book, Still Stepping: A Family Portrait, was published in 2020. A second edition (2022) is available at The Spotty Dog Bookstore in Hudson, Inquiring Mind Bookstore in Saugerties NY, and the Davis Orton Gallery website. Her photographs, photobooks and artist books have appeared in solo and featured exhibits throughout the country.
Crista Dix, Executive Director, Griffin Museum
Crista Dix has spent the last two decades as part of and surrounded by the creative community of photography, serving as the executive director of the Griffin Museum of Photography and previously as the owner of Wall Space Creative. With a passion for visual storytelling, Dix has dedicated her career to promoting and curating photographic artistry. Her tenure at Wall Space Creative, which had locations in Seattle and Santa Barbara, showcased emerging and established photographers, fostering dialogue and appreciation for the medium. As the executive director of the Griffin Museum of Photography, located in Winchester, Massachusetts, Dix continues to elevate photographic narratives, offering a platform for diverse voices and perspectives within the art form. With a keen eye for innovation and a commitment to fostering community engagement, Dix’s leadership continues to shape the landscape of contemporary photography, inspiring artists and enthusiasts alike. Ms. Dix has written essays about photography, introducing creative artists work to a broader community. She has been a member of numerous panels and discussions on the craft of photography, juried creative competitions and has participated in major portfolio reviews across the country in cities like Houston, Portland, Los Angeles, Santa Fe and New Orleans.
