The Versatility of Paper | Call Out EXTENDED to August 2023

Gravesend has a long history of papermaking and printing. Paper and print go hand in hand, making one wonder if print would ever have been invented had it not been for the existence of paper?

In the 1953 edition of The British Printer 1953, there was an article entry sent in by Bowater, who had a paper mill in Gravesend.

The Bowater 1953 competition for art students

The chairman and directors of the Bowater Paper Corporation are sponsoring a competition among the students attending art schools in the United Kingdom. Illustrations to be submitted are for the Bowater desk calendar for 1954.  Competitors are invited to illustrate The Versatility of Paper and its Importance in the World Today, and they can interpret this theme in any way they choose…

INVITE 70 YEARS ON... 

70 years on Fourth Portal, in collaboration with print artist-in-residence Dawn Cole, invites you to partake in The Versatility of Paper. Participants will be given a small piece of antique paper which they can use to make an artwork that celebrates the versatility of paper. The paper can be used to print, paint, pulp, sculpt, fold, engineer, play, shred, glue, and dye, in fact, the possibilities with paper are endless, The only rule is that the finished work must contain, in some way, the original piece of paper.

The paper will vary in size, weight, shape, colour and age. The only information that will be given will be the name of the mill, the weight, and the type of paper - if known. 

All works submitted will be shared online via the Fourth Portal website and form a new artwork incorporating all returned papers expressing the Versatility of Paper.  This will then be displayed within the Fourth Portal at a later date.  

This call is open to all ages

Deadline for return of paper, 26 July 2023

Drop off or send your work to Fourth Portal @ St Andrews Art Centre, 19 Royal Pier Road, Gravesend, Kent, DA12 2BD  please include your name, title of work and a brief statement about the piece.

If you are not able to collect a piece of paper in person, please send a stamped, self-addressed envelope (large enough to fit A5 size paper) to Fourth Portal @ St Andrews Art Centre, 19 Royal Pier Road, Gravesend, Kent, DA12 2BD  and we will pop a piece of paper in the post to you.

Deadline: 26 July 2023