[Cob] Call for book submissions

[Georgie Donais]

   Hello,
   Many of you know Kiko Denzer from his Make Your Own Earthen Oven book.
   He is currently working on a new and expanded version of another book
   of his called Dig Your Hands in the Dirt. I built a cob courtyard wall
   in a downtown Toronto park a couple of years ago, and since have been
   battling bureaucracy to finish the composting toilet I started in the
   same park. I am delighted to be involved with something as positive
   and cob-affirming as this book project.
   Please read the call for submissions below, and if you or anyone you
   know might have a project to tell us about, please contact me
   directly, or through the digyourhandsinthedirt.net website. Thank you!
   Georgie
   [1]www.cobinthepark.ca
    A call for submissions/participation:
    Artist/earth builders of all stripes and colors: To
   celebrate/encourage/inspire/publish/teach earth art in general, and
   community art in particular, Hand Print Press invites you to share
   your best (illustrated) stories for a public portfolio (and a
   beautiful book, and perhaps a traveling exhibit) of beautiful, varied,
   inspiring art made of mud, from near and far, by all kinds of
   experienced or beginners hands. If you have a story to tell (and
   stunning photos to share), please get in touch and help us inspire
   others to stand up for the earth under their own feet and to take the
   life of beauty into their own hands.

    In general, were looking for beautiful photos of beautiful (finished)
   work, as well as documentation of procedures and participants.
   However, equally important as the pictures are the stories that tell
   of deeper connections, realizations, and learning that become possible
   when people get into the mud. Why do many different kinds of people
   seem so easily to find beauty and joy in mud? Let us know your
   experiences and insights.

       The editor/coordinators of the project are Kiko Denzer and Georgie
   Donais. Kiko published a handful of such stories in a small book
   titled Dig Your Hands in the Dirt (Hand Print Press, 2005). This
   project is an expansion and elaboration of that book (sample copies
   available to potential participants at a deep discount:
   http://www.handprintpress.com). Georgie is an artist/builder who has
   been working on a variety of community mud projects at Dufferin Park
   in Toronto, Canada ([2] http://www.dufferinpark.ca). A new Dig Your
   Hands in the Dirt website is up at digyourhandsinthedirt.net, and were
   hoping to publish a physical book sometime in 2009.

   Kinds of art/mud projects were looking for:

     * Community art/building projects (all ages)
     * School/educational projects with kids (especially so-called at
       risk kids)
     * Inspiring stories of challenges met, lessons learned, beauties won
       (or lost), breakthrough insights, individual and community growth,
       AND, VERY IMPORTANT, illustrations of THE PRACTICAL ROLE OF ART IN
       COMMUNITIES.
     * Community oven projects (schools included/cross-referenced)
     * stupendous mud art projects of any other kind/description
       (visually stunning, solo or collaborative)

    details:

     * style: humble, practical, down to earth (i.e., based on actual
       experience and written for a broad audience of potential
       builder/artist/do-it-yourselfers of varied social, political, and
       spiritual backgrounds  the point is that anyone seeing the work
       should have a gut reaction along the lines of I could do that!)
       But do include your own personal perspective and understandings of
       the work and its significance.
     * length: long enough to tell the story; ideally, significant
       technical notes/details will be separate so that how-to info is
       easy to find.
     * number of photos: again, as many as it takes to tell the story and
       show off the work. More is better to start, as the project will
       begin as a website; editing will happen later as we get into book
       format
     * photo quality: should be good enough to reproduce in (paper) book
       format. Slides and prints are fine. If you need them returned,
       please include SASE. Electronic files are good, but please send
       original hi-res images on a CD, preferably with duplicate files at
       low resolution suitable for web reproduction
     * Links/recommendations for inclusion: please let us know of any
       related books/projects/sites/artists

    Fine print:

     * participation in the site constitutes permission to publish any
       submitted materials
     * participants will be entitled to order multiple copies of HPP
       titles at 50% discount (20% off non-HPP books carried by HPP);
       plus shipping.
     * participants will be invited to host a traveling display/exhibit
       as a way to share the beauty, encourage local
       growth/awareness/etc.
     * the site should be a resource for new beginners interested in
       finding local help for their own new projects
     * general participation, suggestions, encouragement, linkages,
       assistance are all welcome

References

   1. http://www.cobinthepark.ca/
   2. http://www.dufferinpark.ca/