Banned Book Open Call:
We want to borrow YOUR favorite copies of banned books each with a hand-written note about why this text or this edition matters to you. You may submit multiple books and ALL books will be returned after the show. We are hoping to have several copies of the books and to be able to make sculptural piles of them, as a kind of local data set of our communities’ reading preferences. The texts will be displayed for people to read – please look in your bookshelf and participate!
What books are being banned and where?
CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF BANNED BOOKS (Harper’s Index of Banned Books in the USA)
Make sure your name is in your book. Write us a note, wrap both, and write ”De-Circulated/Gallery” on the exterior wrapper along with your name and contact information.
Please write clearly.
Books can be dropped 24/7 in our secure book drop located in our doorway, or mailed to us at: 847 Chapel St, New Haven CT. 06510, or brought to the circulation desk during open library hours.
DEADLINE: At the latest, we need all entries in our care by May 25.
De-Circulated: An Interpretation of Banned Books – Art by Karen Duncan Pape opens May 30, 6-8 pm with a party & runs until September 8th
De-Circulated closes with a ticketed adult-only event related to the show: a banned book burlesque cabaret by Zohra Rawling and friends with the library being transformed into a multi-media speakeasy. You don’t want to miss this.
Please mark your Calendars and Prowl through your bookshelves- we need your voice.
Thank You for Your Participation!
PAST CALLS
Call for Photos for Our Fall Exhibit
MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES…will feature:
Marvelous vintage mystery books from our collection,
a selection of curated artwork (stay tuned for more about THAT, this part is NOT by open call) and a Rogue’s gallery of Black Sheep family photos from YOU!
This show will be a bit different- in a fun, spooky, and whodunit-way, and we are gathering a cast of characters for our portrait wall directly from your family albums!
What Do We Want?
Weird, wonderful, dodgy, glamorous and just plain strange portraits of ancestors past to cluster on our wall.
Do you have one we can share?
We can print from your scan (we know family memorabilia can be precious) or we can scan it ourselves ( we will be VERY CAREFUL) or we can show your ornately framed beauties as they are.
How to participate:
Email us a picture (don’t worry about the quality yet- a quick phone shot is fine) with any information you have about the person and their relation to you that you might want to share- this will go in our exhibit binder.
The show will run from October- December 2023
Please send all entries no later that September 20, 2023 with “Eccentric” in the subject line to gallery@institutelibrary.org
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!
This show will be curated by Maxim Schmidt & Martha Willette Lewis with book input from the wonderful staff and volunteers at the library.
Stay tuned for more on this show.