The Town of Danville, in collaboration with the Danville Public Library and Rakestraw Books, invites artists or art teams who reside in one of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties to participate in Bound for Books, An Artful Book Bench Project. The exhibition will be on display from June 9–September 30, and intends to encourage reading, provide a place for people to rest, and to instill in the community an understanding and appreciation of public art. Deadline for artist submissions is January 23, 2023.
Artists are invited to paint and embellish fiberglass benches in the shape of open books, drawing on themes and inspiration for their designs from beloved children’s books and/or adult classics. An art selection committee will review all eligible proposals to select finalists for each bench. The committee will include members from Town of Danville arts staff, Arts Advisory Board for the Town of Danville, Danville Library, and staff of Rakestraw Books. Selected artists will be compensated with a $1,000 stipend for their original work and time and materials. Through this project, 10 Book Benches will be on display at various downtown Danville locations for throughout summer 2023.
There will be an Opening Reception at the Village Theatre Art Gallery on Friday, June 9, 2023 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m .At the reception, the majority of the Book Benches will be on display on the patio before they are distributed and installed at their summer locations in Downtown Danville. There will be activities scheduled earlier the same day from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Town Green by the Danville Library. At the end of the summer exhibition period, the benches will be sold at an online auction, benefitting future public art projects in the Town of Danville.
For detailed information on how to apply, visit www.danville.ca.gov/publicart. For more information, contact Visual Arts Coordinator Marija Nelson Bleier at (925) 314-3460 or mnelsonbleier@danville.ca.gov.