Authors: click here to submit for Ekphrasis.
Planning for the Ekphrasis Exhibition Project, 2024 has begun. This year the primary Ekphrasis
Committee is composed of three people, one from each of the collaborating organizations:
Linda Hartmann
CWC-Mt. Diablo Branch
Immediate Past President, BOD
Ekphrasis Chair
Bill Carmel
LAC – BOD
Ruth Stanton
LAA-Vice President

Saturday, May 4th, 2024
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Save the Date!
A reception with readings by authors and artists is planned at the Orinda Library, 26 Orinda Way, Orinda, CA
WHAT IS EKPHRASIS?
Ekphrasis is writing that describes or explains other art. For the Ekphrasis Exhibit 2024, members of the California Writers Club – Mt. Diablo will author a piece of writing in response to Artist’s artwork.
Poetry, prose, memoir, and all genres may be included. Two workshops will be offered for those who would like a refresher or who are unfamiliar with the concept of Ekphrasis (dates below).
- Offer some sensory detail in your work
- Think about whether there is a theme involved as a point of focus
- Does the work tell a story, or does it have some enticing pull that provokes the
- imagination or tugs emotionally?
- What inspired you to create it? Is this reflected in your written response?
Authors written responses will be hung next to the relevant artwork, as a pairing. Artists who are interested in responding in writing to artwork, may do so by joining CWC Mt. Diablo Branch or Lamorinda Arts Council. Authors who are interested in submitting artwork for consideration may do so as members of Lamorinda Art Alliance or Lamorinda Arts Council.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS WITH EACH ORGANIZATION’S COMMITMENTS:
The Art Gallery at the Orinda Library has been reserved for the Ekphrasis Exhibition to be shown for two months instead of one month this year.
Eligibility: Open to members of the California Writers Club – Mt. Diablo Branch. Members must
be current and in good standing through the end of June 2024.
There will be a total of fifty-five (55) visual art pieces, each shown with the assigned respective author response, for a total of one hundred and ten (110) works. Space-permitting, individuals may choose to enter for more than a single piece of accepted work. The first accepted entry for each member will cost an entry fee of $20.00, and for any additional entries the member will receive the discounted rate of $10.00 for each additional entry.
The organizations have committed to the following numbers of participants:
Organization | # Visual Arts Works | # WRITTEN RESPONSES | Total |
---|---|---|---|
LAA | 35 | 0 | 35 |
CWC | 0 | 50 | 50 |
LAC | 20 | 5 | 25 |
Totals | 55 | 55 | 110 |
CALENDAR:
Date Due | Action Due | Notes |
---|---|---|
February 7, 2024 | Deadline to register | Late registrations will be accepted if space is available but will have fewer visual art pieces to choose from. |
February 8, 2024 | Authors to receive work by Artists | Responses will be processed in first-come, first-serve ranked-order (include top three choices). |
February 12, 2024 | Authors to return ranked order choices to CWC and LAC. | |
February 14, 2024 | Authors will be notified of the art piece they are paired with. | |
March 10, 2024 | Authors to return written responses. | Per guidelines posted on website |
April 29 – June 28 (6:00 p.m.) | Exhibition Dates | The exhibition is open during normal library hours. |
May 4, 2024 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. | Reception | Program in the Auditorium from 1:00 PM to 2:45 PM and Reception immediately following until 5:00 PM with light fare, networking, and meet and greets with the artists and authors. |
I: Rules for submitting your Authored Responses to the Visual Artwork you are paired with:
- All responses must be submitted through the online submission process.
- For CWC-Mt. Diablo Branch members, this link is:
https://cwcmtdiablo.org/ekphrasis-submit-your-work/ - The following word and line limits apply for uniformity and presentation of the Ekphrasis Exhibition:
- Word limit: For prose and poetry of any genre or style, the maximum word limit is 500 words (not including your name or title of the work).
- Line limit: For prose, the maximum line limit is 60 lines – Blank lines without words are included in this total
- Fontmust be in Ariel Bold size 16, for readability at the gallery.
- Margins must be one inch on the left, and one inch on the right of the page.
- All of the above criteria must be met or your work will not be accepted.
- In summary, the piece must fit a specified size foam board for hanging in the gallery next to the visual art you are responding to, and be readable by visitors to the gallery. This is the reason that blank lines are counted in the total, and the absolute maximum words that can possibly fit without blank lines is 500; thus, many and most submissions will have a lower word count.
- A headshot will be required in jpeg or pdf.
- Submission of a short bio is required of a maximum of 100 words. You may include links to your website within this submission.
- Enter a sale price for your work, or enter NFS “Not for Sale”. Please see the guidance under Section IV: Sale of Visual Art and/or Author – Writer works:
- Your work will look very professional – we received many compliments on this arrangement in 2023!
- CWC-Mt. Diablo Branch will accept 50 Author-Writer Responses to Visual Artwork from members of the Lamorinda Arts Council (LAC) and the Lamorinda Arts Alliance (LAA).
Acceptance will be on a first-come basis, so please mark your calendars today!!
If you need help entering your work, contact Linda Hartmann at ekphrasis@cwcmtdiablo.org
II: Tips for submitting online:
- Read all of the instructions in advance.
- Ensure you have met all of the requirements.
- Please review your name and e-mail address, telephone number, and address prior to submission to ensure they are correct.
- Find your files on your computer so you will know where to browse to upload.
- Upload speeds vary; please be patient during the upload process.
- Most people find it easiest to pay by PayPal, credit / debit card online. If you are opposed to paying online, you may send a check for the amount owed made out to: CWC-Mt. Diablo Branch O. Box 606 Alamo, CA 94507, or contact Linda Hartmann at ekphrasis@cwcmtdiablo.org to discuss options.
- Exhibit Fee: The exhibit fee is $20.00, payable when completing the online registration process. The exhibit fee is nonrefundable. Space permitting, should a member have more than one piece of art approved for submission, a discounted fee of $10.00 will be charged for the second piece. There will be a 20% commission charged on any sales. Please consider this and add 20% to your sales price, if you wish, to cover the commission.
- If you experience problems with the online form or the PayPal portal, email Marlene at http://webmaster@cwcmtdiablo.org
III: Opening Reception:
- Exhibiting Artists’ and Authors’ friends, families and collectors should be invited to attend a publicly announced opening reception. You will be provided an invitation (or flyer) to share with your family and friends as the event draws near. The event will be held at the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library on Saturday, May 4, 2024, from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. A program of speakers will be held from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. in the Auditorium off the Gallery for attendees to learn about Ekphrasis and to have several Artists and Authors present their work. A reception of light fare and beverages will be served. Any store-bought finger foods or light-colored beverages including soft drinks and wine may be brought in on a volunteer basis to add to the fun for all!
IV: Sale of Visual Art and/or Author – Writer works:
- During exhibit a sale is indicated by placement of a red dot on the sold work’s label; curators have red dots in Gallery Room storage box and will place the dot on notification of purchase. A buyer can take possession at take down or artist and buyer can make other arrangements. A 20% commission is required to be paid on any sale connected with the exhibit. Please mail a check payable to Lamorinda Arts Council, PO Box 121, Orinda CA 94563.
- How Online Sales are handled: All works for sale by artists and authors during the Ekphrasis Collaborative Exhibit can be purchased online from the online Ekphrasis Gallery. Link: org/product-category/ekphrasis/. Click on the photo of the visual art piece to see the authored work that is paired with it. You will see the price for each piece online and may purchase separately or together.
- Sales tax will be added to the price set by Seller. Buyers will receive a confirmation receipt via email reflecting their online purchase.
- Seller will receive a copy of the email. Transfer of ownership is to be arranged between Buyer and Seller on or after takedown in the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library or another mutually convenient time and place.
- The Lamorinda Arts Council then deducts a 20% commission on the pre-tax price set by Seller. The remaining 80% is sent by check via US Mail to Seller.
V: Publicity
- The Exhibit will be announced via the LAA, LAC and CWC websites, email, newsletters and mailing lists, and press releases to Bay Area media contacts. An electronic postcard will be generated for participating artists and authors to distribute to family, friends, and patrons. The Lamorinda Arts Alliance reserves the right to use submitted images for promotional purposes.
Sign up to let us know you want to participate. The Ekphrasis Committee will create ranked-choice teams of a visual artist and an author.
Submit your work using this form. The fee for submission of one work is $20.00. If you submit as both Author Initiator and Author Responder, the fee for the second submission is $10.00.