'Hello! from Austraila' as part of the Nami Island International Children's Book Festival

Hello! from Australia
We are so thrilled to be able to report that the Hello! From Australia exhibition we first curated for the 2012 Bologna Book Fair has just opened it’s fourth showing in South Korea as part of the 6^th Nami Island International Children’s Book Festival from 25 April to 31 May 2013. The Nami Island committee have done a stunning job of adapting this exhibition to fit their venue.


Since this exhibition opening, we have been even more thrilled to hear that the National Library in Soul has received 20 requests for the exhibition and have asked if it can stay in South Korea for next 12 months to cater for at least 10 exhibitions in local cities!  Miss Hyo-jin Lee from the Australia-Korea Foundation, Australian Embassy Seoul, who we have been working with on this exhibition will meet with Tourism and State Offices on how to promote this and Australia to these host cities.

New prints by Gus Gordon!

Books Illustrated at coming FESTIVALS

Clunes Book Town Festival

Saturday May 4 & Sunday May 5

For the love of Books!
A weekend of rare, new, secondhand & collectable books, writers talks, street entertainment, food, wine, live music & Children’s Book Town.

There's a fabulous program for adults and children over both days again this year and the weather forecast is good! This lovely historic Victorian town has been brought to life with this festival and it's growing every year. Last year Clunes Book Town was accepted into the International Organisation of Book Towns and two visitors from this organisation, Mr Lee, Sang representing South Korea and Mr Jan Klovstad from Sweden, have traveled to Australia to participate in the festival.
 
Come and see our range of prints and picture books at our Books Illustrated stand in the Union Bank & Art Studio building in the main street.

Demonstrations and book signings by illustrators will be ongoing on both days. You can meet Ann James on Saturday & Sunday and Judy Watson on Sunday between 12.30pm and 2pm.

Ann James will be showing her two new picture books I’m a Dirty Dinosaur, written by Janeen Brian, published by Penguin Books and Bird & Bear, published by The Five Mile Press.
Judy is the illustrator of Goodnight, Mice!, written by Frances Watts and published by ABC Books.  Goodnight Mice! Was the winner of the winner of the award for Children’s fiction in the 2012 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards. 

Woodend Winter Arts Festival 

 Advance notice! June -7 to 10 our exhibition of prints and original illustrations Woodend it be Fabulous will be shown as part of the Woodend Winter Arts Festival. The feature artists for this festival will be Jane Tanner and Ann James. On Sunday 9 at 12.30 to 1.30 we will run a session Woodend it be fabulous to be an illustrator! for budding or would-be illustrators. It’s a wide ranging program of arts and the program is now out, so book early! 

On the Road and in the air … first stop China!

Books Illustrated has been on the road, and in the air, for the last few weeks with exhibitions and projects overseas. 

First stop was China.
In Nanjing we were hosted for a week by the very enthusiastic and generous team working at Oriental BabiesPublishing, looking at projects and possible collaborations.


Ann James working with design team at Oriental Babies Publishers. 
In Beijing, starting on Thursday March 3, we installed our ‘Hello! from Australia’ exhibition at the Capital Library and ran a planned program of workshops for children. Over the weekend workshops were attended by the general public, while during the week, they were attended by groups of school students from local and international schools.  This program was planned in conjunction with the Beijing Writer’s Week which this year had a focus on children’s books and publishing. Special guests from Australia invited to take part in the program were author illustrators Anne Spudvilas,  Ambelin Kymullina, Alison Lester and Ann James, along with Children’s Literature academic Pam Macintyre. They took part in an information night forum held at the exhibition.  Another event at the venue which was a major part of the Writer’s Week program this year, was attended by Australian and Chinese publishers. Our week in Beijing was frenetic, and we experienced extreme weather, from thick pollution and smog to an unseasonal dump of snow … which made a visit to the great wall quite special!


Beijing Capital Library workshops with Ann James and Anne Spudvilas.

To be continued in chapters...

'Hello! from Australia' exhibition catalogue: Bologna Children's Book Fair 2013

View the 'Hello! from Australia' exhibition catalogue through the ISSUU link above. This catalogue includes the 29 selected books for the prestigious Australian Publishers Association exhibition at Bologna Children's Book Fair 2013.

Each picture book cover in the catalogue links to the relevant publisher's website, so click through for further details.

What is the "Hello! from Australia" exhibition?

The Australian Publishers Association (APA) is the peak industry body for Australian book, journal and electronic publishers. Established in 1948, the Association is an advocate for all Australian publishers: large or small; commercial or non-profit; academic or popular; locally or overseas owned. 

The APA’s initiatives at Bologna Children’s Book Fair aim to support publishers in the promotion and sale of rights to Australian children’s books and to facilitate contact between Australian publishers and international agents and promoters. In broader terms, we aim to promote Australian culture and literary culture internationally, and draw attention to and showcase the diversity and depth of Australian children’s books.

We are excited that the Australian Children’s Laureates (see page 10 of the catalogue) will be present at the stand and taking part in special events at the fair. Each year this Books Illustrated exhibition tours to other book festivals and fairs. In 2011 the exhibition toured to Paju Bookcity in South Korea.

In 2012 the exhibition toured to the Booksori Festival in Paju Bookcity, and in Seoul to the National Youth and Children’s Library, and in 2013 to the Korea Foundation Cultural Gallery.

In 2013 the exhibition will be exhibited at venues including the Capital Library Beijing, China, as part of the Beijing Writers Festival.

Drop by for a chat at Bologna Children's Book Fair 2013

Since 2009 The Australian Publishers Association stand at the Bologna Children's Book Fair has hosted an exhibition of illustrations from contemporary Australian picture books. These exhibitions, curated by Books Illustrated Gallery, celebrate some of the finest Australian picture books of each year and promote them to an international audience. 

This year you can also meet the inaugural Australian Children's Laureates, Alison Lester and Boori Monty Pryor. 

Alison and Boori are special guests at the fair participating in an International Laureate Summit held on Monday 25th, 4.30pm at the Authors' Cafe. Find out more here. 

Each day we will promote the times that visiting Australian authors and illustrators will be demonstrating at the APA stand. These include: Alison and Boori (10.30 - 12.30), Ann James (illustrator of The Dirty Dinosaur, Bird and Bear), Owen Swan (illustrator of Biscuits from Home), Katherine Battersby (Brave Squish Rabbit), Melva Ouliaris (author of Johnny and the Pelican) and Briony Stewart (The Red Wheelbarrow). 

  

We look forward to seeing you there!

Exhibition details:

The Australian Stand, Hall 26 B80

Monday 25th - Thursday 28th March 2013

Faces from Australia - Korea Foundation Cultural Gallery Opening

Our relationship with the Australian Embassy and the Australia Korea Foundation has been facilitated by Ms Lee Hyo-Jin - Jinny. She has been and is always with our projects in Korea, so supportive and well organised. She has co-ordinated all three incarnations of this 'Hello! from Australia exhibition' - at Paju Booksori Festival; at the National Library for Children and Youth; and now, here at the Korea Foundation Cultural Centre Gallery. A beautiful space!

It is a totally new realisation of the work, our book illustration exhibition in collaboration with photographic works by Mr Lee Kyung-wook and jointly named, Faces of Australia. Our part is designed sensitively again by Mr Kim Dae-il, who designed the exhibition when it was at the Library. The photographic section handsomely curated by Ms Park. Young-Mi.

We were there for the set up, the opening and the first couple of days to carry out workshops and interviews with the media.

Setting up the exhibition

Completing the type!

Gallery opening ready for the official launch on Friday February 15

Ann J being interviewed for television report before the exhibition opening

Ann H & Ann J with Mr Kim and his wife and baby. Mr Kim was the designer of the 'Hello! from Australia' section of this joint exhibition 'Faces of Australia'.

His design was fabulous!

 Mr Lee's family at the opening

Workshops in the gallery

Ann James demonstrating her illustration style

Workshops at the gallery