Collaboration, Call and Response, Shoebox Arts and the Start Up Art Fair: Process 1

After five years of digital exchanges connecting artists across six continents, Call and Response is going physical for the first time.

In October 2025, Shoebox Arts helmed by the extraordinary Kristine Schomocker   paired 190 artists to create collaborative books together. Four months later, we have approximately 90 unique collaborative works—oracle decks, teabag weavings, painted photographs, sculptural volumes, accordion books, visual puzzles.

Each book represents a creative conversation between two artists/humans/makers. Participating artists have navigated time zones, shipping logistics, language barriers, and completely different creative approaches to make something neither could have conceived alone.

This is Call and Response at its core: connection, radical trust, real collaboration.

This is collaboration without permission. Connection without barriers. Artists proving quality work doesn’t require institutional blessing—just willingness to make something with another.
A project of @shoeboxarts.la
Exhibition: @callandresponseart

The intimate hotel suite setting allows visitors to interact closely with each work—books displayed throughout the space on beds, tables, and dressers. This is a selling exhibition with works split equally between the two collaborating artists and Shoebox Arts.
Hours:

• Friday, February 27: VIP Early Access 5-7pm | All Access 7-10pm

• Saturday, February 28: 12pm – 9pm

• Sunday, March 1: 12pm – 7pm

Here is part 1 of the process of my collaboration with artist Michelle Robinson:
Creating the Structure:

The structure was created from five pieces of archival, acid-free book board, with high quality watercolor paper-accordion-folded corners.

“Up on its feet”: the completed basic box structure upright, corners held in place by clips, which were used throughout the making process.

Five sections of archival book board were attached with acid-free watercolor paper folded accordion “corner” strips. Michelle provided three printed images to be mounted on the back and sides of the “box” structure, and two sections will comprise the front “doors”.
The piece was then completely resurfaced with strips of mulberry paper, which conjure up the texture of tree bark, reflecting the trees and dark woods depicted in her images.


The piece was then placed upright again, assuming is rectangular box form, in white!

The folds were again held in place by clips. The doors open and close, and the accordion-folded corners expand.

The texture is beautiful in white, but will transform with layers of black acrylic paint.

The structure adapts to its standing form and the resilient mulberry and watercolor paper, adhered with archival, water-based adhesive, are ready to absorb the paint and transform to black.

In the next post….PROCESS 2…Transform to BLACK