transform to black

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

The addition of layers of black acrylic paint over the white textured mulberry paper-covered book board transfroms the feel of the work.

The accordion-folded mulberry paper covered corners were covered with a cheesecloth-like material used in book repair to add texture and depth. An abstract tree bark texture was further created with strips of black hemp cord on the inside of the two doors.

The whole surface was then painted again in black to pull the tones together.

Black is the unifying color for the piece, titled, “Into the Wood”, amplifying the colors in Michelle’s prints, reflecting the darkness of the Wood, and setting the tone for the viewers’ journey into it.
The piece goes upright, with accordion folded corners held in place by clips to deepen the folds, the (relatively) 2-d becomes 3-d.

The mulberry-covered accordion-folded book repair cloth-covered black-painted corners are thus “trained” to fold and unfold easily.

The textures work together to support the forest (Woods) theme.

It takes some time. The piece has to fold easily to both stand up and travel.

And here we go…Into the Woods.

In the next post: Collaboration, Call and Response, Shoebox Arts and the Start Up Art Fair: Process 3
see videos of the Process!