The Fore Edge
Looking for acquisition opportunities? Let us introduce you to a range of artists working at the forefront of the book arts landscape!
The Fore Edge is a quarterly newsletter sent to curators and librarians at universities and institutions across the country. Its purpose? To highlight artists’ books and zines available for acquisition.
Acquired pieces are added to Library Special Collections and become resources for students, faculty, and members of the public. Some public libraries, like the Hennepin County Library, even have a zine collection with pieces available for browsing and borrowing. Work featured in the Fore Edge includes artists’ books and zines by artists in MCBA’s Artist Consignment Program and/or exhibiting artists with work in MCBA’s Gallery.
Mare Nostrum, Al Motawaset by Islam Aly. Acquired by the University of Michigan.
The Fore Edge Fair: An Online Artist Book Sale
MCBA’s Fore Edge Fair is a new initiative to spread awareness of the Fore Edge and highlight artwork available for acquisition. Selected artists’ books and zines will be spotlighted in an online artist book fair and will be available for acquisition. This year’s fair goes live May 4, 2026, so mark your calendars! We’ll feature 20-30 pieces in the collection, all reviewed and selected by a jury.
Artists with selected works for the Fore Edge Fair will become part of MCBA’s Artist Consignment Program, and their selected piece(s) will stay in MCBA inventory for at least one year after the Fore Edge Fair (or until sold). Consignment artists receive a 60/40 split, with 60 percent of the sale price paid out to the artist. Current consignment artists are welcome to submit work. All artists will be notified of sales of their work and the name of the acquiring institution.
How to apply
The application window is March 2-31. All applications must be received through Submittable by 11:59 CT on March 31. Please submit high-quality photos of your submitted piece, along with an artist statement, a personal bio, and pricing information.
Submissions that do not include this information will not be considered. Because this is an online sale, we’ll use photos from your submission when publishing work online. Artists may submit no more than three artist books to the call, and must submit a separate application for each artist book.
Only Artist Books and Zines will be accepted.
Personal by Erin Moore.
Acquired by Ohio University
Timeline
March 2, 2026
Application opens
March 31, 2026 • 11:59pm CT
Application closes
April 10, 2026
Selected artists notified
April 30, 2026
Selected pieces must arrive to MCBA
May 4, 2026
Fore Edge Fair goes live on the website