OVERVIEW
Detroit publisher Rotland Press presents a retrospective monograph collecting the figurative paintings of Detroit artist Jim Chatelain, from the years 1974 to 2021. For the first time ever, these startlingly original works by a key participant in the storied Cass Corridor artistic milieu, have been documented and gathered in one place, and reproduced in loving detail with an emphasis on abundant painterly surfaces.
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THE PROJECT
HELP IS ON THE WAY will be a 100-page softcover book retrospective presentation of paintings by artist Jim Chatelain from the years 1974 to 2021. The book contains a preface by editor Ryan Standfest, an introductory essay by Detroit art journalist and poet Glen Mannisto, and an in -depth essay by Detroit artist and writer Jonathan Rajewski.
Jim Chatelain is a unique voice in contemporary painting. He came to prominence during the 1970s as a participant in what came to be known as the Cass Corridor group, centered around the burgeoning artistic community in and around Wayne State University in Detroit. His figurative work remains fresh and provocative, eliciting equal parts unease, muffled laughter, and empathy. This book was assembled by documenting works from both the artist's archives, and those from private and public collections.
HELP IS ON THE WAY will be printed in a small edition of 300 copies according to the proposed modest funding goal. Should that goal be surpassed, then the print run will be increased accordingly.
The book is an extension of the mission of publisher Rotland Press, which has an established and successful record of seeking out and supporting work that resides in a place situated between humor and despair.
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WHAT WE NEED + WHAT YOU GET
Rotland Press is making use of crowdfunding as a means to publish this project, by reaching out to those who, like us, feel strongly about preserving and presenting an urgent voice from the history of Detroit art. This project is a labor of love and is designed and packaged accordingly. It is the hope of Rotland Press that there is an audience who will fund it into existence out of a similar desire.
The proposed funding will cover the following:
*Printing cost for a 300-copy print run of HELP IS ON THE WAY (plus shipping from the printer): $2300.00
*Compensation to the contributing writers for their essays: $700.00
*Printing of a 100-copy letterpress bookplate: $275.00
*Printing cost for a 100-copy print run of a 16-page supplementary book of figurative drawings by Jim Chatelain (plus shipping from the printer): $300.00
*Printing cost for a run of 50 letterpress HELP IS ON THE WAY prints, : $275.00
*Packaging to ship all books out to customers: $150.00
TOTAL NEEDED: $4,000.00
Note: Indiegogo charges a total of 8% in fees (platform and processing fees). These fees are calculated into the above costs so the project receives the amount it needs.
Unique and exclusive perks include:
A "portrait miniature" letterpress print, produced for this project, measuring 7.25 x 5.5 inches (image: 5.5 x 4 inches), signed and numbered in an edition of 50 by Jim Chatelain:
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A 16-page supplementary publication, measuring 7.5 x 5 inches, collecting for the first time a series of figurative drawings by Jim Chatelain! Stamped and numbered in a limited edition of 100 copies:
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A letterpress bookplate, measuring 3 x 4 inches, specially designed by artist, signed and numbered in an edition of 100, and tipped into 100 copies of HELP IS ON THE WAY:
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TIMELINE
The campaign for HELP IS ON THE WAY will last only 30 days. At the end of this period, pending successful funding, the following production sequence will unfold:
-The completed PDF of the book will be delivered to the printer!
-Printing time is estimated to take three to five weeks!
-The limited supplemental book of drawings will be printed. This book will then be signed and numbered!
-The letterpress print will be printed!
-The letterpress bookplate will be printed!
-Copies of the letterpress print, the bookplate, and the supplemental book of drawings will be signed by Jim Chatelain!
-Books, and prints are estimated to ship during the month of February!
-Updates regarding this process, will be posted regularly, including sneak peaks of the production process!
THE CHALLENGE
Crowdfunding always relies on the openness and goodness of those who believe in the project they are committing to fund. Rotland Press is dedicated to funding HELP IS ON THE WAY and getting it and all of the perks that accompany this project to you, as soon as the funding is complete. Should there be any delay in the timeline as outlined above, all contributors will receive notification.
The immediate challenge is to fund the publication of HELP IS ON THE WAY. The secondary challenge is to increase the print run, and therefore the scope and audience reach of HELP IS ON THE WAY.
OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP
If you are unable to contribute to contributing funds to HELP IS ON THE WAY, then the most immediate and important contribution you can make is to spread the word about this project and to help generate interest in supporting it. You will have the gratitude of all involved.
ABOUT JIM CHATELAIN
(b. 1947, Findlay, OH) moved to Detroit in 1967 where he attended Wayne State University, enrolling in its Fine Arts department. Jim was a pivotal player in Detroit’s raucous and fertile Cass Corridor art community. He continues to live and work in Metro Detroit and at his studio in Upstate New York. He is represented by Paul Kotula Projects in Ferndale, Michigan.
ABOUT GLEN MANNISTO
(b. 1945, Highland Park, MI) is a poet and art journalist, contributing to numerous Detroit-based and national art publications. He has taught the course History of Modern Design at the College for Creative Studies, and has edited two art journals– Straits and Trait. He is a card-carrying member of the Cass Corridor, and has recently returned to piloting a tour boat on the Detroit River.
ABOUT JONATHAN RAJEWSKI
(b. 1986, Bismarck, ND) is an artist and writer. He received a BA in Philosophy from Michigan State University and an MFA in Painting & Printmaking from Yale University. He is a 2015 Kresge Fellow in Visual Art and a 2021 Critical Practice Research Grant recipient from the Yale School of Art. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Yale Review and Three Fold Press. In 2013, Rajewski co-founded the Hamtramck Free School, an alternative, rhizomatic educational organization that facilitates creative writing and visual art workshops in Michigan prisons. From 2021–2023 he was Faculty at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan. He lives and works in Detroit, Michigan.
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ABOUT ROTLAND PRESS
"Rotland Press seems to have its roots in The Realist and Grove Press c. 1960s more than in the Hippy UG press that followed or in the gentrified graphic novel presses that have come along since. Nihilists and other marginally socialized types will be as glad to discover their satirical publications as I've been."
—Art Spiegelman, co-editor of Arcade and RAW, author of MAUS
Founded in 2010, Rotland Press is a small publishing house in Detroit, Michigan, USA. It is a publisher of printed projects that mingle mordant amusement with enthusiastic despair. Ryan Standfest is the publisher and editor-in-chief. Rotland Press has previously published a collection of The Angriest Dog in the World comic strips by filmmaker and artist David Lynch, two volumes of political prints by artist and activist Sue Coe, and a collection of early satirical cartoons by Swiss artist H.R. Giger. The press has received press in Hyperallergic and The New York Times, has been the subject of Steven Heller's column in PRINT magazine, The Daily Heller, and was recognized by Art in America in 2016 for its publication The N-Word: Paintings by Peter Williams.
Visit Rotland Press at http://rotlandpress.com/
