POUGHKEEPSIE, NY .- Franc Palaia is an award winning multi media artist and pioneer in the creation and production of limited edition and one-of-a-kind artist’s books. This exhibition will be a survey of artist’s books from 1975-2012. Beginning in the mid 1970s working with early print and copier technology, Palaia was an early practitioner of color Xerox printing when there was only one color copy machine in all of New York City. As a painter and photographer Palaia’s books incorporate a wide variety of materials such as; hand painted 1940s school text books, accordion bound children’s books, LP records, torn wall posters, spiral bound coloring book calendars, gold leaf, Chinese silk and DVDs. The show will also include related printed works such as exhibition catalogs, travel stickers, postcards, photo coasters and small edition color photography books,

PALAIA has been included in dozens of regional, national and international artist book exhibitions that include the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY, Franklin Furnace, Pratt Institute, New York Public Library, O.K. Harris Works of Art, Exit Art, Lenin Library, Bergen Museum, Moore College of Art, Check Point Charlie Museum, Berlin and Arte Fiera, Italy among others. His books are in many private and public collections, they include the Museum of Modern Art, NY, Brooklyn Museum, American Academy in Rome, Franklin Furnace, Printed Matter, Arman and Tony Zwicker, to name a few.

PALAIA is a recipient of numerous grants of which several were in book arts. They include the Rome Prize Fellowship, L. C. Tiffany grant, Franklin Furnace Residency, Polaroid Sponsorship, two N.J. State Arts Council grants, three Dutchess County Arts Council grants, three NYFA-SOS grants, Ludwig Vogelstein grant, The Painted Bride grant and the Rutgers University Printmaking Grant.