New York City - The Center for Book Arts is pleased to announce the five grantees of its 2009 Artists-in-Residence Workspace Program: Terry Boddie Gautam Kansara Shani Peters Ginger Brooks Takahashi James Walsh The residency program is a central aspect of the Center's mission to build connections between the field of Book Arts and the larger contemporary art world. The purpose of this program is to promote experimentation in making Book Art, thus artists from all disciplinary backgrounds are encouraged to apply. This year's residents encompass a variety of fields, including photography, video art, sculpture, printmaking, and quilting. Residents are provided with free studio space, free enrollment in the Center's classes (more than 150 offerings per year), a public exhibition and artist talk, as well as a materials budget and financial stipends.  Past residents include: Carlos Motta (2005), Tattfoo Tan (2007), Yoko Inoue (2007), and Zoe Sheehan-Saldana (2008), among others. Now entering its eighth year, the Center's Workspace Program received a record 180 applications for five residencies. The quality of applications this year was very impressive and resulted a dynamic dialogue during the selection process. For the 2009 Artist-in-Residence application process, the Selection Committee, which selected eleven finalists, was made up of Martin Dust, Visual Arts Program Director, Abrons Art Center, Henry Street Settlement; Samantha Friedman, Assistant Curator, Department of Drawings, Museum of Modern Art; Elvis Fuentes, Curator, El Museo del Barrio; Kathleen Gilrain, Executive Director, Smack Mellon; and Yoko Inoue, one of the Center's 2007 Artists-in-Resident. The Interview Committee, which met the finalists, included Manuel Acevedo, one of the Center's 2007 Artists-in-Residence; Nancy Loeber, one of the Center's Faculty Members; and Sarah Nicholls, the Center's Programs Manager.  The Interview Committee chose the five residents and one alternate, Linda Ganjian. For more information and for photo credits, please contact James Copeland at jcopeland@centerforbookarts.org.