CALL for ENTRIES: Fantastic Fibers 2019

Posted on January 9, 2019January 6, 2019 by R.L. Gibson

I YAM what I yam

I make fantastic mashed potatoes. No, really, I do. My husband wants to know why I refuse to share my technique, but he secretly suspects it is the volume of butter involved. I can neither confirm or deny. My favorites to mash are these tiny little orange sweets I get from Aldi. I bake them (that’s the real secret) before adding butter & other goodies. I prefer to puree them in my food processor, but I am usually too lazy to wash it afterwards, so I whip them with my hand mixer instead. Whatever variety of sweet potato that Aldi has been carrying lately seems to have almost no stringy fibers to untangle from my beaters. Add a hint of nutmeg, and it is like a spoonful of Thanksgiving every time. They are great in place of rice for bowl full of stir fried root vegetables on a rainy day.

I am hyper aware of fiber lately, I suppose because of the embroidery or mark making with thread that has become a defining characteristic in my work. The work I am loving most these days is fiber. Rug tufting. Ombré string instillation. Simply over-stitched paper collages. I come from a family of quilters, and I love to sew. It isn’t a huge leap. I honestly can’t believe my own work didn’t “go there” before now. I think I felt that I couldn’t measure up as a quilter (imposter syndrome again). I still don’t know how it developed; one day I just started stitching over my paintings. Now they are incomplete without stitching. In the meantime, no one, including me, really considers my work fiber art; therefore, I may be stuck in the mixed media category forever. This next show is fiber specific. I’ve been to this show multiple years, and it is awe inspiring. Thousands of people flock to this show, and it features an ever-evolving range of work both aesthetically and narratively challenging. I want to be a part of this evolution someday. If you do this work, please be sure to do this show.

Check out this Call for Entries from Yeiser Art Center (Paducah, KY) for Fantastic Fibers 2019. $25 Entry & 40% commission. This is a great venue…

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CALL for ENTRIES:
Fantastic Fibers 2019
from Yeiser Art Center

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ELIGIBILITY: Open to all artists 18+

MEDIA: Open to fiber art –contemporary & innovative works created with fiber as the primary medium or concept.

DEADLINE: February 15, 2019

NOTIFICATION: March 1, 2019

ENTRY FEE: $25 for up to 3 images of ONE piece

JUROR: Professor and chair of the Fiber Department, Pauline Verbeek-Cowart, has been on the faculty of the Kansas City Art Institute since 1997. A native of the Netherlands, she received her BFA (1982) in Fine Art from the Maryland Institute and her MFA in textile design from the University of Kansas (1995). Ms Verbeek-Cowart’s academic and Fine Art careers have garnered her numerous awards. She is one of the leaders in the use of new technologies in hand-weaving and has also conducted research using industrial looms in The Netherlands and the US. Her industrially woven work crosses boundaries between Fine Art and applied textiles and is directed toward structurally textured fabrics for apparel as well as home-furnishings. Her work has been exhibited extensively in both national and international venues including France, Austria, Germany, Japan, Korea and Australia.

AWARD: $1,900 will be awarded: $1,000 Best of Show, $500 First Place, $250 Second Place & $150 Third Place

SALES: Yeiser Art Center will keep a 40% commission on all gallery sales.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

CALL for ENTRIES: Scapes 2019

Posted on January 8, 2019January 5, 2019 by R.L. Gibson

WATER you up to?

It feels like it has been raining forever and may just never stop. Ever. I’ve never had a green thumb, but my grandmother tried to teach me the basic. I remember almost nothing she taught me except leaves turn yellow when you over water, and nothing is more exciting than the burst of the seed pod of a touch-me-not. So, while I can grow herbs on a windowsill, my dream of having a sustainable farming endeavor is a lost cause. But many of my friends are out there trying only to eat what they grow.

Realistically what do you grow end the land of never ending rain? Apparently taro thrives even in water logged conditions for up to weeks at a time. I could live on taro chips, right? Maybe not. Luckily I can still canoe to my local grocer. The rain is also making me hyperbolic, ha. I could paint the rain, I suppose, or gather rainwater to feed my watercolors for this next landscape call. I then I could use the prize money to buy aquaponic supplies.

Check out this Call for Entries from Art-Competition.net for Scapes 2019. $20 entry & no shipping. In addition to cash prizes, there are also marketing benefits. Take a look…

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CALL for ENTRIES:
Scapes 2019
from Art-competition.net

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ELIGIBILITY: All artists age 18+

MEDIA: Open to still media, including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, digital, prints, fiber art, collage, etc.

THEME: ‘Scapes “…original interpretations of different types of landscapes, seascapes, or mindscapes from representational to abstract. The visual narrative of the work should transport the viewer to experience the beauty, uniqueness, or fantasy of these special places..”

DEADLINE: January 14, 2019

NOTIFICATION: January 18, 2019

ENTRY FEE: $20 for 1, $10 ea. add’l

AWARDS: $8,125 in cash & marketing prizes. (e.g. 1st place $500, 2nd Place $400, 3rd Place $300, etc) + helpful marketing. There will be 7 Winners and 10 Honorable Mentions.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

CALL for ENTRIES: Dairy Arts Annual

Posted on January 7, 2019January 5, 2019 by R.L. Gibson

you’re the ZEST!

The hourglass on citron is running low. Citron (aka Buddha’s hand) is that freaky-looking fingered citrus fruit that is commonly found in fruitcake and other holiday baked confections. It is lovely candied and turns a gorgeous shade of lemon yellow. Not panicked about the days slipping away? You’d better be certain, because it is only available a few months of the year, and January is the last of them in most places. So what happens if I need it in June? I wait; that’s what. If you miss this next call, YOU will also have to wait.

That’s the problem with waiting until you’re ready. Artists are often, by nature, too busy or too focused or too single-minded to be looking forward by months, much less years. So, we are cast as procrastinators even if the part doesn’t quite fit. I am you; we are all you. It is easy to say “next time” when you feel unprepared, or worse yet, suffering from a reliable case of impostor syndrome. But we’re never ready enough or prepared enough or qualified enough.

This next Call is for solo exhibit opportunities in 2020 at a public art center in Boulder, Colorado, a popular arts location. Why this call? First, they only ask for 4 to 7 images, not 20. You’ve got 4 images, right? Next, they offer a map of their galleries. Why is this important? Because their galleries are numerous and of varying size, including some lobby and corridor spaces that are manageable, regardless of how prepared you feel right now. You can’t wait until you re ready because then you’ll have to wait 2 years. And, what if you don’t get in the first time? You’ll feel more prepared and less nervous the second time, not “next time”. I get that not every opportunity is right for every artist, but if you’re going to NOT enter, be certain you’re CHOOSING not to enter, not letting the fear or insecurity choose for you.

Check out this Call for Entries from Dairy Arts Center (Boulder, CO) for 2020 Exhibition Opportunities. $35 submission fee with as few as 4 images. Is this your next step? This is a great venue…

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CALL for ENTRIES:
2020 Exhibition Opps
from Dairy Arts Center

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ELIGIBILITY: Open to all artists 18+

MEDIA: Open to all media

DEADLINE: January 15, 2019

ENTRY FEE: $35

JURORS: A ten-member committee comprised of artists, curators, university faculty, and art collectors. A floor plan of the Dairy’s exhibition spaces has been provided for review by potential applicants, however, if selected for exhibition the Dairy’s Curator of Visual Arts will select the gallery or galleries that are most appropriate for the display of invited artist(s) work.

AWARD: Following the close of this call, applications will be reviewed by the Dairy’s Curator of Visual Arts and the Visual Arts Jury to select individual artists and groups of artists to exhibit in the Dairy’s four galleries.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

CALL for ENTRIES: Saturated

Posted on January 6, 2019January 6, 2019 by R.L. Gibson

oh, KALE no!

Somebody help me love kale. I want to love love kale (in some other manner than deep fried kale chips, ha)., but I just don’t. If I’m gonna eat a leafy green, I’m gonna choose spinach every time. Give me arugula or chard. Meanwhile, organic kale was 99¢ a pound this week. It is a gorgeous color though. I’ve been toying with making my own watercolors. Maybe THAT is how I learn to love kale.

For years I worked in black and white, and I loved the big, bold graphic nature of that work. But, color. Color has turned my work around. I fell so in love with color that I changed media after TWENTY years. Like any grade schooler, I get that yellow + blue = green. But, when you find the right gambogue hue & add just a touch of thalo blue, you get to watch them bloom into a gorgeous shade of peacock. This newly found watercolor magic gives power & voice to what I tried to represent literally with typography and b&w symbolism for all those years.

I’ve tried to be more transparent over the past weeks about my own “which” & “why” & “what” questions because I am hoping my answers will help you formulate your own questions and discover your own answers. The Barrett Arts Center is a “yes” for me. Beautiful venue, great jurors, superb curatorial history, excellent resume builder. I have been working on a piece for months that would be the perfect piece to enter. If I can just keep myself on track to finish, I am entering this one. Do you have color you want to strut out like a proud peacock? Then THIS is a great call.

Check out this Call for Entries from Barrett Art Center (Poughkeepsie, NY) for Saturated: An Eye for Color. $45 entry fee & 30% commission. Plus, this juror has a well-documented history. Take a look…

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CALL for ENTRIES:
Saturated: An Eye for Color
from Barrett Art Center

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ELIGIBILITY: Open to all U.S. artists 18+

MEDIA: Open to drawing, painting, pastel, printmaking, photography, sculpture, fiber, mixed-media, new media & installation

THEME: Color. “Barrett Art Center seeks artworks in which color is the primary instrument of expression for this national juried exhibition to be held April 6 through May 18, 2019. The French painter Eugene Delacroix said, ‘I can paint you the skin of Venus with mud, provided you let me surround it as I will’. Delacroix was referring to the power of color dynamics. This call for works is looking for submissions in which which color plays a transformative role.”

DEADLINE: January 19, 2019

NOTIFICATION: by February 2, 2019

ENTRY FEE: $45 for up to 3, $5 ea. add’l ($35 for members)

JUROR: Michael Rooks joined the High Museum of Art as Wieland Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art in January 2010. Besides his responsibilities at the High, Rooks was appointed Commissioner and co-curator of the U.S. Pavilion at the 12th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia in 2010 and is a member of ActArt, the President’s committee for contemporary art and social action. Prior to joining the High Museum, Mr. Rooks held curator positions at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, The Contemporary Museum Honolulu, and the Honolulu Academy of Arts. At Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, Rooks curated several group exhibitions and solo projects in addition to survey exhibitions of work by Roy Lichtenstein (1999) and H. C. Westermann (2001) for which he co-authored Westermann’s catalogue rasionné.

AWARDS: $825 in cash prizes –$500 Juror’s Prize, $200 2nd Prize, $125 Honorable Mention.

SALES: Barrett Art Center will retain a 30% commission for sales (20% for members).

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

CALL for ENTRIES: Blue 2019

Posted on December 31, 2018January 5, 2019 by R.L. Gibson

CUCUMBER and berries

Between granola and smoothies, I am on a constant hunt for decent fruit. This time of year, it is a challenge. The strawberries are horrific, fibrous little lumps. Bananas are great for smoothies but don’t dry well without sulfites. Cucumbers & pineapples are rocking my smoothies, but FRESH fruit is a struggle. (Yes, I can hear how that sounds.) Blueberries have saved me lately. They are relatively cheap and work in cereal and for pancakes & smoothies. If anyone has recommendations on how to dry them, I’m open to ideas. This next Call wants your blue solutions…

So why do you consider this online gallery, art publication opportunity? Well, here are some questions: Do you need a low risk, low cost way to test new, experimental work? Are you looking to drive traffic to your website and create organic content for social media posts? And, there’s the grant money. Do you want the opportunity to be awarded grant money? ha. Is this opportunity right for you? Only you can know. The deadline looms VERY CLOSE — January 7th.

Check out this Call for Entries from Art-Competition.net for Blue 2019. $25 entry & no shipping. Do you have work in blue? You know you want the $500 grant. Take a look…

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CALL for ENTRIES:
Blue 2019
from Art-competition.net

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ELIGIBILITY: All artists age 18+ (int’l)

MEDIA: Open to still media, including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, digital art, printmaking, fiber art, collage, etc.

THEME: Blue “The art created of any subject that is enhanced by the use of the color blue, whether it is a single dot of blue or a completely blue image. The color blue should enhance the narrative of the works subject as blue can imply many emotions, symbolisms or feelings, from the blue marble we call earth to our emotions expressed in Blues music. Blue can express the future, good feelings, happiness, prosperity, ocean or sky, and we can feel blue, etc. It can be used to enhance, emphasize or be a focal point in the art.” –art-competition.net

DEADLINE: January 7, 2019

NOTIFICATION: January 14, 2019

ENTRY FEE: $25 for up to 3, $5 ea. add’l

AWARDS: 20 artists will be selected for an online group exhibit, “BLUE 2019” at Gallery25N; the exhibit and artists will be extensively marketed worldwide to over 26,000 people including art buyers, gallery owners, curators, collectors, etc. One artist will be selected to receive the “Christopher E. Burke Fine Art Grant“ of $500. That artist’s work will become the image of the exhibition and will be used on the invitation, video title screen and on all online marketing.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

CALL for ENTRIES: Women Artists

Posted on December 29, 2018January 6, 2019 by R.L. Gibson

COLD complication

As winter approaches, I am more & more distracted. I buy a handful of pantry items for single recipes. For example, I use canned cream-style corn in one indulgent corn pudding recipe and buttermilk only in cornbread. But, the problem arises because they look like similar items in the cupboard –anything canned or my regular milk. You only have to put buttermilk on one bowl of cereal to not want to make that mistake again. My solution? Organization. A simple letter or two scrawled on the container top has stopped me from wasting time and food over and over again.

In the studio, I am always walking the line between organized and over-planned. My instincts run toward scheduling, pre-planning, color-coding and efficiency. But, I also know that when I over plan, I have guilt when I stray from my original design that sometime keeps me on a path (that often isn’t really working) longer than I should. But if I don’t schedule at all, I end up procrastinating, the stereotypical downfall of beret-wearing artists in movies everywhere. This next Call is a perfect example. I love this publication. It is gorgeous. The art is phenomenal. Even their Insta feed is fun and inspiring. I keep thinking that the right work to submit will speak to me. As a result, here we are a year or two later, I’ve managed not to enter yet. So, let’s make a plan, be organized; enter early…

Check out this Call for Entries from Create! Magazine (print publication) for the Women Artists March Edition. $30 entry for this gorgeous magazine. Don’t miss this chance…

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CALL for ENTRIES:
March Women Artist Edition
of Create! Magazine

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ELIGIBILITY: Open to all women artists. “We are passionate about highlighting work by contemporary female (identifying as female) creatives and are dedicating the entire march edition to this group.” –Create! Magazine

MEDIA: Open to all media, i.e.: painting, sculpture, digital, printmaking, fiber, mixed media, photography, installation & more.

DEADLINE: January 27, 2019

NOTIFICATION: December 20, 2018

ENTRY FEE: $30 for up to 3, $35 for 5, $40 for 10. *There is also an optional $20 for online review, if selected by curator.

JURORS: Ekaterina Popova Artist, Curator, Podcaster, Editor and Founder of Create! Magazine, Alicia Puig Curator, Art Historian and Director of Business Operations at Create! Magazine, Shelby McFadden Artist, Designer and Editor of Pikchur Magazine, & Christina Nafziger Arts Writer, Journalist and Gallery Assistant.

AWARDS: Artists selected by the guest juror will receive a 2-page spread including a brief bio, website, and 2 images in print and digital formats. Published artists will receive a complimentary digital issue and will be listed on Create! Magazine’s website/social media & will be listed with images, details and information on their website/social media for life. All featured artists will automatically be considered for any upcoming curatorial projects & exhibitions organized by the Create! team.

SALES: The March 2019 Edition will be available online, in global retail locations in London, New York, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Wilmington (DE), Philadelphia & more.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

CALL for ENTRIES: 28th Nat’l OPA

Posted on December 19, 2018December 19, 2018 by R.L. Gibson

celebratory EDIBLES

Do you make food resolutions? No, I don’t mean diets. Do you make promises to eat healthier or cleaner? Or maybe to cut some food that makes you itchy, grouchy or gas-y? Yeah, me neither. Not anymore. My eating habits go with the flow. I eat a lot of whole, fresh foods, punctuated by occasional, terribly-crappy junk food, and it seems to work for me, ha. This year, I am resolved to drink more bubbly. I love Prosecco. I like the sense of celebration, and I want to spend more time celebrating the little stuff. What is your go-to drinkable or edible celebratory treat? Chocolate? Guac? Join me for my year of Yay! We deserve it.

My last major change was the abandoning of all dairy except whole milk options, and a complete, mid-career left turn in media. Yikes. Until my change of media a couple of years ago, I was working, almost exclusively, as a xerographist. There is no Xerography Association, locally, nationally or internationally, to my knowledge. So, I never had the ability to take advantage of media-specific membership. Now that I am a watercolorist, I have more options. However, because I embroider over my paintings, my work is typically considered mixed media by painters and painting by fiber artists. I’m not sure if I’ll ever find a watercolor or fiber art society to call home. Do you have a media association that you love?

One of the benefits of association shows is the prestige. Because they are almost always juried by working master artists, the recognition of your work is meant to be a stamp of approval on your dedication to developing your skills, plus, they often have large cash prizes. There are frequently multiple show opportunities throughout the year as well as educational & critique options that can’t be found anywhere else. THOSE are all great arguments for the next Call, but I’m not an oil painter. If you are, this is a great show.

Check out this Call for Entries for the 28th Annual Nat’l Exhibition from Oil Painters of America to be exhibited at the Illume Gallery of Fine Art (Saint George, UT). $100,000 in awards including $25K Best of Show. Don’t wait…

CALL for ENTRIES:
28th Nat’l Juried
from Oil Painters of America

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ELIGIBILITY: Open to artists residing in the U.S., Canada & Mexico

MEDIA: Representational oil painting

DEADLINE: January 25, 2019

NOTIFICATION: February 22, 2019

ENTRY FEE: $30 for 1, $15 ea. add’l (plus membership fee of $70). More membership information can be found on the OPA website, under the Member Services tab.

JURORS: OPA Master Signature member Kenn Backhaus OPAM

AWARDS: The total awards will be approximately $100,000, including a $25,000 Best In Show.

SALES: Commission of 40% is required by the gallery for all paintings sold.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

CALL for ENTRIES: Artists in Action

Posted on December 4, 2018December 3, 2018 by R.L. Gibson

CRAVING connections

We had three days of Spring-like weather, but Monday was 15° colder than Sunday. Tuesday is predicted to be 21° colder than Monday was. So that means SOUP, predictable, I know. While prepping lunch today I was day dreaming about making my favorite Tom Ka Gai when my eyes scanned a row of go-to cookbooks I keep above my stove. What did I find? The Soupmaker’s Kitchen (not an affiliate link, BTW) by Aliza Green. I don’t know how it ended up in my house, much less on the shelf with my favorites. No one in my house remembers buying it or ever seeing it. Bizarre, no? It contains great advice on stock-making and other best kitchen practices along with some fantastic recipes, and Steve Legato’s photography makes everything look luscious. I cannot wait to make the Hungarian Woodlands Mushroom soup & the Senegalese Peanut and Yam Puree with Ginger. Yum.

While eating lunch, I happened to read this next Call from Annmarie Arts Center. I’ve written about them many times over the years because I am SUCH a fan of this venue. I applied today. This is a “living studio” experience. They split the gallery into 12’x12′ studio spaces for artists for 5 to 14 days, and you work in an open environment with other artists & gallery visitors. They encourage sales, and the commission rate is super low. This is a sort of make your own residency for out of town folks, and more like an production art show for locals. There is some housing available for out-of-towners. I want to use the two weeks to test out some new content and techniques before I head off to Scotland for a month. I hope I make the cut. If you have time & the interest, we may get an opportunity to hang out for a couple of weeks & work together. So exciting. Fingers crossed –for you AND for me.

Check out this Call for Entries from Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center (Solomons, MD) for Artists in Action. $20 entry & 20% commission. What would you do with two weeks of nearly uninterrupted creative time? The deadline is just a day or two away. Here’s your chance…

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CALL for ENTRIES:
Artist in Action
from Annmarie

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“For a few special weeks, from January 11 to February 26, 2019, Annmarie’s spectacular Main Gallery will be transformed into artist studios, where visitors will have the opportunity to observe and interact with artists as they work. This exciting time at the Garden provides a unique retreat and experimental space for artists to develop new works, display and sell their work, to network with other artists, and to share their creative process. ” –from annmariegarden.org

ELIGIBILITY: All artists 18+ living & working in U.S.

MEDIA: Open to all media

DEADLINE: December 7, 2018

NOTIFICATION: December 14, 2018

ENTRY FEE: $20

AWARDS: 12’x12′ studio space for 5 days to 2 weeks and sales opportunities. Housing is available for out of town artists on a first-come first-served basis –a sort of build your own short residency.

SALES: Annmarie will retain a 20% commission of the listed sale price.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

CALL for ENTRIES: 56th Annual Masur

Posted on December 2, 2018December 27, 2018 by R.L. Gibson

the SMOOTH move

I finally have a use for all those black, frozen bananas cluttering my freezer –the afternoon smoothie. I live with two high-metabolism guys, so the 4 o’clock afternoon snack is standard here. I’m not new to the concept of the smoothie, but I am new to making them regularly. Frozen cantaloupe, whole milk yogurt and a melange of other goodies like vanilla, berries, chia seeds. I am frequently still NOT hungry when dinner prep time rolls around. The best part is that they are super fast & have almost no clean up, giving me less distraction and fewer avoidance excuses.

I need fewer reasons to make excuses. Do you hibernate from responsibility when overwhelmed? Me too. I am a member of a handful of online artistic communities, and I read all the bickering about what shows are worth entering and which aren’t. No one seems to see different paths. Everyone seems to have divided up into teams “realism” vs. “abstraction”, “fine art” vs. “applied arts”. Where are you? And why can’t your decision be based on where YOU are or where you want to be? Right now, I am interested mainly in academic and museum shows because this is a period of growth and change. What shows feel right to you? Are you concentrating on publication? Are you testing new work in online venues? Are you searching for gallery representation or maybe higher volume commercial sales? All of those paths are valid. Don’t get sucked into the guilt of not fulfilling the vision someone else has for what being a successful artist means. (Remind me to talk about Insta-worthy studios sometime.)

Check out this Call for Entries for the 56th Annual Juried Exhibition from the Masur Museum of Art (Monroe, LA). $20 Entry & no commission. This is a stunning museum show with a storied history. The juror has excellent curatorial vision. I think this is a great opportunity, but is it the right fit for you? Have a smoothie and get back to me. 🙂

CALL or ENTRIES:
56th Annual Juried
from Masur Museum

ELIGIBILITY: Open to all US artists 18+

MEDIA: Open to all media

DEADLINE: January 2, 2019 (extended)

NOTIFICATION: February 1, 2018

ENTRY FEE: $20 for 2, $10 ea. add’l (5 max.)

JUROR: Catherine Futter is the Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, MO. Futter has curated a number of permanent collection installations of European and American art from medieval to the present, organized exhibitions that highlight living artists, and also has led the museum’s efforts to spark an area conversation about creating a cultural district in midtown Kansas City. Futter’s specialty is with European and American Decorative arts from 1850-present, and she has previously held positions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Yale Center for British Art, and the Chrysler Museum of Art.

AWARDS: Best in Show is $1,000, and total awards are $3,200. The People’s Choice Award is $200.00 and will be voted on by visitors throughout the run of the exhibition. Best Packed: $100 This award will honor for the artist who packs their art in the most professional manner. ♥

SALES: The Masur Museum of Art does not receive a commission on sales.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

CHANGES for the NEW YEAR!

Posted on November 27, 2018November 28, 2018 by R.L. Gibson

CHEERS to change

I seem to always anticipate being done with the year, exhausted & ready for the idea of a fresh start do-over. This year I feel a subtle, but significant change. I am excited for the new year. 2018 has been hard and uncomfortable and has brought anxiety and fear and embarrassment AND GROWTH. My work has grown by leaps and bounds. Where are you? I fell into a rut and found my work technically more proficient, but I was creating without joy.

I languished. I talked with my friends & peers. Everyone had a story, but no one had a solution. I finally realized that it was fear that was holding me back. There is safety in the clear, known action. After 20 years, I changed media. I’ve coached a lot of artists on how to do it. Easy, right? Yeah, not. It feels like artistic, metaphorical puberty. Painful. The difference is that I now know there is something on the other side puberty. And, I can’t wait.

So, cheers to the new year. Raise a glass of whatever you crave, my current obsession is Prosecco, and let’s celebrate possibility. I’m scared but willing to gamble. How about you? That isn’t a rhetorical question. AAAD is about to change…

Have you noticed the lack of posts? I am busy. You are too. And, I’m not trying to sell the cult of busy. I am creating and screwing up and scheduling and dreaming. There hasn’t been use value in my posts FOR ME, so I have been avoiding them doing them at all, despite knowing that they ARE useful to some of you. Self-absorbed, but honest. How do we resolve this problem? My solution is to make these posts a part of my practice and process. Change is necessary but still scary.

So… food segues remain, calls remain, subscriptions remain free. Content will be less formal, more personal. Visuals will be simpler, colors softer. Some sharing of my own work (oh, the scandal) and some of yours too. ♥ I want to weigh the pros & cons of calls and opportunities for me, personally, in the hopes that my painful transparency makes you think about some portion of your own journey differently. We can’t all be on the same journey, but we all have the same issues with different food and geography and destination.

I don’t know exactly how all of this is going to look; be prepared for some trial and error. Tell me what works and what doesn’t. Tell me your stories and how your experience applies. Want to help? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Insta, wherever you are. Give us a thumbs up, like or re-post. Interact. We don’t need the social media boost, just YOU.

Category: call for submissions