Calls for Artists

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Image Credit: Symbiosis by Kristina Goransson

About Our Curator:

Kristina Goransson spent her childhood in Sweden, before moving to the US, where she earned a BFA in furniture from the Rhode Island School of Design and her graduate degree in Fibers from the University of Massachusetts. Kristina served as artist-in-residence at Oregon Collage of Art and Craft, Paducah Art Alliance, and Pentaculum 2019. She is a working artist, teacher, and curator. Kristina’s artwork can be found in the book 500 Felt Objects. Learn more about Kristina at annakristinagoransson.com.

Labor of Life: Textiles & Fibers

Curated by Kristina Goransson

Arlington Center for the Arts is seeking submissions for its upcoming 2023 exhibition Labor of Life: Textiles & Fibers. Textiles have been the basis for civilization and innovation since the beginning of human existence. The techniques used in textiles are time consuming, whether it is weaving cloth for a viking sail, knitting a sweater, or embroidering a story. The intricate craftsmanship associated with textiles go back as far as prehistory and continue through to today. Textiles have become so ingrained in our lives, that the immensity of innovation and the importance of its cultural impact has gotten lost along the way.

For this call, we are asking artists to submit works that speak to this labor of life and love; that show the craftsmanship, innovation, and beauty that goes into creating works using textiles techniques.

There will be two prizes given out during this exhibition: one audience's choice prize and one juror's prize!

IMPORTANT DATES:

Deadline to Submit: Sunday, November 27, 2022

Announce Selected Art: Monday, December 19, 2022

Art Drop Off: Tuesday, January 24, 2023, 8am-6:30pm

Exhibition Opens: Thursday, February 2, 2023

Opening Reception: Thursday, February 9, 6pm-7:30 pm

Exhibition Ends: Thursday March 30, 2023

Art Pick up: Friday, March 31, 2023

Submission Requirements:

There is a $30 submission fee
Artists may submit up to three pieces for consideration
All fiber and textile techniques and media are eligible
Please be prepared to provide an artist statement for each submission
Work must be ready to hang, installed, or displayed. Specific display needs must be specified and provided by the artist.
Site-specific proposals are welcome, but there is no guarantee we can accommodate. Please reach out to cat@acarts.org if you have any questions.
There is a height restriction of 6 feet tall. There are limited opportunities for anything taller than 6 feet (see site-specific proposals).

Submissions are now closed for this opportunity

Offsite Exhibit Program

Interested in exhibiting your work at local businesses and venues around Arlington, MA? The Arlington Center for the Arts has well-established relationships with many local business owners and cultural partners who are looking to display locally-made artwork in their public spaces. The ACA Offsite Exhibit Program is an artist bank that the ACA manages and presents to our local partners annually, and arranges exhibitions of selected artists work in these spaces for 3-6 months at a time.

How It Works:

Our exhibits team reviews the submissions on a rolling basis as requests are made from the community for local art.
Artists who are selected from this bank will be contacted by our Operations Manager, Pam Shanley who will review the opportunity for exhibition, and if accepted by the artist, will coordinate the artwork selection, installation, publicity, and reception for each artist.
Submitting to the Offsite Exhibit Program does not guarantee an exhibition opportunity.
Once an artist submits their work to the form, they are added permanently to the bank, but they are invited to reach out to ACA staff after a period of one (1) year if they have updates to their portfolio and have not yet been selected.
Opportunities for exhibition range from a few pieces of art by one artist, to a large-scale exhibition featuring multiple artists.

How to Submit:

Please complete the form below and be prepared to provide between 5-10 images of your work.
Preference will be given to local artists.
Exhibit opportunities are available for a range of large (10’ and under) medium (48” and under) and small (12” and under) sizes, and price points. All types of 2-D work is acceptable (painting, printmaking, photography, drawings, etc) as well as 3-D work that can be installed on a wall (fiber art, ceramics, etc).
Unfortunately we cannot accommodate free-standing 3-D work at this time.
All exhibited work will need to be ready-to-hang (wired, no saw hooks) prior to installation.
The ACA takes a 30% commission and Artists will receive a 70% commission on all artwork sold during their placement.