Call for Artists

At the Arts Council of New Westminster, we live and work on the unceded, traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the QayQayt (qiqéyt) Nation as well as all Coast Salish Nations.

THE GALLERY AT QUEEN’S PARK
EXHIBITION APPLICATION PACKAGE

CALL FOR ARTISTS 2019

The Arts Council of New Westminster aims to have exhibitions that feature a variety of visual arts by a wide range of artists from the Metro Vancouver region. The exhibition program aims to reflect both the cultural and artistic diversity of contemporary art and to serve as an educational forum for the citizens of New Westminster and surrounding communities. This program is open to applications from both established and emerging artists.

Arts Council wishes to highlight how diverse our community is, and in order to break down any exclusionary barriers and create a platform for marginalized voices, artists on the LGBTQ spectrum, non-binary artists, artists of colour, Indigenous artists, and disabled artists, are strongly encouraged to submit.

Submissions will be received up to 4:00pm on
Friday August 31, 2018

Overview:

The ACNW operates a picturesque gallery in the Centennial Lodge, Queen’s Park known as The Gallery at Queen’s Park, which features a wide range of visual arts by local and emerging artists in exhibitions which change monthly.

This Call is for monthly exhibitions between February 2019 and November 2019. Exhibitions typically open on the first Wednesday of each month and generally close on the last Sunday of the month.

The Gallery at Queen’s Park has two exhibition rooms:  The Eileen Montague Room (Main Gallery Space) and the Lower Studio (Lower Gallery Space) with a total linear hanging space of about 28 m (90 ft).  Please indicate in your application if you are applying for an exhibition in the Main Gallery Space, the Lower Gallery Space, or both. Those applying for only one space may be paired with another artist during the exhibition period.

Artwork must be suitably framed, ready for hanging, or, if three-dimensional, appropriately mounted or otherwise ready for presentation.

As a community gallery, the gallery’s opening hours are maintained by volunteer staff, therefore the Artists selected for exhibitions will be expected to provide assistance in sitting the Gallery on all Saturday and Sundays from 1-5pm for the duration of their exhibition.

Eligibility:

• To apply to this Call, you are not required to be a member of the Arts Council of New Westminster.
• To exhibit, you must be a current member of the Arts Council of New Westminster at the time of your exhibition.
• Artists whose work has already been exhibited in the gallery are invited to apply, allowing a 3-year interim between applications.

PLEASE NOTE:  The proposed exhibition submission must not have been showcased in New Westminster in the preceding 12 months, nor (upon acceptance) be displayed in any other New Westminster gallery during the exhibiting year.

Budget:

• The Council does not charge for exhibiting, nor does it pay an artist to exhibit. The Council receives a 25% donation on sales of work in the Gallery.
• The Gallery at Queen’s Park will pay an honorarium of $75 for public programming during the exhibition, a part of the Inter/action Artist Learning Series.

How to Apply for an Exhibition:

The Gallery Exhibitions Selection Committee (GESC) meets once a year, in September, to consider applications for the following years. A well-prepared proposal helps in the selection.

To be considered at the next GESC meeting, please submit the following:

• A selection of 8-10 digital images of proposed work you wish to exhibit. Digital images should be jpg format at 150 dpi; each image should be a maximum of 800 x 600 pixels. Image files should be clearly labelled with your Name, the Title of Work, Size in inches and Medium. Example: Artist-Title-Size-Medium.jpg
• Contact information (mailing address, phone number, email, website). In this document, please provide a clear and concise statement explaining which space you are applying for (Main, Lower, Both)
• An Artist Statement giving your aims and objectives as an artist in relation to your work.
• A Curriculum Vitae (3 pages max.) to establish a better understanding of your background and experience.
• A written proposal for public programming to be produced and hosted by the artist at the Gallery. The public programming event must take place during regular posted open hours, on a Sunday, during the exhibit. Proposed public programming may be events such as an artist talk, performance art, theoretical or technical seminar, live drawing/painting, social practice etc.

Please include all written material as PDF files and submit via email to gallery@acnw.ca with “Exhibition Submission – The Gallery at Queen’s Park” in the subject line. Please ensure that attachments total less than 5MB.

Deadlines for submission is 4:00pm on Friday August 31, 2018. Applications will not be rolled over. To be considered for an application for the following year, please re-apply.

The Selection/Exhibition Process:

The GESC will meet in September 2018 to consider all applications received. All applications will receive a reply by email, stating whether the work has been accepted.  If your application has been successful, you will be contacted by telephone, an exhibition date will be confirmed, and a contract will be sent to you. This contract will outline your responsibilities and providing other details and dates.  A signed contract is required before the exhibition can proceed.

Application Tips:

• Be sure that all documents include your name, a working title of the proposed exhibition and complete contact information; phone number, email address, website and postal code.
• Email submissions are preferred. For physical submissions, please phone the gallery at 604-525-3244 for equitable access procedures.
• DO NOT send composite images or prepared slideshows
• Please test all documents on a PC computer to ensure compatibility

Submit your application via email to: gallery@acnw.ca

Estimated Timeline:

July 1                              Call to Artists Launched
August 31                       Deadline to submit
Mid-September            Gallery Exhibition Selection Committee meets
Early October               Artists contacted
Late October                 Exhibition dates confirmed, contracts signed and returned
February – Nov 2019  Exhibition Schedule

Contact:

All enquiries should be directed to:
Samantha Newton, Gallery Coordinator
Phone: 604 525 3244
gallery@acnw.ca

For complete information on how to apply for an exhibition, please refer to the Exhibition Application package.
For more information about The Gallery at Queen’s Park, visit www.acnw.ca/gallery