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Open Call for Artwork

For a printable version of this page, click here.

ArtsFund invites King County artists at all levels of practice and community members to submit images of finished artwork that creatively illustrates the positive impact arts can have in our community.

In King County, while many are aware of the great work arts, cultural, and heritage organizations are doing on stages, in galleries, and in public spaces, there is less awareness of the important ways arts are advancing community priorities. In the fall of 2018, ArtsFund is releasing a Social Impact Study documenting the positive impacts of the arts in advancing community priorities and is seeking pre-existing or newly created artworks to illustrate the report.

Submissions are invited in each of the following areas:

-Youth and Education
-Health and Wellness
-Neighborhood Vitality

Arts and arts-based strategies are valuable tools in addressing racial and social injustice and bridging the cultural divide. Submissions that represent the diversity of King County are strongly encouraged.

Through research, data, stories, and the artworks selected, ArtsFund’s study will show that arts involvement improves academic and social outcomes for youth across socio-economic status; in and out of medical settings, arts have direct impact on individual and community health, leading to longer lives, better lived; and arts in neighborhoods are linked to positive social determinants and community cohesion. ArtsFund is looking for submissions that will symbolize and provide an artistic narrative for each area, showing why arts and culture matter in King County.

AWARD

One artist in each area will received a $1,000 award for the non-exclusive reproduction rights. These three selected works will be featured in publications and presentations related to the study, both digital and online, as well as on the ArtsFund website.

Additional submissions in each category will also be selected to be featured on the ArtsFund website in an online gallery.

DEADLINE

Submissions will be accepted starting at 9:00 am PDT on Tuesday, July 17, 2018. Applications are due by August 31, 2018 at 11:59pm PDT. Applications submitted after deadline will not be accepted.

ABOUT ARTSFUND

ArtsFund is a Seattle-based nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the community by strengthening the arts.  Through leadership, advocacy, and grantmaking, ArtsFund supports a network of over 120 arts and cultural organizations in throughout the Central Puget Sound Region. Since its founding in 1969, has awarded more than $81.6 Million in grants. For more information about ArtsFund, click here.

CHARACTERISTICS of Successful Submissions

Artwork will be selected on the basis of the following primary criteria: artistic merit and articulation of the theme. The panel may also consider other information provided in the application.

ArtsFund welcomes submissions of all art and visual media that can be represented two-dimensionally in print and online. This includes (but is not limited to) paintings, drawings, graphic images, photographs, storyboards, collage/mixed media, etc.

Although your piece must relate to the given area, feel free to think about these areas broadly. Also, your work does not need to specifically allude to King County.

Strong submissions will not just be documentation of work that fits each theme, but an artistic representation of it. The strongest submissions will be images that celebrate the arts’ role in the particular area and that would provide strong visuals online, in print, or projected.

Artworks that contain graphic depictions of violence, sexually explicit imagery, and/or nudity are discouraged.

Note: Artworks may need to be resized or cropped depending on the medium in which it will be used; however the work will not be substantially altered from its original form. In all instances, the work will be displayed with full attribution. See call rules for more information.

Selection and Notification

A three-member panel will make the selection:

-Pete Dapper, Founder and Creative Director, Dapper Ad 
-Bryan Ohno, Artist and President & Director of Bryan Ohno Gallery
-Alane Simons, Artist and Photographer

The panel will select three awardees, one in each area, who will receive $1,000. These three artworks, as well as additional selected artworks, will also be featured on ArtsFund’s website in an online gallery. All notifications regarding application status will be provided via email. Winners and those selected for inclusion in the online gallery will be notified of the selection panel’s decisions in early September 2018.  The results will not otherwise be made public until the release of ArtsFund’s Social Impact Study in October, 2018.

Eligibility and Limitations

-This call is open anyone who lives or works in King County and is over 13 years of age; applications by individuals aged 13-18 requires a parental consent form.

-Only original artwork created by the applicant is eligible.

-Submission of existing artwork is encouraged; however, the applicant must have full ownership of and rights to the piece and, if selected, will grant ArtsFund rights to use the image into perpetuity. See full details in call rules. In all instances, the work will be displayed with full attribution.

-All submissions must come from a single person (no groups or teams).

-You may submit one piece per category; however, you may not receive awards in multiple categories.

-Current ArtsFund Board members, Advisory Committee members, employees, and the immediate family members of all of the above are not eligible to apply.

-ArtsFund reserves the right not to select any of the applicants.

-Selection and funding are contingent upon a signed Letter of Agreement between the artist and ArtsFund and submission of a W9.

Please see the full call rules, available here, for additional rules and guidelines.

Application

The application will be available here starting July 17, 2018 at 9:00 am PDT. Click here for a PDF of the application. Please only submit one piece per area (maximum of three submissions).

Questions?

Click here to see answers to frequently asked questions, and click here to see call rules. For any other questions about this call, the Social Impact Study, or the submission form, please contact Casey Moser at opencall@artsfund.org.