CALL TO ARTISTS

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: JURIED YOUTH ART EXHIBITION AT OXYGEN ART CENTRE

If I Can’t Dance To It, It’s Not My Revolution

Schedule of Events

Submission Deadline: 28 February 2020, by 5:00 PM (PST)

Response: 15 March 2020

Exhibition: 17 April – 16 May 2020

Young artists (ages 15-24) are invited to submit visual or media artwork to be considered for a professional juried exhibition at Oxygen Art Centre opening in April 2020.  We invite young artists to select finished work or produce new work that addresses the theme: If I Can’t Dance To It, It’s Not My Revolution. The deadline to submit an application is Friday, February 28, 2020.

The juried group exhibition’s title is in part derived from a similar phrase by feminist anarchist and writer, Emma Goldman (1869-1940), and further appropriated by Toronto-based band, DOOMSQUAD on their album, “Let Yourself Be Seen” (2019). If I Can’t Dance To It, It’s Not My Revolution invokes the hope and horror of the contemporary moment with fantastic contradiction that comes with being a young person today. For significant social change to be effective it needs to engage the creative cortex, one that includes both the mind and the heart. It is a reminder that creative people make the best revolutionaries—and perhaps even the best dancers.

Questions to consider might include: As a young Kootenay artist, how do you respond to your environmental, political, and/or historical placements?  How does living in or originating from the Kootenay region influence your art practice and perspective? How do you contend with the contradictions of experience as a young person today through your visual art practice?

This exhibition will pay professional artist fees and is open to young artists working in all mediums: painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, installation, video, sound, crafts, and performance art. We encourage artists to respond to this call in an innovative manner, from the context of their own practice and interests.

Oxygen Art Centre is integral to the regional arts community as a steppingstone for professional artists. Taking part in this exhibition call is a wonderful opportunity to build professional experience at all levels and to share your practice with the wider community.

Submissions will be accepted by mail, email, or hand delivery and should be addressed to the Oxygen Art Centre.

By email: info@oxygenartcentre.org ATTN: Juried Youth Art Show Submission
By mail or drop off:  Oxygen Art Centre, #3A – 320 Vernon Street Nelson B.C.  V1L 4E4

Deadline: Received by 5:00 PM (PST), 28 February 2020

Applicants will be notified of results by 15 March 2020

Submission Guidelines:

• Curriculum Vitae (maximum two pages)
• Artist Bio including a statement about your connection to the Kootenays or the exhibition theme (maximum 2 paragraphs)
• 5 to 10 images (jpeg format with a resolution of 72 dpi) of the work intended for exhibition or related/recent work, or equivalent media files. For media or performance work submit direct links or DVD in .avi, .mov, .mpg, .mpeg format. Do not send video files electronically.
• Image List with image numbers, artist name, title of work, date, medium and dimensions.
• Artist’s Statement describing the proposed or completed work intended for the exhibition (max 500 words)

Oxygen Art Centre is an artist-run centre in Nelson, BC. Oxygen provides space and programming for artists and the public to engage in the creation, study, exhibition, and performance of contemporary art. Oxygen Art Centre endeavours to stimulate the creation, exhibition and discussion of contemporary art in all disciplines; to stimulate rural cultural development and professional practices in rural artists; to engage in community development through arts-based projects and to achieve diversity in all programming.

Oxygen Art Centre is committed to ensuring all exhibitions, programs, and events are accessible to visitors. Our facilities are wheelchair accessible and equipped with an accessible all-genders washroom. Please contact Oxygen if you have any questions or concerns about your visit.

The goals of Oxygen Art Centre’s Juried Youth Art show are to:

• Encourage East and West Kootenay youth to pursue their artistic talents and interests, and those of their peers in a professional and meaningful way that can be celebrated by the community at large
• Provide professional references and pay professional CARFAC fees to youth selected for the exhibition.
• Provide opportunities for young artists to receive public support and feedback, and to present their ideas in a professional context through the exhibition and artist talks
• Provide the opportunity for young artists and the general public to critically reflect on regional identity through a thematic exhibition
• To stimulate rural cultural development and professional practices for young rural artists
• Build creative networks throughout the East and West Kootenays by engaging regional arts organizations and institutions

Questions about Oxygen Art Centre’s Juried Youth Arts show submission guidelines or eligibility can be directed to: info@oxygenartcentre.org