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Call to Artists: STRUGGLE + STRENGTH

Presented by Tacoma Art Walk and Tacoma Art Museum

Regional Artistic Response Show

Submission Deadline: Midnight on Sunday, October 18, 2015
Opening Party at Post Hall: November 19, 2015
STRUGGLE + STRENGTH on View at Tacoma Art Museum: December 9 – January 10


STRUGGLE + STRENGTH

Tacoma Art Walk invites Pacific Northwest artists to submit work to be included in the upcoming show STRUGGLE + STRENGTH, which will be on display during Tacoma’s Art Walk November 19, 2015 and from December 9 – January 10 at Tacoma Art Museum as a community art installation. This show creates an opportunity to respond on the local level to Art AIDS America, which will be on view at the Tacoma Art Museum October 3, 2015 – January 10, 2016.

Submitted artwork should reference themes of struggle, strength, and/or HIV/AIDS.  Artwork of any medium is eligible, including 2D, 3D, performance, and video.

To Apply

Please send the following items as attachments to Athena Hitson at Tacomaartwalk@hmail.com:

  • CV/Resume, including phone number, email, and mailing address.
  • 1 to 3 pieces can be submitted, depending on how they relate to each other. Also state if pieces can be taken separately
  • 1 to 3 jpeg images of the artwork or series to be included in the exhibition.
  • A description of the proposed work including title, dimensions, medium, sale price (if for sale), and a short narrative description. The narrative description should include some of the following: relation to the topic, the intent behind your work, artistic process, or personal experiences. If the work requires special equipment (projector, etc.), please let us know what is needed and if the artist can provide it.
  • Optional: A short quote about your piece that can include details about the intent behind your work, artistic process, or personal experiences.

If a work is purchased during the show, Tacoma Art Walk asks for a 20% commission to support Tacoma Art Walk programming and offset the cost of the show.

Eligibility

Applicants may apply as a single artist or as an artist team. Applicants must reside in Pacific Northwest. Works in any medium will be considered. If an artist is selected, the work must be ready for display by November 6, 2015. Artists can submit up to 2 works – if you submit 2 works, please note if they are intended as a series.

If Selected

Selected artists will be invited to submit one piece or a series to be shown in STRUGGLE + STRENGTH, which will debut at Post Hall with an opening party on November 19, then be on view at Tacoma Art Museum from December 9 – January 10. Selected artists and friends are welcome to come to a closing reception on Thursday, December 17 from 5-7:30pm.

Selected works must be in hand by November 6. Artists may:
-Drop off the work(s) at Post Hall, located at 1102 A St #450, Tacoma, WA 98402. When you arrive, take the 12th Street elevator to the 4th floor. Drop off times must be coordinated in advance with Athena Hitson (Tacomaartwalk@hmail.com).
-Art can be mailed to Athena Hitson at: 1210 N. Pine Tacoma, WA 98406

All work must be ready for display, including hanging wires for 2-D pieces. For 3-D submissions, artist will need to provide a detailed plan for displaying the work. If framed, the measurements including the frame may not exceed 40 inches in any direction.


About  Art AIDS America

HIV/AIDS has touched nearly every American in some way. This fall, Tacoma Art Museum will present Art AIDS America, a groundbreaking exhibition that underscores the deep and unforgettable presence of HIV in American art. Ten years in the making, the exhibition of more than 115 works debuts at TAM on Saturday, October 3, 2015.

Since its discovery, AIDS has shaped art, politics, medicine, and pop culture. This is the first comprehensive overview exclusively focused on 30 years of art made in response to the epidemic in the United States, and the impact on the development of American art as a whole. It introduces and explores the whole spectrum of artistic responses to AIDS, from the politically outspoken to the quietly mournful, surveying works from the early 1980s to the present.

Visiting  Art AIDS America

Friends and colleagues are welcome to visit Art AIDS America free of charge on Third Thursday, October 15 from 5-8pm. Artists are encouraged to mingle, grab a complimentary drink, and listen to a presentation by artist and activist Micha Cardenas called “HIV, Violence, and Trans Women of Color.”


Opening Party Venu for STRUGGLE + STRENGTH

Post Hall is a beautiful event venue on the south-side of the Tacoma Post Office Building. It retains the original court house architecture, which has been freshly remodeled with an open floor plan of 2,100 square feet. For more information about Post Hall and rental opportunities, visit: http://www.post-hall.com/


Key Dates

  • October 4 – Art AIDS America open to the public
  • October 15, 5-8pm – Free admission to Art AIDS America and free artist talk from Micha Cardenas
  • October 18 – Art submission application due
  • October 21 – Jury to review the submissions and select works for the show
  • October 23 – Jury to inform artists of the selections
  • November 6 – All art must be received at Post Hall by this date
  • November 19, 7pm – Reception at Post Hall
  • December 9-18 – STRUGGLE + STRENGTH on view at Tacoma Art Museum
  • December 17, 5:30-7:30pm – Closing reception at Tacoma Art Museum

Related Events

    • October 4 – Talk from Art AIDS America co-curator Jonathan Katz at TAM
    • October 15 –– Artists can view the exhibition for free on Thursday, October 15 from 5-8pm.
    • November 19 – STRUGGLE + STRENGTH reception at Post Hall
    • December 17, 5:30-7:30pm – STRUGGLE + STRENGTH reception at Tacoma Art Museum

QUESTIONS?

Please direct TAM-related inquiries to Britt Board at bboard@tacomaartmuseum.org.
Questions related to STRUGGLE + STRENGTH logistics, selection process, marketing, and press can be sent to Athena Hitson at Tacomaartwalk@hmail.com


Image credit:  LADZ (John Arsenault and Adrian Gilliland) (Arsenault born 1971, Gilliland born 1980), Eden #31, 2012. Chromogenic color print, 32 í— 52 ½ inches. Courtesy of the artists.