Artist Opportunities May 2013

We have a lot of recent graduates out there (congratulations, all!), and you may be wondering what to do with that art degree.  One of the easiest ways to get your feet wet in the art world is apply to a few juried shows.  If you get in, it can be a great resume booster, but also just a good learning experience in general.  If you’ve already got a portfolio organized, you can start with our 16th Annual National Small Works–the call for entries ends tonight at midnight.  If you need a little more time, check out these upcoming opportunities:

Press Room Mini Solos:  Ok, we had to plug one more of our own.  We are seeking artists age 18+ working in printmaking, papermaking, and book arts for our 2014 Press Room exhibition season.  This 10×17 former vault is a great place to show a suite of prints or the beginning of a new body of work.  Applications are due August 17.

14th Annual Will’s Creek Survey-put on by the Allegheny Arts Council in Maryland, this exhibition is a juried exhibition of contemporary artwork that is open to visual artists from across the United States, juried this year by Lauren Schell Dickens: assistant curator of contemporary art at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.  Over $5,000 in artist awards (including $2,000 for Best of Show) are at stake.  Entry deadline is July 1.

Vox IX: An exhibition of emerging artists at Vox Populi Gallery, this year’s jurors are artist Hilary Harkness and arts writer Hunter Braithwaite.  There are no prizes, but Vox takes no commission on any sales made.  Deadline is June 7.

Press Room Mini Solos 2014

“Entanglements” by Robin Gibson

We’ve had (and have scheduled) some great Press Room shows for 2013, including the current exhibition, In My Nature by Robin Gibson.  Are you a printmaker interested in having a show in the Press Room this year?  It’s great for a student (or student group) just starting to build a resume of solo shows, for an artist wishing to exhibit a smaller body of work or a specific suite of prints, or for someone who wants to try out something that’s a little more experimental–we’re really looking forward to the multi-media installation by Refugee Art Project next month!  As long as the work is 75% related to paper-making, print arts, or book arts, we’ll consider it.  There is NO FEE to apply!  Deadline is August 17, and notifications go out in mid-September.  Want more information? Check out the full prospectus on our website.

NSW Deadline EXTENDED

NSW 2012 Grand Prize Winner: “Not the Center of the Universe” by Cianna Valley (California), etching, aquatint, and spitbite.

Director Annie Newman will be out of town on the original deadline–which just didn’t seem fair for anyone having any last-minute registration problems.   So, we’ve extended the deadline to Wednesday, May 22 for National Small Works Entries. Remember, this year’s juror is Philippa Hughes of the Pinkline Project and the grand prize is a solo show in August of 2014.  You can read about our other prizes, as well as how to apply, at our website.

ISO Part Time Gallery Director

Hi all, its me, Director Annie Newman.  My husband and I are moving with our two dogs back to my hometown of Charlottesville for a little country living.  Leaving WPG will be one of the hardest things about the move–but it will be made a whole lot easier if we find a great new director!  So, send in your application or pass this on to friends you think would be a good match.  All details, below:

Washington Printmakers Gallery is a co-op gallery with 27 years of dedication to contemporary, hand-pulled prints.  Hosting between 30 and 40 local, regional, and national printmakers, WPG puts on approximately 8 solo shows a year of members’ work, in addition to several specialty group exhibitions and a monthly members’ exhibition.

The Gallery Director is responsible for day-to-day management of the gallery, as well as pursuing larger projects in conjunction with the artist membership, with the end goal of furthering the gallery’s mission of promoting hand-pulled, contemporary print arts.

This is a part time position of 27 hours per week: Wednesday/Thursday 12-6, Friday 12-7, and Saturday 10-5.  Distribution of hours may be flexible depending upon the Director’s needs.  A base salary of $12,600 is supplemented by commission on sales.

Roles and Responsibilities:

The Gallery Director is responsible for:

• Being present at the gallery during opening hours, or ensuring there is competent coverage,
• Hosting events related to the exhibitions, specifically opening receptions (usually the first Saturday of the month) or artist talks,
• Processing sales of artwork on display at the gallery or in any affiliate shows,
• Keeping accurate records alongside the accountant,
• Writing catalogs, designing postcards, drafting press releases, and creating any other media required for exhibitions at the gallery or any affiliate shows,
• Maintaining the Gallery’s social media presence in an active and engaging way through Twitter, Facebook, Constant Contact, etc,
• Writing grants and fundraising reports for WPG’s sister non-profit, Washington Print Foundation (WPF),
• Managing and soliciting additional funds from private donors or other sources for WPF,
• Attend the monthly meetings (usually the last Sunday of the month) to inform the artist membership of all gallery activities and discuss any other relevant matters.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate for Gallery Director will possess the following qualities:

• Completed an arts-related Bachelor’s degree or higher education,
• Knowledge of printmaking,
• Proficiency with Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Publisher, and/or other publishing software,
• Familiarity with area arts and non-profit organizations and practices, including the Maryland Cultural Data Project,
• Direct responsibility for financial, promotional, and/or fundraising management in an arts organization or non-profit setting,
• Experience leading a large board or other diverse group of people to timely consensus on important matters,
• Independent, driven working style and outgoing personality.

 To apply, please send a cover letter detailing any relevant experience or skills you could bring to the job, a resume including professional experience and accomplishments, a writing sample (see below), and three professional contacts to info@washingtonprintmakers.com with “Director Application” in the subject.  An email confirmation acknowledging receipt of your application will be sent during regular gallery hours.  No phone calls, please.

Directions for the writing sample: Chose two artists from the Washington Printmakers Gallery website and write a mock press release for a two person exhibition.

 

National Small Works Update

NSW 2012 Grand Prize Winner: “Not the Center of the Universe” by Cianna Valley (California), etching, aquatint, and spitbite.

We are about 3 weeks out from the National Small Works application deadline.  That sounds like a long time, but we’re about to hit a busy time of year–graduations, weddings, Mother’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, the battle against allergies–these are just a few things that might distract you from getting your prints submitted in time.  So, we suggest going online this weekend to submit your application.  This year’s juror is Philippa Hughes, founder of the Pink Line Project and DC Commissioner for the Arts and Humanities.  If she picks your work for the show, you’re in the running for a solo show in 2014, a $200 purchase award from Graphic Chemical & Ink, Co, and more.  So, document your work if you haven’t already, and submit your prints to get in the running!

Cool stuff going on at Wesley Seminary

“The Exposure of Luxury” – several prints along with the plate itself (second from Left) by Trudi Y. Ludwig

We love the Henry Luce III Center for the Arts and Religion at Wesley Theological Seminary in NW DC.  WPG artist Trudi Y. Ludwig completed the carving for her (life-size!) print The Exposure of Luxury while a resident there last year, and we’re excited to see WPG members Margaret Adams Parker and Ellen Verdon Winkler as the printmaking residents there in upcoming semesters.

Beyond that, they sent us an email choc-full of wonderful opportunities we’d like to pass on.  First, a fascinating-sounding lecture by Dr. Patrick Madigan entitled “Expressive Individualism, the Cult of the Artist as Genius, and Milton’s Lucifer,” which discusses the character in question as well as the West’s obsession with “Expressive Individualism” will take place on Thursday, April 25, from 12-3 pm.

While there, check out Dadian Gallery for the current exhibition Rites and Remedies by Paul Rooda.  Using found objects and discarded Bibles, Rooda comments upon the intersection of faith and medicine.  This exhibition will be up through May 24.

Finally, if you are an artist, The Luce Center is looking for artist residents.  This generous residency carries the potential for on-campus housing and a work stipend, in addition to one free Wesley class per semester.  Hurry the deadline for applications is May 15!  The application can be viewed/downloaded here.

Two Weeks Until the NSW Early Bird Deadline

Thinking about applying to National Small Works?  You have two more weeks to submit up to 4 images for $20.  After April 17, it goes up to $30/4 images. No matter when you submit, additional images are $5 each.  The final deadline is 11:59 pm on May 18.

This year’s juror is Philippa Hughes, founder and Chief Creative Contrarian of the Pink Line Project (as well as being famous this time of year for the recent Cherry Blast party).  Ms. Hughes is also a DC Commissioner for the Arts.

First prize is a solo show in August 2014 at Washington Printmakers Gallery.  Additional prizes are awarded as well.  You can read more about the competition, the exhibition, and how to apply on our website.  Good luck!

Study Papermaking in Fabriano

It’s time to sign up for Pyramid Atlantic’s “Paper, Print, and Book,” an international arts adventure and study art making in the tradition of the Italians.  This two-week course (June 18-July 3) lead by artist Lynn Sures focuses on:

• Studying Papermaking, including line and chiaroscuro watermarks, with master papermaker Luigi Mecella in the Museum of Paper and Watermark papermill;
• Learning traditional Italian Bookbinding in the museum’s bindery with master bookbinder Giuseppe Baldinelli;
• Mastering printmaking techniques offered by Roberto Stelluti, celebrated local etcher represented in the collection of the Uffizi in Florence, in his own exceptional studio.

There is limited space on this trip, and the deadline for signing up is April 1.  Cost is $3,000, which includes tuition and most materials, hotel with full breakfast in the historic center, transportation on most field trips. (It does not include roundtrip transportation from the US to Fabriano or Rome, or travel insurance.)  Interested in going or need more information?  Contact Jose at jdominguez (at) pyramid-atlantic (dot) org.

Residencies!

While doing research on available grants, we came across so many residencies!  So many that we think no artist who wants to do a residency shouldn’t be able to do one. (Did we get all the negatives right in that sentence?  Anyway, you get our drift.)  There are residencies for printmakers, for sculptors, for dancers and choreographers, for writers, for LGBT artists, for disabled artists, for artists specializing in access for disabled citizens, residencies in France, Germany, and of course, state-specific residencies for artists of each state.  We were working from a book (the Foundation Center’s internet was down), so haven’t visited each of these websites, but we bet if you just copy and paste them into a search engine you’d find them pretty quickly.  Here’s a few to check out, in no particular order:

• Weir Farm Trust
• Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Creative Fellowships
• Anderson Cetner for Interdisciplinary Studies
• Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop
• Women’s Studio Workshop
• Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
• Djerassi Arts Program
• Montalvo Arts Program
• Regdale Program
• Terra Foundation for American Art
• Evergreen House Foundation
• Camargo Foundation
• A Room of Her Own
• Baltimore Clayworks
• Corporation of Yaddo
• Pyramid Atlantic Artist in Residency Program

And, if you can’t find what you want there, check out the Foundation Center or New York Foundation for the Arts’ Source program (definitely NOT just for NY artists!) and we’re sure you’ll find just the residency you want. Happy hunting!

National Small Works 2013

NSW 2012 Grand Prize Winner: “Not the Center of the Universe” by Cianna Valley (California), etching, aquatint, and spitbite.

WPG’s 16th Annual call for entries to the National Small Works exhibition is now live!  As always, this exhibition is open to printmakers who are:

• 18 years of age or older
• residing in the Continental US
• creating hand-pulled, traditional prints (sorry, no digital or photographic works) under 170 square inches.

This year’s juror is Philippa Hughes.  Ms. Hughes left law practice to evangelize the power of art and transform lives, and is now the Chief Creative Contrarian of Pink Line Project.  Pink Line Project was established to inspire creative thinking in everyone, to build community and connectivity, and to open portals to art and culture for the culturally curious. Her vision for DC: to change the way people view DC, both residents and visitors. Through the Pink Line Project, she runs a consolidated and searchable calendar of all things cool and creative in DC and writes and maintains a widely read blog that highlights the best of DC’s creative scene. Ms. Hughes has established a reputation for creating inventive and collaborative environments in which people who would not normally have the opportunity to interact with each other gather to experience art and culture in alternative and stimulating ways, and has been a leader in the creative and temporary use of vacant, urban space throughout the city. We look forward to seeing what sort of show she’ll put together!

The early bird reduced fee deadline is April 17, 2013 ($20/4 images) and the final deadline is May 18, 2013.  First prize is a solo show in August 2014.  This year’s exhibiting solo artist will be Cianna Valley (her winning print is pictured above).  Be sure to check out all the details on our website and best of luck!