CALL FOR ENTRIES • PROSPECTUS

The Poetic Pen: Celebrating Calligraphy and Poetry

Exhibition dates: June 22 - July 28, 2012
Location: 23 Sandy Gallery, Portland, Oregon

Entry Deadline: Friday, April 27, 2012 at Midnight (Extended from April 20th!)

23 Sandy Gallery is pleased to present The Poetic Pen, a juried exhibition of calligraphic artwork that uses poetry as it's main textual focus. We are accepting unique or editioned wall-hung works, broadsides, artist books, objects and more.

THEME – Calligraphers throughout history have employed poetry to illustrate the art and fine craft of lettering, letterforms and calligraphic design. Whether original or borrowed, excerpted or unabridged, poetry, when combined with either traditional or expressive contemporary lettering, is the beautiful voice of the written word. All calligraphers are encouraged to create and submit their work to The Poetic Pen.

MEDIA – We are interested in original works created with either pen, brush or pencil in the form of wall-hung works, broadsides, artist books of any type, sculptural objects or more. Mixed media works are also welcome, as long as calligraphy is used for the poetry. Artist-produced numbered and signed edition works are acceptable, but commercially printed reproductions are not. Any medium, any style, any size. The poetry used in your work can be your own original words or something written by an established poet (we recommend you get permission). It can be the full poem, or an excerpt. The quality of the poetry will count for a smaller amount when we jury this show. The design and execution of the calligraphy and the overall artistic presentation will be our first priority.

JURYING – This show will be juried by Laura Russell, the owner of 23 Sandy Gallery. If you've ever been curious about how a show is juried you can read my blog post about the jurying process here.

AWARDS – Three artists will receive Best of Show Awards, which will include a special online portfolio and marketing campaign focusing on their work. All award winners will also be highlighted on the online catalog. Best of Show winners are selected upon installation of the show and are announced on opening day.

In addition, two artists will receive Librarian's Choice Purchase Prizes, which will be awarded based on ballots cast by our library and museum customers. The winning works will be purchased by the gallery and donated to two randomly selected voting libraries.

LIBRARY MARKETING - Postcards, print catalogs and our online catalog will all be part of our marketing campaign designed to sell works included in this show to our university and museum library customers, as well as to our regular gallery customers. We will work hard to find good homes for all art included in this show.

ONLINE AND PRINT CATALOGS - 23 Sandy Gallery will publish a complete online catalog plus a full color print catalog illustrating this exhibition. In an effort to keep entry fees low we will offer all submitting artists an opportunity to purchase a print catalog at our cost. Information on this will come at a later date.

DISPLAY OF BOOKS - This exhibition will be displayed at 23 Sandy Gallery. We feel very strongly that artist books need to be handled to be fully appreciated. Handi-Wipes are provided for gallery customers along with a friendly word about proper book handling. The artist can decide if books accepted in the show can be handled or not. Handling information will be requested upon acceptance to the show. If your book is an edition you are welcome to send either a display copy.

FRAMING - Wall-hung work can either be hung framed or unframed attached with magnets. If you are shipping framed work we recommend you ship the work with acrylic instead of glass.

ENTRIES - A maximum of three works may be submitted per artist. Entries must be received online no later than midnight on APRIL 27, 2012. Artists submitting to this exhibition will be notified via email. The gallery reserves the right to decline any accepted artwork upon delivery if the condition or quality are other than represented in the electronic entry.

ONLINE SUBMISSION - All submissions will be made online. You will find a link to our online entry form at the bottom of this page.

FEES - A $25 non-refundable entry fee covers up to three works and is payable upon submission. Just to clarify, the entry fee covers one, two or all three works, it is not a per work fee. When entering online you will pay via Paypal or any major credit card. You do not need a Paypal account to pay via credit card.

SALES - We encourage you to offer your artist books for sale. We are a commercial gallery and we firmly desire to support artists with more than just a line on your resume. However, if you just can't part with your work, we understand. All work will be placed on consignment. The Gallery keeps 40% of the sale price. The artist receives 60% of the sale price. If your work is not for sale we will ask you to provide an insurance value on the entry form.

PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOUR WORK - You may submit up to three photographs for each piece you are entering in this show. We recommend that you do not photogaphy framed pieces through the glass. Color is distorted and reflections cannot be avoided. Unframe the work before photographing. Remember, your photographs will be used not only for curating the show, but they will also be used in a high-quality, printed catalog, so make sure they are high quality photographs. And, don't forget about our library marketing campaign. Put your best photo forward as you never know who might notice your artwork. The 23 Sandy Blog features three articles about photographing your work. You can read them here.

PREPARING YOUR IMAGES FOR ENTRY – You may submit up to three views each of your works. Name your files as yourlastname-1-a.jpg, yourlastname-1-b.jpg, yourlastname-1-c.jpg, yourlastname-2-a.jpg, etc. Your last name is followed by the artwork number, which corresponds with the entry number on the online entry form. The a, b, or c letter are the additional views of that work. Please submit JPG images that are hi-res and ready to be included in the print catalog as catalog design will happen just days after we curate the show. All JPGs must be 300 ppi sized to 7 inches wide or tall in the longest direction.

SHIPPING – All artwork accepted into this show will ship to 23 Sandy Gallery. All shipping and shipping insurance costs to and from the Gallery are the responsibility of the artist and complete instructions will be provided upon acceptance into the show.

INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS - Artists residing outside of the United States are welcome to enter this exhibition. The exhibition entry fee of $25 must be paid in US funds.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR LOSS OR DAMAGE – The Gallery is insured and shall be responsible for the safekeeping of all consigned artwork while in Gallery’s possession. The Gallery shall be strictly liable to the artist for their loss or damage (except for loss due to earthquake, flood or damage resulting from flaws inherent in the artwork), to the full value artist would have received from Gallery if the artwork had been sold.

POETRY AND COPYRIGHTS - 23 Sandy Gallery cannot offer any copyright advice for works submitted to The Poetic Pen. The Gallery leaves all permissions and copyright responsibility to the artist. When you fill out your online entry form you will find this line in the fine print. “Artist further warrants that the Artwork does not, in whole or in part, infringe upon any copyright or violate any right to privacy or other personal or property right whatsoever.” (One side note from your friendly gallery owner. Just ask! The poet might be thrilled with your work and may happily grant permission. It never hurts to ask. Worst they can do is say no.)

DATES TO REMEMBER
APRIL 27, 2012 - Deadline for Submissions (Extended from April 20!)
MAY 4, 2012 - Announcement of Jury Results Sent Via Email
JUNE 15, 2012 - Artwork Due at Gallery
JUNE 22, 2012 - Exhibition Opens
JULY 6, 2012 - First Friday Artists Reception, 5-8:00 p.m.
JULY 28, 2012 - Exhibition Closes

ONLINE ENTRY FORM - Click here to access our online entry form.

CONTACT LAURA AT 23 SANDY WITH ANY QUESTIONS
Email: 23sandygallery@gmail.com
Phone: 503-927-4409

Thank you for your interest in The Poetic Pen. We look forward to seeing your work.

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