Art in the Open Philadelphia

Call for Entries

Art in the Open Philadelphia

May 18-20, 2012   

About Art in the Open

Art in the Open (AiO) invites you to Philadelphia's waterfronts for a celebration of art, nature, urbanity, and the creative processes that are born when all three are in mind. This May, re-framing the plein air tradition of creating art outside, on-site, AiO will encourage both artists and viewers to draw inspiration from the city's natural and urban landscapes by creating art in the public domain.

AiO showcases the vibrant community of working artists, galleries and institutions while celebrating the extraordinary natural resource of the city's two rivers. From May 18 through May 20, 2012, a jury-selected group of 40 artists will use designated areas along the Schuylkill River Banks Park-from the Fairmount Water Works to Locust Street, and at Bartram's Garden, as their studio (AiO will provide additional geographic information to the artists before they begin). Selected artists will be able to move freely within the designated park areas depending on their own inclination and scale of working media.

As a citywide event, AiO partnering institutions will offer extensive public programs throughout Philadelphia before and during the three-day event. In 2012, AiO will extend its impact by expanding the scope of the program to reach from 'River to River.' Working closely with organizational partners, AiO will develop new dynamic opportunities to engage artists, students and public alike with Philadelphia's waterways.

AiO Statistics:

• 8-12,000 visitors per year (on the Schuylkill Banks)
• 45 each year participating artists from around the world working in a range of mediums
• 30+ Organizational Partners  25 Related programs off and on-site
• 160 plus on-site volunteers 
• 200+ organizational committee volunteer hours per year        

 Opportunities to the Artists

Participating artists will receive extensive coverage through the AiO and AiO partner websites; selected works completed during the program will be exhibited at one of Philadelphia's leading institutions (Independence Seaport Museum). For more detailed information and a complete listing of partner organizations please visit the Affiliates tab on this site.  

Jurors:

• Molly Dougherty, Executive Director, Philadelphia Art Alliance 
• Jong Kyu Kim, Exhibitions Coordinator, Fleisher Art Memorial 
• Eileen Tognini, Independent Curator

Eligibility

AiO is open to all professional artists (international entries are welcome) working in any medium that can be made 'outside, on site' during the three day event. Students currently enrolled in an undergraduate program and artists under the age of 21 are not eligible.

Preparing Your Entry Dates and Deadlines

• Entries due: February 10, 2012 
• Juror review: March 1, 2012 
• Notification: March 20, 2012

Please submit the below entry materials no later than February 10, 2012 at 4pm:   

1) Entry Fee: A non-refundable registration fee of $30, payable by check to: AiO: City Parks Association.   

2) CD containing all the below items:a)  (5) digital images of previous artworks, in jpg format, at least 300 dpi at 5x7 inches maximum. Please label your images using your name followed by a number to correspond to a checklist.   (i.e. Artist Name 1, Artist Name 2, Artist Name 3, etc.). b) Provide a checklist of the above artworks with the corresponding numbers indicating title, date, medium, dimensions, and selling price as a Word Doc saved to the CD. c) Provide a short statement (500 words or 1-2 paragraphs maximum) describing 1) why you are seeking this opportunity to participate in AiO, and 2) some preliminary ideas about the work you would like to undertake if selected.

Note: a fully developed proposal is not expected at this stage. Save this as a word file to the CD. d) Attach a general statement about your work and a Resume/CV to the CD. All documents should include the artist's name, mailing address, email address, phone and website.

Submission  

Send the CD with all entry materials attached to:  Art in the Open c/o the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy 116 City Hall, Philadelphia, PA  19107.  

Drop-offs are only accepted between 10am and 4pm, Monday through Friday, and by 4pm February 10th, 2012.   Please note - CDs will not be returned.  The office is located on the ground level of City Hall through the East Portal across the street from Macy's department store. For more information contact AIO at info@artintheopenphila.org.

Terms and Conditions

AiO curators will select work(s) by each AiO artist that have been created during the three-day event, for a public exhibition. Each artist will be represented with work that is in suitable form to exhibit. If a participating artist's work cannot be exhibited due to size or its ephemeral nature (e.g. a performance work or installation), he/she should plan some form of visual documentation of the artwork (such as a photograph, small object or drawing) for inclusion in the exhibit. All work shown will be offered for sale during the exhibition with a small portion of the proceeds to AiO. 

Additional Terms and Conditions   

• Artists are required to create new works during AiO - proposing the presentation of existing works, as your participation in AiO will not be accepted.
• Artists are not permitted to sell any works during the three days of the festival. AiO curators will select works for the subsequent exhibition and sale.
• Artists will work outside on site for the three days. Varying weather conditions are to be expected.
• AiO cannot provide insurance for artist's work or for artist's participation in AiO and the related exhibition.
• Selected artists will be responsible for the cost of return shipping of all unsold artworks following the closing of the exhibition.
• Artists will receive 70% from any exhibition sales of their work: 30% will go to AiO to support program costs.
• Selected artists are responsible for all cost associated with creating their artwork.

Additional Considerations:

• An independent panel of jurors will select the participating artists based on the quality of their previous work and the statement of intent proposal.
• Out of town artists are responsible for living accommodations and travel.
• Artists will be provided instructions for delivering the work to the gallery.
• Artists who do not like to interact with the public or interested onlookers should not apply: we expect many related activities along the site during the event.
• Participating artists' biographies and their work will be posted to the AiO website along with links to their personal websites.

FAQ:

What type of medium is eligible?  All media are eligible (performing, visual, multi-media) for review by the jury, as long as the work can be created on site, outside during the three-day program. 

What state or region is this program open to?  AiO is open to all professional artists age 21 years or older not currently enrolled in an accredited education program. The jury will select local and non-local artists to participate. 

I am a video/performance/performing artist - how do I submit my work? Please send us a 3-minute sample of your work on a CD or DVD in a Windows media player or QuickTime format, size the viewing image at 720 x 480 pixels. Reminder: A post-event exhibition is a component of Art in the Open - should you be chosen to participate, your product during the four-day event should include some non-ephemeral element (video, photograph etc.) that can be exhibited.    

Download: aio_2012_artist_call.pdf (37.5 KB)

2011 Art in the Open Artists

Please visit the Image Gallery along the right side of this page to learn more about the 2011 Art in the Open Artists!

2010 Art in the Open Artists

Please click on the below link for a list of the 2010 Art in the Open participating artists.

Download: 2010_art_in_the_open_philadelphia_participating_artists.pdf (183.9 KB)