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Author: Red Sage

CALL TO THEATRICAL ARTISTS

The Gallery Committee of the Alabama Center for the Arts (ACA) is excited to call theatrical artists from ACA (including faculty, staff, students, and alumni) as well as the community theatre groups in Decatur for a juried exhibition in our Main Gallery featuring The Art of Decatur Theatre.

Artists may submit up to three works of art in JPG form along with the entry form for consideration by our jurors. No more than three works per artist will be selected. Works selected for the exhibition will be displayed in the main gallery of the Alabama Center for the Arts in historic Downtown Decatur.

We would like to accept the following types of art (artists are limited to 3 submissions each):

  • Handmade props
  • Costumes (ACA has a limited number of dress forms and/or mannequins. If a costume piece is submitted and accepted, a form on which it can be displayed is appreciated.)
  • Puppets
  • Smaller handmade set pieces
  • Sound design submissions (made up of only original creations)
  • Video clips of performances. Time lapse or video progressions of costume or set creations.
    • NOTE @ video clips:  We have a limited number of monitors and accepted clips and sound design submissions may be featured in a running loop featuring more than one artist’s clip.
  • Framed High Resolution Production Photos of lighting and set designs (minimum size 11×14 – maximum size 18×24)

The timeline is as follows:

  • Submissions accepted April 3 through May 5, 2023
  • Jury (projected) dates:  May 8-22
  • Artist notification by email:  June 5-9
  • Deliver accepted pieces to ACA:  June 26-30
  • Show installation:  July 5-10

Show dates:

  • Opens – July 11
  • Reception – TBD
  • Closes – September 7
  • Pick-up art:  September 8, 11-15, 2023

*ACA has very limited storage. It is imperative that you pick up your art during the designated times.

Everyone who is eligible is encouraged to participate in this Call to Theatrical Artists.

Contact Jennifer.Bunnell@athens.edu (256-260-4299) or Kimberly.Parker@calhoun.edu (256-306-2701) with any questions.

 

Youth Art Month 2023

The Alabama Center for the Arts’ annual Youth Art Month (YAM) celebration is underway. The Annual Showcase of Young Talent features 116 pieces of art divided into Early Elementary, Elementary, Middle School, and High School categories. All of the artists are K-12 students from Morgan County, Decatur City, and Hartselle City schools, as well as students from some area private schools.

The exhibit will be open from February 27 – March 30 in the Alabama Center for the Arts’ Main Gallery and Walking Gallery. An Awards Reception is planned at the ACA for March 9 at 5:30 pm.

Youth Art Month encourages support for quality school art programs and promotes art material safety. Administered by The Council for Art Education, the program helps children of all ages develop problem-solving, observation, and communication skills while enhancing their creativity.

The event is sponsored by the Alabama Center for the Arts and the Carnegie Visual Arts Center, with artist awards to be given by Daybreak Rotary Club of Decatur. The Carnegie provides educational and cultural opportunities to the Decatur area and strives to encourage greater involvement in art at all levels and ages. Their excellent children’s art education program promotes creativity via hands-on activities. In addition, the Carnegie often awards scholarships to their summer camps and offers a variety of other programs, events, and collections for all ages.

 

The Project 2023 Student Application Now Open

The Project is an intensive, 2-week, summer camp experience, open to rising sophomore, junior, and senior high school students who will work with faculty from Calhoun Community College and Athens State University on a collaborative arts project using aspects of Visual and Performing Arts. This program is COMPLETELY FREE to all participants! Students must be available to attend the full 2 weeks of our program, which is scheduled for June 5-9and June 12-16, 2023. To be considered for this program, student applicants must:

  1. Complete an online or paper application
  2. Submit a Letter of Recommendation
  3. Digitally submit samples of their work.
    Performance applicants will need to send videos of their vocal or instrumental performances.
    Audio Engineering and Visual Arts applicants will need to send portfolios/reels of their work, including but not limited to: video editing, audio mixing, music production, projection design, theatrical lighting, and graphic design.
  4. Submit a 500-word essay about one of the following topics:
  • How has American music influenced music globally? (Feel free to choose a specific genre.)
  • How has technology changed the music industry?
  • Connections between music and other media types.

All application materials can be submitted to kimberly.parker@calhoun.edu or chris.vrenna@calhoun.edu by March 31, 2023 at 5pm. Please note, if accepted to participate in The Project, you will be notified via email starting April 20, 2023.

“RED EARTH INVOCATION” NOW OPEN AT ALABAMA CENTER FOR THE ARTS

The Alabama Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the opening of “Red Earth Invocation” by John “Jahni” Moore in the Center’s Main Gallery.

John Jahni Moore is a southern-born visual artist. He is a graduate of Alabama A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Design, an M. Ed. in Art, and an MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago. Moore has taught art professionally from kindergarten to the university level. He is the creator of numerous murals and public works from Chicago to Colombia, South America where he twice served as Art Ambassador. Currently, he works out of his studio he calls C.H.U.R.C.H. in Huntsville, Alabama.

Red Earth Invocation, a branch of the Southern Trees series, is inspired by his fascination and adoration of Alabama red clay and reverence for his ancestors. His artwork operates as a sacrament on those pillars, to reconnect to the sanctity of life.

The show will be displayed through Wednesday, February 15 and will be free and open to the public. The Alabama Center for the Arts will be closed for the holidays from December 12, 2022 – January 2, 2023 and will reopen on January 3, 2023. During normal operation, the ACA is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm and on Friday from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm.

CALL FOR ARTISTS – 2023 Festival of the Cranes Art Exhibit

The Alabama Center for the Arts (ACA) is excited to call students, alumni artists, faculty and staff of Athens State University and Calhoun Community College for the ninth annual juried Festival of the Cranes Exhibition.

We encourage innovative and progressive work that utilizes a diversity of art forms and media that depicts Whooping cranes, Sandhill cranes, birds, waterfowl, ducks, geese, raptors, eagles, falcons, owls, fish, deer, other wildlife, nature, and anything to do with General Joe Wheeler (“Fighting Joe”) or his home, Pond Spring, in nearby Hillsboro, Alabama.

This event is in conjunction with the annual Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Festival of the Cranes event to be held on Saturday & Sunday, January 14-15, 2023. (Note: ACA will have special hours on Jan. 14 & 15, 9am until 5pm). There will be events throughout the weekend at the ACA, Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, Princess Theatre, Cook Museum, Carnegie Visual Arts Center, Old State Bank and more.

Artists may submit up to three works of art in JPG form along with the entry form for consideration by our juror. No more than three works per artist will be selected. Works selected for the show will be displayed in the walking gallery (first floor) of the Visual Arts building at the Alabama Center for the Arts in historic Downtown Decatur.

Questions? Call (256) 260-4299 or email Jennifer.Bunnell@athens.edu with any questions.

Call for Artists: Johnston Street Alley Mural Project

The Alabama Center for the Arts Foundation in partnership with the Decatur Downtown Redevelopment Authority and other community partners is seeking proposals for the design and creation of a mural to be located in an repurposed alleyway in the heart of downtown Decatur, Alabama. Artists are encouraged to think outside the box with their design and are free to incorporate the various elements of the building.

We are currently in the design phase of the Johnston Street Alley Project with a goal of transforming an alleyway in the heart of Decatur, Alabama’s downtown arts and entertainment district into a vibrant community gathering space. The repurposed space, flanked by historic buildings and restaurants, will include areas for outdoor dining, small events and small audience theatrical and musical performances. Located across the street from the Alabama Center for the Arts student dormitory, the alleyway will also serve as a space for art students to relax and socialize. An additional goal is for the space to showcase a variety of public art. Sculptures, murals, and revolving displays of Alabama Center for the Arts student art are just a few of the ideas being discussed.

Full details for this project can be found at artist.callforentry.org.

Entry Deadline: 10/14/22
Entry Fee (Entry Fee): $15.00
Budget: $15,000 – $20,000 (subject to negotiation depending on overall size / complexity of mural)

[button link=”https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=10564&fbclid=IwAR0_zvRRGT4PlV1nb7tmc_FAid2D6crAqY7jVf0w-9hROl0WFOxUT61hAyU” color=”teal”] Get details & apply now[/button]

HELEN KELLER ART SHOW OF ALABAMA OPENS AT THE ACA

July 12, 2022, Decatur, AL – The Alabama Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the opening of the 2022 Helen Keller Art Show of Alabama. The exhibit is a traveling juried art show that displays artwork created by students throughout Alabama who have visual impairments, blindness, and/or deaf-blindness. The show, which opened today, will be displayed through Wednesday, September 14 in the Walking Gallery. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

The Helen Keller Art Show of Alabama has been hosted by the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the University of Alabama at Birmingham Vision Science Research Center and Education Outreach Module for over 20 years. The show travels throughout Alabama to eight museums over the course of the year.

Children who participate in the show use various media to create one-of-a-kind masterpieces. The arts are included in the students’ academic curriculum in areas such as the development of communication skills utilizing visual and tactical abilities, math, science, reading, and leisure-time activities. This year’s exhibit will feature 46 unique pieces of art that can be purchased for a donation starting at $100.00. The funds collected help with the costs of framing, the opening reception, scholarships, and summer workshops.

The Alabama Center for the Arts is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm and on Friday from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm.

Professional Development for Art Educators

The Alabama Center for the Arts located in downtown Decatur, AL is pleased to again offer professional development (PD) workshops in art to area art educators and administrators!

You will find the list of ACA’s PD opportunities at the end of the attached SMORE Newsletter from the Athens State Regional In-Service Center. There are various workshops offered in multiple areas, but the art topics offered through ACA can be found in the last section.

The In-Service Center will not be able to provide certificates (hard copy) this year as everyone should be in PowerSchool and should receive credit that way. If you are not in PowerSchool, and you hold a valid teaching certificate in Alabama, we can assist you in getting set up in PowerSchool. The State Dept. is using PowerSchool for transcript history for renewing certificates.

If you have questions, please email info@alabamacenterforthearts.org.

We hope to see you this summer at the Alabama Center for the Arts!

[button link=”https://www.smore.com/yj6dk” color=”teal”]View the SMORE Newsletter[/button]

The Project 2022

The Project is an intensive, 2-week, summer camp experience, open to rising sophomore, junior, and senior high school students who will work with faculty from Athens State University and Calhoun Community College on a collaborative arts project using all aspects of Fine and Performing Arts. This program is COMPLETELY FREE to all participants!

Students must be available to attend the full two weeks of our program, which is scheduled for June 6-10 and June 13-17, 2022. To be considered for this program, student applicants must:

  1. Complete an online or paper application
  2. Submit a Letter of Recommendation
  3. Digitally submit samples of their work (to include any of the following: performance videos showing acting, vocal, or dance work, and/or portfolios of technical work, including but not limited to lighting, set design, scenic painting, make-up, set dressing, costumes, props, and theatrical graphic design)
  4. Submit a 500-word essay to describe their view of the “Value of Arts in our Communities.”

All application materials can be submitted to kimberly.parker@calhoun.edu or lauren.cantrellsalerno@calhoun.edu by March 31, 2022 at 5pm. Please note, if accepted to participate in The Project, you will be notified via email starting April 30, 2022.

[button link=”https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfigdWv70MnUaBLrPR41AXmehvPTS1wfqtQbuLitAPvQvmPVQ/viewform?usp=sf_link” color=”teal”] Apply Now[/button]

Call for Artists: ACA 2022 Faculty & Alumni Show

The Alabama Center for the Arts (ACA) is excited to call alumni artists and faculty/staff of Athens State University and Calhoun Community College for the sixth juried faculty, staff, and alumni show.

We encourage innovative and progressive work that utilizes a diversity of art forms and media. There is no theme for the 2022 show, however, all works must have been completed in the last year and must not have been shown previously in any of the galleries or hallways of the Alabama Center for the Arts.

Artists may submit up to three works of art in JPG form along with the entry form for consideration by our juror. No more than three works per artist will be selected. Works selected for the exhibition will be displayed in the gallery and potentially the walking gallery at the Alabama Center for the Arts in historic Downtown Decatur.

Everyone who is eligible is encouraged to participate in this call for artists. Call (256) 260-4299 or email Jennifer.Bunnell@athens.edu with any questions.

 

SPECIFICATIONS & INSTRUCTIONS

Submitted artwork will be juried in a review of digital images submitted online. Artists accepted will be invited to ship or hand-deliver their artwork to the ACA for exhibition.

  • Artists submitting work must be faculty/staff/adjunct or alumni of Athens State University or Calhoun Community College.
  • Entry deadline (form and digital images for all entries) is: July 20, 2022.  
    • Please email your entries (up to 3 works of art in JPG) along with the entry form (form is attached as last page of this document)
    • One form per entry or 3 entries listed on one form to: Bunnell@athens.edu. Or, you may mail your form(s) and digital art work on a USB flash drive to the address at the top of this page. Mailed entries must be postmarked by July 14, 2022.
  • Works in all media are eligible, provided they can be juried by digital image. We cannot accept reels of performance art, work that exceeds 72” in any one direction or work that requires special display casing that cannot be provided by the artist. Eligible media include Painting (watercolor, oil, and acrylic), Drawing (charcoal, graphite, pastel), Printmaking, Photography/Digital Media, Sculpture, Mixed Media, and Fine Craft (wood, metal, clay, fiber, glass).
  • Works must be original and executed within the last year. Works previously exhibited at the ACA are not eligible.
  • Works chosen for exhibition must be finished, dry, and ready to exhibit. Works must be framed and, where appropriate, glazed with Plexiglas (hand-delivered items may be glazed with glass). Plexiglas must be on work over 24”x30”. No substitutions are allowed.
  • Artwork which is intentionally unframed, such as stretched canvas, must have well-finished painted edges. Edges cannot be taped. All wall and suspended work must be equipped with a secure wire hanging system (not just a hook).
  • The ACA reserves the right to eliminate any entry that is not reasonably adaptable to its physical facility (for example, a sculpture should fit within a hypothetical 12-foot cube; the horizontal dimension of any work should not exceed 12 feet).
  • The ACA does not supply framing, hardware or wire. The gallery supplies a track hanging system for art to be displayed on the walls that are wall papered. Artwork or display materials to be directly affixed to the wall must have gallery approval. (Sticky tape is not acceptable.)
  • Selected hanging art too heavy for the track system in the gallery will not be accepted.
  • All work must be equipped for safe installation; gallery personnel will determine safety.
  • Works considered too fragile for handling by gallery personnel will not be accepted.
  • When two or three-dimensional work is unusually heavy or difficult to handle, timely assistance may be required of the artist. Prior notice must be given to ensure gallery floor or wall can bear weight load. Three-dimensional work must fit through a standard single door.
  • The ACA has a limited number of display materials for 3-D work – consult with gallery prior to installation. The artist is responsible for special security of artwork, such as jewelry.
  • Artists whose works require electrical outlets or other special considerations should consult with gallery personnel prior to application.
  • After selections are made, all work delivered to the gallery must be catalogued through the “Gallery Intake Form” which will be provided at notification of acceptance. Affixed to the back of the art must be a piece of paper with the following:
    • Artist name / Artist phone number & email / Title of the work, medium & price, or marked Not for Sale (NFS).

 

 About your images:
It is important that your images represent your work as accurately and professionally as possible.  Artists must submit JPGs, with maximum size not to exceed 25MB. The ACA reserves the right to reproduce images of accepted entries for promotion of the exhibition in the media and online. The ACA reserves the right not to accept a work if it is significantly different from the digital image submitted.

 

Sales:
All work included in the Faculty and Alumni Art Exhibition will be available for sale unless designated Not for Sale (NFS) by the artist. Prices will be available in the gallery, and purchased works will not be released until after the close of the exhibition. Artists receive 100% of the monies from the sale of art. The sale of artwork is taxable, and all sales tax processing will be handled by the exhibitor. Sold artwork requiring shipment will be handled by the exhibitor with costs collected from buyer.

 

Liability:
All work will be handled with care, but pieces submitted for exhibition are at the artist’s risk. In the event of damage or theft, the ACA will not be held liable.

 

Agreement:
Submission of an entry to this exhibition constitutes agreement on the part of the entrant to the conditions set forth in this competition.

 

Pick-Up and Storage:
When the exhibit ends, you may pick up your work no earlier than 8:00pm on the closing day of the exhibit. You must pick up your work within 72 hours of the closing day of the exhibit or notify the gallery if you will be late. The ACA is a non-collecting gallery with no storage space for purchased or donated works of art. Unless previous arrangements have been made, work not picked up will be subject to a fine of $10.00 per piece, per week. Work left in storage longer than two weeks shall become the ACA’s property and may be disposed of or used for fundraising purposes. There are no exceptions.

 

For further information:
Questions, contact, Jennifer Bunnell, ACA Director, at Jennifer.Bunnell@athens.edu, or 256-260-4299 during regular business hours (Monday-Thursday, 8:00am-4:30pm Central, Friday, 8:00am-12:00noon).

 

Deadline:  Entry form(s) & digital images MAILED on USB must be postmarked by:  July 14, 2022   

 

 ACA Faculty & Alumni Show 2022 Juror – Philip R. Jackson
Representational artist, PHILIP R. JACKSON is a Professor of Art at the University of Mississippi in Oxford where he currently teaches and heads the painting area. Jackson’s work is included in the permanent collections of art museums in Evansville and Fort Wayne, Indiana; Huntsville, Alabama; Jackson and Meridian Mississippi. His paintings have been featured in numerous publications, including Art in AmericaSouthwest ArtAmerican Art Collector, and American Artist Magazine. Jackson has received awards from the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation in Montreal, Canada; AIR Serenbe; Mississippi Museum of Art; Mississippi Arts Commission; Tyrone Guthrie Foundation in Monaghan, Ireland and numerous scholarly research grants from the University of Mississippi. He received his B.F.A. from the Columbus College of Art & Design in Columbus, Ohio, and his M.F.A. from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Jackson also studied abroad at Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy. He is a member of Zeuxis, a painting collective of artists focusing on the still life. His work is represented by the Chris Winfield Gallery in Carmel, California.

[button link=”https://www.alabamacenterforthearts.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Call-to-Artists_Faculty-and-Alumni-Show_2022.pdf” color=”teal”] Download the Entry Form[/button]

 

Exhibition Timeline:

Now – July 20, 2022 Entries accepted (entries form and JPGs of art)
July 20, 2022 Entry deadline (form and JPGs) – no late entries will be accepted
July 23-28, 2022 Image jurying
July 28-29, 2022 Artist notification of accepted and non-accepted entries
July 29 – August 5, 2022 Receipt of artwork for exhibition, Monday-Thursday, 8am-4:30pm and Friday, 8am-12pm (The ACA closes at 12 noon on Fridays)
August 11, 2022 Exhibition opens to the public
TBD (possibly Aug. 18, 19 or 25) Artists Reception (we encourage all participants to attend)
October 28, 2022 Exhibition closes
October 31-November 8, 2022 Pick-up/return of works