Rise Up! Call to Artists

Rise Up! Art, Sounds and Shrines: A benefit for the New Orleans Arts Council
February 2 to March 2, 2006
The Nave Gallery, Somerville

ARTSomerville and the Somerville Arts Council seek artists to participate in "Rise Up!" an exhibit that celebrates the cultural aesthetic of New Orleans. The exhibit will run from February 2 to March 5, 2005 at the Nave Gallery in Somerville. In addition to a month-long visual art exhibit, "Rise Up!" will include a community shrine to New Orleans, which the public will be invited to embellish--with photographs, art, beads and money donations. "Rise Up!" will also include concerts and a Fat Tuesday pancake breakfast. 50% of proceeds from art sold, and 100% of ticket sales from events, will go to the New Orleans Arts Council, which has established a relief fund to address the immediate and long-term needs of artists and arts organizations in the New Orleans region affected by Hurricane Katrina. For more information about this relief fund, visit www.artscouncilofneworleans.org

This call is open to artists of all mediums, including but not limited to painting, printmaking, sculpture, installation art, drawings, photography and mixed media. Both established and emerging artists are welcome to apply. 2-D work will be hung from moldings; artists must supply their own pedestals for 3-D work. We seek existing art but are also open to proposals for new art--shrines to New Orleans are particularly encouraged. We will include 1-5 pieces from each selected artist. Only apply if you are willing to donate 50% of proceeds to the New Orleans Arts Council. This show will be juried by members of ARTSomerville and the Somerville Arts Council.

"Rise Up!" celebrates the rich cultural legacy of New Orleans, a city of stark contrasts. Over the centuries and through the wake of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has wrestled with great poverty, inequality and hardship. Yet despite such weighty burdens, the city has always risen up, celebrating life and culture in a way that is exotic and unique. The result is a heavy beauty. Of course, New Orleans means many things to many people--Jazz, the blues, Creole cooking, a heady mix of sacred and profane, Antebellum architecture, voodoo, Catholicism, beads and throw cups, breast-baring tourists in the French Quarter, Emeril, the mysterious traditions of Mardi Gras Indians, the melodic dirge of a jazz funeral, and much more. We look forward to your interpretations of our theme.

To apply, please send the following to:
ArtSomerville
P.O. Box 43600
Somerville, MA 02143

Deadline: Tuesday, January 17, 2005

Application guidelines for existing work

1. Send up to five slides or jpegs (72 dpi at a size that easily fits on a computer screen) of your work. Only include images of works that are available to hang in the show.
2. Send slide/jpeg list that includes: artist name, date, medium, dimensions
3. A CV or any support materials that you feel are relevant
4. An SASE if you would like your support materials returned

Applications guidelines for new work

1. Send up to five slides or jpegs (72 dpi at a size that easily fits on a computer screen) of existing work. This body of work should give jurors a good idea of your aesthetic.
2. Send slide/jpeg list that includes: artist name, date, medium, dimensions
3. Write a paragraph and submit a quick sketch of the art you propose to make for this show.
4. A CV or any support materials that you feel are relevant
5. An SASE if you would like your support materials returned

Questions?
Contact or Susan Berstler (sberstler@artsomerville.org) or Rachel Strutt (rachel@somervilleartscoucil.org)

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