Call to Artists: Sculpture Exhibition Opportunities in Boston - Deadline Aug 1

Boston Sculptors Gallery is a landmark cooperative gallery, now offering three distinct opportunities to support a geographically diverse group of sculptors, from emerging artists to seasoned professionals, all working in a wide range of media. There is no fee to apply. Application is competitive and juried at all levels. We would love to see your work!

All artists regardless of age, race, ethnicity, national origin, gender identification, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or physical disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Full Members mount solo exhibitions bi-annually, participate in off site group exhibitions and participate in gallery operations.

Associate Members will have the opportunity to show their work once a year as part of a group show with the other Associate Members, without the usual responsibilities (gallery sitting and committee work) of Full Members. This is a one - year, renewable membership.

LaunchPad Artists will be selected for a one-time solo installation of their work in the entry level gallery space, with street view access.

For a full description of these three membership categories, including their respective costs and application procedures visit www.bostonsculptors.com/membership

Submissions are due August 1, 2020. There is no fee to apply.


For More Information Contact Almitra Stanley, Gallery Director 617-501-5600 bostonsculptors@yahoo.com www.bostonsculptors.com

Call to Artists: 2020 WMASS Community Mural Institute

THE COMMUNITY MURAL INSTITUTE
https://www.commonwealthmurals.org/community-mural-institute-details

The Community Mural Institute combines classroom instruction and experiential learning so that by the end of the Institute, artists can independently create and install exceptional community-engaged murals. The Institute teaches how to structure and facilitate community design and painting workshops, best practices for mural design, and how to create murals using the parachute cloth technique. 6 artists will be selected to participate in the Institute.

The Institute meets on three weekends over three months. Each artist will design, paint and install a 150 square foot community engaged mural over the course of the Institute. For this Institute, artists will be partnered with a pre-selected group of senior citizens. Artists must, without exception, be available to participate in all of the scheduled sessions.

Artists will be paid a stipend of $2,000 for their participation and all paint and materials will be provided.


SCHEDULE:

JUNE 26 Artist Call is Opened

JULY 19 Artist Call Closed

JULY 24 Artist Notified of Selection

AUGUST 15 - 16 Session 1 (9AM to 6PM Saturday and Sunday)

AUGUST 24 - 30 Online One-on-One Design and Color Palette Consultations

SEPTEMBER 2 - 4 3 hour Design Projection sessions, day and time scheduled in advance.

SEPTEMBER 5 - 6 Session 2 (9AM to 6PM Saturday and Sunday. Note: This is Labor Day Weekend)

SEPTEMBER 26 - 27 Session 3 (9AM to 6PM Saturday and Sunday)

SEPTEMBER 28 - 30 Hands-On Install and Overpainting Assistance Available

OCTOBER 4 Mural Installations must be completed

OCTOBER 17 - 18 If the above schedule is delayed due to Covid-19 surges, we will push back the schedule and Session 3 will be held this weekend.


AUGUST 15 - 16 SESSION 1

Muralists are introduced to the concepts of community engaged mural making and learn multiple activities for engaging the community in design discussions. Concepts will be presented by the instructors and the group will engage in each activity so they are learning conceptually and through experience.

Artists will be taught two protocols for engaging the community. One protocol can be used if gatherings are permitted and safe. The other can be used if gatherings of any size are discouraged. In this approach, artists will solicit design input via guided phone calls with participating community members.

AUGUST 17 - 24 COMMUNITY DESIGN

With support from the instructors, each muralist will engage their community group in design input. Each muralist will then create a design based on that input.

AUGUST 24 - 30 ONE-ON-ONE DESIGN CONSULTATIONS

The muralists will consult with instructors via email and video conference while developing their designs. The muralist and instructors meet via video conference with representatives of their community group to present and obtain approval of their design.

SEPTEMBER 2 - 4 PROJECTION SESSIONS

In pre-scheduled 3 hour sessions, muralists will work in pairs to project their design on to pre-prepared parachute cloth.

SEPTEMBER 5 - 6 SESSION 2

Muralists learn to prep parachute cloth segments and prepare the mural for community painting. Two approaches will be taught. One will be how to prepare and run community paint parties. The second approach will be how to prepare and distribute individual mural painting kits which will allow participants to paint a segment of the mural in their homes, on their own.

SEPTEMBER 7 - 13 COMMUNITY PAINTING

Muralists hold paint parties or distribute painting kits to their community groups.

SEPTEMBER 14 - OCTOBER 25 IN STUDIO MURAL PAINTING

Muralists complete the painting of their mural at home or in their own studios.

SEPTEMBER 26 - 27 SESSION 3

Muralists learn and practice how to install parachute cloth murals, and organize community celebrations.

SEPTEMBER 28 - OCTOBER 4 MURAL INSTALLATIONS

Working in pairs with another institute participant and with support from the instructors, the muralists install their murals on the wall and complete the overpainting of the mural. If allowed, a community celebration is organized for the completion of the mural.



CORONAVIRUS SAFETY

The three weekend training sessions will take place in person, inside. All of the training sessions, meetings and mural work will follow the MA Coronavirus Safety Recommendations, including the size of gatherings, spacing of participants, and use of personal protective equipment. We have identified one additional weekend if we need to adjust or pause during the course of the Institute.

THE INSTRUCTORS

The Institute is designed and run by Greta McLain, the Artistic Director of GoodSpace Murals and Britt Ruhe, the Director of Common Wealth Murals.

Greta McLain, Owner and Artistic Director of GoodSpace Murals, has over 15 years of mural making experience. Greta uses muralism to explore the ways that art can bring communities together, the power of visual language to activate voice, and the potential of art as a vehicle for hands-on organizing and educating. She has been to South America and Europe to study new and traditional techniques. She has created over 50 projects in and around Minnesota, Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Argentina, Mexico, and France. Greta works out of Minneapolis and travels around the country/world muraling and teaching wherever community art can be activated as a tool for positive community engagement. She earned her BA from the University of California Davis and her MFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Britt Ruhe is the Director of Common Wealth Murals, a non-profit dedicated to uplifting and celebrating communities through mural art. For over 30 years, Britt has led non-profit organizations, applying her skills in community organizing, project management, fiscal management, and public relations to create transformative opportunities for people to work together to improve their own communities. Britt has a deep love and appreciation for graffiti and street art, and a passion for community-engaged mural making. Britt holds a BA in Community Development and a MBA from the University of Massachusetts. She is the Producer of Fresh Paint Springfield, a mural festival in Springfield MA, and manages individual mural installations for public and private organizations.



ARTIST SELECTION CRITERIA

Artists will be selected to participate in the Institute based on the following criteria:

• Live, work or have a meaningful connection to Hampden County

• The artist contributes to diversity of the group in the following areas: artistic style, race, ethnicity, language, gender and sexual orientation

• Openness to having your art influenced by community input (as demonstrated by either prior experience or written expression of interest)

• Interest in innovative approaches to integrating community and location considerations in their designs

• Prior experience teaching, facilitating workshops or public speaking

• Is able and committed to attend all scheduled sessions

Preference given to artists with experience engaging the community in education, discussion and/or collaborative mural making.

HOW TO APPLY

• Please indicate whether or not you: Have your own transportation Are available for all of the scheduled dates Speak any language other than English (if yes, please list)

Applications must be emailed by July 19th at 5PM

Finalists will be asked to participate in a short phone interview with the instructors during the week July 20 - 24.

Artists will be notified of selections by July 24th.

If you have any questions, please contact: Britt@CommonWealthMurals.org


Please email the following to Britt@CommonWealthMurals.org:

• The names, emails and phone numbers of 2 references who can speak to your artistic and/or professional experience

• 3 to 5 images of your artwork which best represent the style you would use for a community-engaged mural

• If you have them, please share links to your social media and/or a website which show your artwork

• A short personal statement (one paragraph) about your approach to your art

• One short paragraph which explains your experience with and/or interest in community-engaged murals

• Briefly describe any prior experience teaching, facilitating workshops or public speaking

Forbes Library Presents Civil Rights/The Right to Vote: Past, Present, Future - Online event July 15

Join us July 15 on Zoom for The Civil Rights Movement, the second event in The Right To Vote: Past, Present, Future.

Please preregister at https://forbeslibrary.libcal.com/event/6458763

This year, Forbes Library is presenting a series of scholar-led public discussions about voting in America. Each event in The Right to Vote: Past, Present, Future starts with a presentation by a panel of speakers, followed by group discussion. Forbes Library received support for the series through “The Vote: A Statewide Conversation About Voting Rights,” a special initiative of Mass Humanities that includes organizations around the state.

The second event, on July 15, explores the Civil Rights movement with personal experiences and historical background, from the 1890’s Mississippi plan through Jim Crow, poll taxes, Voting Rights Act of 1965, to present-day challenges.

Four speakers will present historical context and guide discussion. The presenters are:

Dr. John H. Bracey, Jr., Professor of Afro-American Studies at UMass Amherst

Dr. Traci Parker, Assistant Professor of Afro-American Studies at UMass Amherst

Dr. Jesse Rhodes, Professor of Political Science at UMass Amherst

Dr. Kathleen Banks Nutter, historian, independent scholar (Moderator)

This program is funded in part by Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Registration is required for this event.

Additional events in the series are:
Current Barriers to Voting - September 21, 7 PM
The Youth Vote - October, date TBA

All events are free and open to the public. Details can be found at https://forbeslibrary.org/right-to-vote/.

This program is funded in part by Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

About "The Vote" - Mass Humanities

“The Vote” commemorates the centennial of the 19th Amendment through grants to 17 Massachusetts organizations. Through public events, workshops for educators, museum exhibitions and new research, “The Vote” provides Massachusetts residents with free opportunities to consider issues including women’s suffrage, the Civil Rights movement, voter suppression, civics education, and teen voting.

The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution declared that the right to vote could not be denied on the basis of a person’s sex. Ratified in 1920, it marked a major victory in the women’s movement by extending the vote to women. But with racism and xenophobia on the rise in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many women of color, like their menfolk, still could not vote. Poll taxes and literacy tests effectively barred many African Americans from voting, especially in the South, and Native Americans in 1920 could gain the right to vote only by severing their ties to their tribes. Many states had passed laws making it illegal for noncitizens to vote, and Chinese Americans were barred from citizenship. Clearly the ratification of the 19th Amendment represents a complicated moment in our nation’s history, one that warrants thoughtful reflection on how to commemorate it.

The year 2020 arrives at another pivotal period in our nation’s electoral history. Some states are considering extending the franchise to felons and younger teens, while others have increased the hurdles to voting. As voting rights, voter fraud, and electoral security are being debated across the country, the humanities offer essential resources for deepening our understanding of this moment.

Staying in One Place by Melissa McClung & Michelle Huber

WHAT: Staying in One Place by Melissa McClung & Michelle Huber
WHEN: WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2020 AT 7 PM – 8:30 PM
WHERE: Remote Screening on Twitch, Youtube, Facebook Live, and local Channel 12!

Northampton Open Media will be showing the following films as part of a remote screening on Twitch, Youtube, Facebook Live, and local Channel 12:

- Elevator of Earthly Destruction (dir. Melissa McClung, 4 min., 2020)
- Video Sketchbook: March - June 2020 excerpts (dir. Melissa McClung, 5 min., 2020)
- Staying in One Place featuring movement artist, Michelle Huber, with score by Ryan McArdle (dirs. Melissa McClung & Michelle Huber, 5 min., 2020)

MELISSA McCLUNG is an award-winning filmmaker. Her short documentary, Louie's Antiques, was an Official Selection of the 58th Ann Arbor Film Festival and the Melbourne Documentary Festival, among others, and it will be preserved in Historic Northampton's permanent archive. In addition to writing/directing, Melissa works as the film teacher at Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School, serves on the board of Northampton Open Media and co-owns Ghost Hit Recording Studio in West Springfield with her husband, Andrew Oedel. Melissa received her MFA in Film from Vermont College of Fine Arts. See some of Melissa's work at melissamcclung.com.
MICHELLE HUBER is an Awareness Through Movement Teacher ® in Northampton, MA. She delights in the discovery of unconscious patterns of human behavior and is fascinated by the never-ending connections of body, emotions, mind and the collective. She is dedicated to increasing awareness, learning to open her heart and supporting others in opening. She also facilitates Circling, dance, Peer Counseling and teaches Spanish.
Michelle and Melissa have been collaborating on art projects and friendship since they were 11 years old.

RYAN McARDLE is a musician, dancer, and relational meditation (Circling) facilitator. He has gravitated towards various instruments such as the hand pan, flute, didgeridoo, drum, and singing bowls for many years. His music is a constantly evolving response to the expression of life, and spans the range from spacious and meditative to lively and percussive. His music has been largely fueled by the impulse to convey the emotional tone that is often difficult to put into words.
"This program is supported in part by a grant from the Northampton Arts Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency"

Northampton Arts Council Board Meeting June 23, 2020

Link to the meeting

Northampton Open Media presents Crowdsourced Cinema: Cast Away

Crowdsourced Cinema: Cast Away

Crowdsourced Cinema is a public art project created and managed by Northampton Open Media in which the community collaboratively remakes a famous film. This summer we will create together the suitably isolating and social-distance friendly "Cast Away"

Each team is assigned a scene from the film to interpret creatively – it could be filmed with live action, animation, remix, puppetry, and other visual styles. Scenes should contain similar dialog, action, and run time, though there is some wiggle room in those aspects as well. We encourage teams to look at the film with new cultural eyes, which may mean revising swears in script or rethinking historic contexts and constructs. Scenes cannot contain any copyrighted images or audio.

The final film scenes are edited together, color corrected, and normalized and we screen the film together in celebration!

Teams and individuals can sign up now to participate! Scenes will be handed out on a rolling basis until they are gone, but we also have a waiting list on which we will put additional teams in case there is a team that must drop out.

We are also seeking musicians and composers to contribute new music to our remake! Since the original film soundtrack is copyrighted, we will need new music for several scenes.

FILMMAKERS SIGN UP HERE
MUSICIANS AND COMPOSERS SIGN UP HERE

Amherst Center Cultural District's COVID -19 ARTIST CONTEST

COVID -19 THE ARTIST CONTEST

A Call for Artists, Musicians, Poets & Writers

The Amherst Center Cultural District is sponsoring a contest for artists in all mediums to express their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of $4000 in cash and gift certificates will be distributed to winners in various categories. The ACCD has received a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council last fall to develop this year’s ARTWeek programming, but we would like to distribute the funds directly to artists. The MCC is permitting its grantee organizations to repurpose those grants as they deem most appropriate.

The impact of COVID-19 continues to broadly affect every aspect of life around the world. Artists can best communicate, express and decipher complicated and challenging times. Where and how we live, eat, work, communicate, reflect, stay informed, vote, stay healthy, provide for ourselves and our family, stay sane and balanced and resilient are daily, even hourly concerns. We are experiencing this together, but every experience is not the same.

Our goal with this contest is to ensure all artists are seen and heard. The ACCD board recognizes that racism is a public health crisis. We also recognize that COVID-19 has greater impact on people of color, low-income individuals, the disabled and we encourage submissions from traditionally underrepresented communities.

Who Is Eligible?
You are eligible to apply to this contest if you fulfill the following requirements:

• You are an artist working in any discipline and you are aged 18 or older;

• You work or have worked in Amherst, and/or your creative work has been exhibited or performed in Amherst; and

• You certify that the virus has impacted the income you have expected from your creative work this year.


The Entries

Your artistic entry can be in any medium as long as it conveys your response to COVID-19.
We highly encourage artists who identify as people of color, LGBTQIA+, disabled or from a minority or underrepresented demographic to apply.

The work must be able to be viewed or heard online for a virtual exhibition or performance in the fall. At an appropriate point, the ACCD hopes to exhibit or have the work performed “live.” Only one entry is allowed per artist. There is NO entry fee.

Please reach out if you need help applying.

The work could be any 2-dimensional art, photography, sculpture or art installation, musical performance, poetry, essay or other writing, or other creative response to the pandemic. Submission requirements are detailed below.



5 Categories:

● 2-dimensional art (painting, photography, chalk art, etc.)

● Sculpture or art installation

● Musical or dance performance

● Poetry or written word

● Other



Important Dates

June 22: Announcement of ACCD COVID-19 Contest

July 15: Deadline for Artist to fill out Application Form to enter contest

Aug. 22: Deadline for Submission of work

Sept. 7: Announcement of Winners

Sept. 15: Announcement of Online Exhibition



The Awards

Grand Prize - $375

First Prizes in 5 categories - $250 each

Second Prize in 5 categories - $175 each

Third Prize in 5 categories - $100 each

Honorable Mentions 20 - $50 gift certificates



The Jury

Decisions on all awards will be made by a subcommittee of the ACCD board of directors and creatives in the community appointed by the board.



Submissions

• Visual art must be submitted in jpeg or png format with the longest side being 7 inches; resolution no less than 100 dpi.

• Video submissions (e.g. dance performances) must be either linked to YouTube or submitted in Vimeo format, no longer than 10 minutes in length.

• Filmed musical performances must be no longer than 10 minutes in length, linked and submitted via YouTube, Vimeo, BandCamp or
other platform with original lyrics (if any) submitted as accompanying Word document.

• Poetry & Writing must not exceed 1,000 words.



Submit entry using Application Form: https://forms.gle/vwYjxC6AmA86tPys7 by July 15th



Submit work by email to info@amherstcenterculturaldistrict.org by midnight, Aug. 22.

Please use that email if you have any questions or need help submitting your application.



Information on the contest is on our website: Amherst Center Cultural District