Artscape, America’s largest free arts festival, invites artists, exhibitors, vendors and organizations to apply to participate in the 2018 festival taking place Friday, July 20 through Sunday, July 22, 2018. The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts is now accepting proposals from artists for Artwork Projects and applications for the Artist-Run Art Fair, Food Vendors, The Fred Lazarus IV Artscape Prize (“The Fred”), Gamescape, Kidscape, LOL@Artscape, Non-Profit and Arts/Cultural Organizations, and Performing Arts (opera, theatre, dance, classical music, street theater, etc.)  In recent years, Artscape organizers have applied an overarching theme, relevant to both the arts and Baltimore City, into the festival’s creative thinking. For 2018, the festival is going back to the basics…ART. For “the year we didn’t have a theme,” artists and festival-goers are encouraged to embrace Artscape for what it is – a fully accessible, 100% FREE, world-class arts festival – right here in the heart of Baltimore City. New for 2018: Artscape is proud to shine a light on the creative and artistic talent of Baltimore’s youth, with plans to showcase youth-focused programming (in both the visual and performing arts) on Artscape’s opening day, Friday, July 20, 2018. 

Deadline: February 28, 2018

For more information, click here

Deadline to submit: February 16, 2018

Exhibition dates: December 15 2018February 9, 2018

Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) invites artists to submit a proposal for new artwork in response to the prompt, “If you could do anything, what would that be?”

Five artists will be selected by Guest Curator Don Rossell and GRACE Associate Curator Erica Harriosn to participate in the 2018 Mary B. Howard Invitational: STRETCH. The exhibition is named in memory of Mary B. Howard, an artist, longitme board member, and staunch supporter of the Greater Reston Arts Center. Selected artists will receive a $250 honorarium and $1000 for materials.

A written proposal of work in response to the prompt, “if you could do anything what would that be?” (500 words max.), Artist statement (250 words max.), CV or resume, Ten (10) images of past work.

For more information, click here

Diedra Krieger’s Plastic Fantastic

Art in the Open (AiO), a partnership between The Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA)City Parks Association, and Fairmount Water Works, re-frames the ‘plein air’ tradition of creating art outside and on-site in a contemporary context, encouraging both artists and audiences to draw inspiration from the city’s diverse natural and urban landscapes. Using the Schuylkill River Banks Park as studio space, participating artists will have the opportunity to explore new working methods, develop process-oriented works, and interpret a compelling intersection of urban and natural environments in the public realm. Selected artists will also be able to participate in complementary programs and public engagement events presented by more than 30 organizational partners, as well as exhibit their finished work as part of the 2018-2019 AiO exhibition series. AiO reaches an estimated 12,000 visitors over the course of the three-day event.

Deadline: February 1, 2018

For more information, click here

Gormley Gallery at Notre Dame of Maryland University is now accepting entries for the 29th National Drawing and Print Competitive Exhibition. This year’s juror is Kim Domanski, Public Art Coordinator for Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts. For a fee of $36 artists may submit up to 3 drawings or prints. A minimum of $1,500 will be available in purchase prize awards.

DEADLINE: January 31st, 2018

For more information, click here.  To apply, click here. 

Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) seeks proposals for site-specific, temporary public art that will enliven the East Avenue neighborhood. We welcome and encourage proposals for incisive, surprising, and unique sculpture and installation art of all forms, including electronic media-based works that can be presented outside. Of particular interest are projects that connect visitors to the location, buildings, park landscape, community and/or history of the neighborhood. Proposals for works that prompt visitors to return multiple times to experience changes in the piece are encouraged. RoCo welcomes visual artists, sculptors, sound artists, performing artists, photographers, filmmakers, and others to submit a proposal. Download the full RFP document here:  rocopublicartrfp2018.pdf

“We Interrupt this Program…”

An art show about disrupting the straight male gaze in sci-fi/fantasy art, including visual art, film and video games.

In Laura Mulvey’s 1975 essay Visual and Other Pleasures, the concept of the male gaze in cinema is outlined as a visual narrative controlled by an active male character and a passive female character. Simply put, the story is told, and viewed by the audience, through the eyes of a heterosexual male. Consequently, the story depicts the female character in “their traditional exhibitionist role” and are “looked at and displayed”.

Despite depicting imaginary worlds where anything is possible, all too often sci-fi and fantasy artistic mediums fall victim to the male gaze, objectifying women, underutilizing depth of character development, or failing to cast women as well as others in the LGBTQA community in central roles.  We Interrupt this Program.. Is an art show aimed to disrupt the male gaze in sci-fi and fantasy mediums. The show will open to the public on April 7, 2018, and be on view until May 27, 2018.

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