This document provides artists with important information for entering exhibitions. Requirements are mandatory. Guidelines are recommendations to make artwork competitive.
REQUIREMENTS:
All Entries
- Withdrawing works and making changes: Submitted works may not be withdrawn for any reason, and no substitutions are allowed. Artists who withdraw submissions will be prohibited from entering VAA exhibitions for one year. Descriptive information about the artwork, including prices, may not be changed.
- Accepted works must remain on view throughout the duration of the exhibition. This includes works that are sold before or during the exhibit. Early removal will result in the artist being excluded from VAA exhibitions for one year.
- Image files must be submitted electronically. Images, in the form of JPEGs, will have a maximum size of 10 MB, but no less than 1 MB. Filenames must be in exactly this format: Lastname, Entry #, Title.jpg. For example: Jones, Entry 1, Red Sunset.jpg, Jones, Entry 2, Yellow Sunrise.jpg. Do not use other symbols, dashes or spaces.
- Artist and art information: Do not use all caps or all lower case in any submitted data except the state abbreviation. Check your entry information carefully; we do not edit any data, such as title spellings.
- Fresh work: Submitted works may not have been previously shown in a VAA exhibition. There is no restriction related to year of the artwork.
- Unacceptable subject matter: Subjects such as nude figures, erotica, violence, profanity, offensive symbols, religious, or political reference will not be accepted for exhibitions in “general public venues” if designated in the prospectus. Such venues include public lobbies in office buildings, but may not include privately owned galleries, which may have fewer or no restrictions.
- Materials not permitted: Artwork may not contain any organic tissue or fluids. No video are permitted.
- Shipped art work must arrive at the specified address by the stated deadline, be shipped in re-useable packaging, and must be accompanied by a pre-paid return shipping label.
- Loss or Damage: VAA is not responsible for any damage or loss occurring during shipping, installation, or exhibition.
- Sales transactions are the responsibility of the artist. VAA has no role in sale of artwork; we take no commission.
Wall-Mounted Entries
- Condition of artwork: Works must be dry and suitably framed or edge-finished with no visible fastenings.
- Hanging hardware: Work must be wired with framer’s wire to a maximum of 8” from taut wire to artwork, with D-ring hangers or the equivalent. Saw-tooth hangers are not permitted. Other non-standard hardware may be rejected. Tape is not an acceptable fastening medium.
- Artwork dimensions must include frames, if applicable and may not exceed the specified maximum dimension in any direction.
- Frames must not be scuffed, scratched, or blemished on any visible surface. Metal frames should have appropriate mechanical fasteners for wired hanging.
- Plexiglas required: Plexiglas, in lieu of glass, is required for framed works over 360 square inches. Mats must be free of blemishes, with straight, clean, smooth, beveled edges.
- Free-hanging works: Unframed paper artwork, fabric pieces, works on panels and wall sculptures, if accepted, must be delivered ready to hang with all appropriate hanging hardware and may not exceed 30 lbs. Installation of these works is subject to approval and must be done by the artist, as directed.
3D Entries
- Ceiling-suspended pieces are not allowed.
- Multiple image filenames: Up to three images may be submitted for each 3D work, this includes wall reliefs. The format for multiple image filenames which must be followed exactly is: Lastname, Entry 1, Title.jpg; Lastname, Entry 2, Title.jpg; Lastname, Entry 3, Title.jpg. For example: Jones, Entry 1a, Red Cube.jpg; Jones, Entry 1b, Red Cube.jpg, etc.
- Pedestals required: Sculptures must be delivered with their own appropriate pedestals unless otherwise approved and must be installed by the artist. Pedestals must be stable, of a suitable size, and finished in appearance. Surfaces must be clean, smooth, and white in color. Artwork must be stabilized on its pedestal. For small pieces, vitrines may be required.
IMPORTANT:
Check your entry information before submitting to be sure you comply with all VAA requirements above. Entries that are not in compliance will not be accepted and no refunds will be made.
GUIDELINES:
Based on our experience with jurors in more than 90 exhibitions, we offer the following guidelines.
All Entries
- Photographing your work: It is not required to have your work professionally photographed; however, be aware that blurry, poorly lighted, discolored, awkwardly cropped images, obliquely photographed images or images in which the background is disproportionate in size or distracting to the entered artwork are often passed over by jurors. Look for hints on how, online.
Wall-mounted Entries
- Hanging devices: D-rings are recommended for wired 2D pieces. Eye-hook fasteners are discouraged, as they tend to make the work protrude from the wall surface, in which case the artwork may be rejected.
- Wiring your work: D-rings alone are not acceptable as hangers for 2D works in our installations; hanging works must be wired. Extraneous wires should be removed – only the intended hanging device should be included.
- Frames, if included, should be simple and not ornate, and should not overpower the work. Elaborate or heavy frames, suitable for some gallery shows, are not encouraged, and may result in the work being rejected by the juror. We recommend that submitted entry images include any proposed frames.
- Works on paper: The preferred display method for works on paper is framed and/or float mounted.
- “Edge-finished” for 2D works means there are no paint spillovers along the sides (although the art image may extend around the edges of gallery-wrapped paintings), and no scuff marks, stains, staples, or fasteners are visible.
- Signatures: VAA exhibitions are juried blind – artists are not identified to the juror. Jurors advise that artists should refrain from including visible signatures or logo identifiers as these defeat the purpose of blind selection and can be visually distracting. (Note: VAA may digitally erase visible signatures from image files of work submitted to the juror to protect the integrity of the blind selection process.)
- Diptychs or triptychs can be considered a single work, but the combined dimensions may not exceed the limit for the proposed exhibition.
3D Entries
- Multiple images: Online entries for 3D pieces may include up to three images to illustrate the character of the artwork, provided that image filenames follow the requirements above. Short videos are also permitted; however, some jurors may lack the capability of viewing them.
- Pedestals should be fabricated from material that is easily cleaned and should be free of scuff marks or damage. 3D works and pedestals may be moved during installation and will be exposed to public foot traffic. Artwork should be stabilized with adhesives or other means. Vitrines should be clean and free of marks and scratches.
Use the Internet to explore how to hang your work.
For example, for hints on how to photograph your artwork, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpj28da03JQ .
For guidance on how to prepare your 2D artwork for hanging, see
http://painting.about.com/od/howtoframepaintings/ss/hang-painting_5.htm#step-heading .