Eligibility: FIRST CONTEXTS is open to everyone. Professionals as well as students are encouraged to enter. The only limitation is that entries must represent original works of art or design and represent or address the theme in some way.
Media/Genre: Open to all traditional and non-traditional genre and media. Note that works submitted to this exhibit may be straight forward 'artworks' in the vein that an artist is already working in. Or they may be outside the usual mode of operating for an artist who may, for example, be known for abstract paintings, but who for this exhibit photographs (or draws) his or her working space and chooses to share that as an entry to First Contexts. With this in mind, we imagine that the exhibit might take on a dual nature - one part exhibit of fine art, one part documentary of artists' work spaces - or places where they make/find their art.
Jury and Curator: Manifest's selection process involves a complex two-part system. This exhibit will be juried by a 9-12 member panel of professional and academic advisors with a broad range of expertise. The jury will then pass along their recommendations to the exhibit curator who will make the final selections from the jury-approved pool.
Catalog: Manifest will produce a full-color catalog documenting the work selected for exhibit. Each exhibiting artist will receive one free copy of the catalog. Manifest is unique among galleries and museums around the world for designing and producing a high-quality full-color book for every exhibit produced. By offering one complimentary copy of the catalog to exhibitors, Manifest continues to expand how it serves its mission and the artists who make it all possible. Artists will receive their copy either in person when picking up work after the exhbit, or with the return shipment of their artwork. Additional copies can be purchased via the online bookstore. For examples of past catalogs visit Manifest Press.
Delivery and Return of Work: All work accepted for the exhibition must arrive ready to install. Works not gallery-ready, or not exhibiting good craftsmanship, may be omitted from the exhibit. Accepted work that differs significantly from the entry images or suffers from poor presentation, will be disqualified. Please note that professional-level presentation is a must. Work may be hand delivered or shipped. Shipped works must be sent in an easily reusable container/packaging with return shipping prepaid. Works will be returned in the same manner as delivered or via UPS/USPS. All work must arrive at Manifest by the specified date (see calendar
below). Accepted work will remain on display for the duration of the exhibition.
Calendar:
August 25
September 3
September 5
September 21
September 24
October 22
October 23-29 |
Deadline for receipt of entries
Notifications sent by email
Hi-res images needed for catalog and PR
Artwork due to Manifest by this date
Opening reception
Final Day of Exhibition
Pick-up/ship artwork |
Insurance: Works will be insured while on gallery premises. Insurance covers theft, vandalism, damage caused by gallery patrons or staff (in accordance with insurance policy). PLEASE NOTE: Insurance does not cover damage caused during shipping due to any reason, including mishandling by carrier or failure of packaging to protect works in transit. Also not covered is damage caused to work by failure of the work itself, its mounting systems installed by the artist, or disintegration/degradation due to the nature/quality of materials or craftsmanship.
Entry Fee: Each work submitted must be accompanied by a $10 non-refundable
entry fee. Number of entries is unlimited. Entry fee must be paid
by U.S. check or U.S. or International money order made payable to MANIFEST, or by credit card
via PayPal. (If paying by PayPal PLEASE use the paypal link provided on the page that follows the submission of the online entry form.) Detail images may be included at no additional cost, but should only be included if necessary for understanding the nature or quality of the artwork.
How many works should I submit?
The average number of works submitted to typical Manifest calls is 3. Some artists like to submit several more, especially if they have a couple different bodies of work which they'd like our jury to consider, or if they have a suite of works that are interrelated. While we have absolutely no minimum number required (other than one), nor do we give an advantage to those who submit more, it is helpful to have a few options to select from. Our jury often gains insight into one work by seeing it in context with a few others by the same artist. And we do routinely accept pairs or sets of work by artists once they are determined to be a finalist.
Sale of Work: All work, unless indicated as not for sale (NFS),
will be available for sale during exhibit. Manifest Gallery will
retain a commission of 30% on all artwork sold during the exhibition.
Images: In an effort to conserve resources Manifest accepts only digital images for consideration. See specifications below. The Gallery will retain the submitted images of accepted artwork and reserves the right to use the images in publications and gallery publicity. CD's of works not selected will only be returned if accompanied by a SASE.
(digital entries and online form submissions preferred)
Digital Format: Digital images can be submitted on CD or by e-mail
(send to: show@manifestgallery.org). The email and online submission process is HIGHLY PREFERRED because it makes our process more efficient and saves postage and materials for the artists. Hi-Res, print-quality images will be requested for accepted works upon conclusion of the jury process. If suitable images are not provided, the work may not be included in the catalog.
To send via email: (send to: show@manifestgallery.org). The email should include the artist's full name
as subject along with 'FIRST CONTEXTS submission.' The images must meet the following specifications:
File names = artist's last name (underscore) first name, followed by the entry number as noted on the entry form
(i.e. Jones_Mike_1.jpg).
Detail, installation, or alternate view images must include the word 'detail' in the filename (i.e. Jones_Mike_1detail1.jpg).
Detail info should NOT be included on the entry form. The image files should be in HIGH QUALITY JPEG format,
images should be no smaller than 1000 pixels in any direction and
72dpi.
Images must be oriented properly (i.e. top of image is top
of artwork) and should not include text info or borders that are not part of the actual work. Video work should be sent with similar naming conventions in a quicktime compatible format file (preferably not DVD format for the jury process). If selected, a DVD copy will be requested for gallery presentation.
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