The Fusion of Fiber Arts, Fashion, & Design SDA’s 2022 International Exhibition in Print

Each year, SDA’s International Exhibition In Print showcases the breadth and depth of contemporary artists and designers working with fiber and textile-based materials, methods, and techniques. The work of selected artists will be featured in the Fall 2022 issue of Surface Design Journal. The Journal is read by artists, gallery owners, curators, scholars, and enthusiasts nationally and internationally. Entries may be submitted online through June 1 via CaFÉ. 

GOAL: As Guest Juror for this issue of Surface Design Journal, I want to highlight individuals who create within the blurred boundaries of fiber art, fashion, and design. From artists incorporating technology or unconventional materials to those working with hand-skilled techniques, these categories—art, fashion and design—make up the connective fibers that reflect different cultures, diverse values, social environments and specific visual languages. By underscoring the stories tailoring the work—beyond the visual and material qualities—our examination offers insight into these intriguing zones. The borderland where art and fashion meet is often used to pose critical questions about culture and identity, while reflecting on the power of visual representation. Each unique creation may explicitly tell an artist’s story or have a message hidden within the passion and labor of the artistic process. In this way, the work renders diverse histories visible and draws attention to the underrepresented. Whether viewed as accessory, commodity or art, each work captures memories ready to be shared, and through which viewers can reflect upon their own personal histories.

-Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, Guest Juror

Artists working in all media are encouraged to apply.

JOURNAL OVERVIEW: Surface Design Journal managing editor Lauren Sinner and art historian Amber-Dawn Bear Robe will co-jury this exhibition, selecting work for inclusion in a comprehensive print and digital edition of the Fall 2022 Surface Design Journal. The publication will include full and detailed images as well as artist statements and juror reflections addressing the context of the work in the exhibition and its place within the evolution of broader trends in contemporary textile and fiber-based arts. 

Artists whose work is selected will receive one complimentary print copy of Surface Design Journal. 

JURORS: Amber-Dawn Bear Robe (Siksika Nation) is Assistant Faculty of Art History in the Museum Studies department at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), Santa Fe, NM, and Fashion Show Program Director for the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA), Santa Fe, NM. Bear Robe achieved an MA in American Indian Studies and a second MA in Art History, both from the University of Arizona. Regional Emmys were awarded to Bear Robe in 2020 and 2021 for two documentary short films on Indigenous fashion. She is an acting trustee for the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) board, CO, and the Wheelwright Museum board, NM, and sits on the curatorial committee for Vital Spaces, NM. 

Lauren Sinner is a multidisciplinary artist based in Portland, Oregon. She is currently the Managing Editor of Surface Design Journal, Mentor to MFA candidates, and an independent contractor to many arts organizations throughout the country. She received her MFA in Applied Craft + Design from the joint program between the Oregon College of Art and Craft and the Pacific Northwest College of Art in 2016.

Application Requirements

ENTRY PROCEDURE: Entries are to be submitted online through CaFÉ           

The following information is required for submission: 

1. Name, address, telephone, e-mail.

2. Up to 3 artworks - maximum 2 images per artwork - 1 overall image and 1 detail of each artwork.  Six images total may be submitted per entrant. Jurors request one overall and one detail of each full original artwork. 

3. Images - full and detail - JPEG only; Upload options for image files:

• File format: JPEG only
• File dimensions: 1200 pixels or larger on longest side
• File resolution: 72 ppi/dpi (standard web resolution)
• File size: 5 MB maximum

NOTE: Uploaded images are scaled by the system and two monitor versions are created: a small 100-pixel thumbnail and a large 700-pixel image. These images are available for preview in your portfolio after uploading.

4. A brief artwork statement (100-150 words maximum, cannot exceed 1000 characters). Please note: The statement is meant to provide jurors with additional information to understand your submitted piece. Details about overall artistic practice can be included if they provide valuable context for the jurors. This is a blind jury process, please do not include identifying information in the statement.

PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDELINES: As this call is for an exhibition in print, the quality of photographic documentation will impact the assessment of your work for inclusion in the Journal. All backgrounds should be neutral or grayscale unless color is part of the work. 

NOTE: Artists must provide print quality images of selected work at 300 dpi, 6x8" min, jpg or Tiff.

AWARDS: Award honorees will be featured with expanded coverage in the September publication of the Fall 2022 edition of Surface Design Journal, The Connective Fibers of Art, Fashion and Design. Award categories are:

• Collaboration and Community
• Emerging Artist/ Next Generation Award
• Art as Fashion / Fashion as Art Award
• Unconventional Materials Award
• Current Statement Award?
• Innovation in Technique
• Textiles and Technology

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY AND ENTRY FEE: This exhibition is open to all artists, with discounted entry fee offered to SDA members. Artists may enter up to three artworks. 2D and 3D works are eligible, as is documentation of time-based media, performance, or conceptual work. Only photographic documentation of work will be considered. Work must have been completed since January 1, 2020. Work executed under classroom/educational guidance or supervision is not eligible. Artists who have been included in prior EIPs are encouraged to apply, but submitted work should show a progression or be from a different body of work. 

Information about SDA membership is available at the SDA website: https://www.surfacedesign.org/members/member-benefits/

Join today to enter at the SDA member price and  and get 10% off your membership with the code SDAEXHIBITS

• $25 entry fee for SDA members, up to 3 artworks
• $45 entry fee for non-members, up to 3 artworks