SOLIDARITY STREET GALLERY 2022 is pleased to invite you to submit work to our one-of-a-kind street-side visual art exhibit.  Southeast Asian and other artists of color are especially encouraged to participate.  Our call for artwork is open to all.  Submitting work is free - there is no registration fee.  Artists can sell their work.  Some limited stipends can possibly be made available upon request, to help artists offset materials expenses or other artwork production cost they may incur.

SOLIDARITY STREET GALLERY 2022 encourages artists to break their mold; bring their work out from their studio, loft, or favorite gallery into the heart of an exciting and diverse community; share their vision and ideas on the important and most timely topic of RESILIENT GENERATIONS; and stand in solidarity with individuals and communities who demonstrate RESILIENCE every day.

KEY DATES

August 1:  Deadline for artwork submissions

August 12:  Date jurying and artwork selections will be completed

August 15:  Date artists will be informed of the jury’s decision

August 26:  Date artworks must be delivered/received

September 9 + 10:  Dates of ‘Street Gallery’ exhibition

SUBJECT MATTER

We are soliciting visual artworks that are inspired by, reflect on, or speak directly to the topic of RESILIENT GENERATIONS

a) as it pertains to all our Southeast Asian communities and their culture, history, and important roles in our modern society

b) as it applies to all other immigrant and underrepresented groups who have gone through the experience of trauma, adopting, healing, and rebuilding new lives and communities

c) as our entire community emerges from the COVID pandemic and returns to some form of normalcy

We are also open to receiving submissions that speak to the topics of justice, equity and resilience more generally, especially as they reflect solidarity with to all the diverse groups who call the East Side and the Greater St. Paul area their home. 

VISUAL ART CATEGORIES ACCEPTED

We welcome submissions of visual art in a broad range of media and formats.

• FLAT, FRAMABLE ART: paintings, drawings, illustrations, prints, photographs, or other forms of 2-dimensional art
• SCULPTURE:  from small table-top works to larger-than-life-size outdoor installations
• ART + CRAFT OBJECTS:  handcrafted artifacts that represent the rich history and cultural diversity of our Southeast Asian Communities and other East Side residents, including clothing and functional articles
• MOTION PICTURE SHORTS:   video / film shorts (3 - 5 min) that can be enjoyed on a flat-screen display indoors, or projected outdoors
• OUTDOOR SIDEWALK ART:  2-dimensional art installations or 3-dimensional structures suitable for display on the sidewalk in front of buildings
• OUTDOOR WALL ART:  large scale paintings or graphic art on particle boards, vinyl film, or textile fabrics suitable for mounting on outside building walls or boarded up buildings

We would like to encourage artists to come up with their own unique and bold ideas for how to turn visual art into a compelling outdoor or indoor experience for an entire community.  We would be glad to work with individual artists in creating a truly distinctive art installation - and finding a suitable location/venue to host and exhibit their work.​

EXHIBITION FORMAT

The artworks selected from this public Call for Artwork will be featured at 30-35 exhibition sites along Payne Avenue, centered around the intersection of Payne and Case, and extending a few blocks South and North from there.  A handful of these sites are art spaces and galleries.  Most of them, though, are store fronts, interior spaces or sidewalks/plazas belonging to restaurants, entertainment venues, retail businesses, and community organizations. Artists will be encouraged to collaborate with the venue/business owners to curate their individual, original exhibits, and build relationships and community at the same time.  It is the intent of the SOLDARITY STREET GALLERY to bring important and meaningful works of art to where people are - and build trust and connections in the neighborhood by engaging local businesses and non-profits in showcasing those works. 

The walkable “Street Gallery” assembled from the juried, public Call for Artwork will be complemented by a curated, conventional gallery exhibition of select works by 10-12 invited Southeast Asian artist of significant stature and renown.  The jury may opt to invite a few artists who submit their work through the public call to participate in the curated exhibition.

The festival will furthermore feature an educational multimedia exhibition that traces the stories of the various Southeast Asian immigrant communities; and a cultural performance program of music, dance, spoken word and more.  It will also include music at other local venues; a large-scale community art project; community activities for children, youth, and families; a street market for artisans and vendors; and a great variety of delicious foods served by local restaurants and food trucks.  We are targeting to attract 700-1000 guests each day.

VIRTUAL GALLERY + ARTWORK SALES

The SOLIDARITY STREET GALLERY will feature a complete on-line catalogue – and virtual gallery – of all the artists and artworks accepted.  This will provide additional publicity and exposure for the artists and their work, over an extended period before and after the event.  The virtual gallery will include links to the artists websites and social media pages, allowing virtual guests and in-person attendees to connect directly with the artists.

Artists are invited to offer their pieces in the exhibition for sale, through the virtual gallery and on-line sales tools set up by the organizers.  80% of the net sales proceeds, after taxes, will go directly to the artists.  The remainder will help off-set expenses by the organizers in creating and hosting the event, and installing the exhibitions.

ARTIST SELECTION PROCESS

Our call for artists is public and inclusive.  All are welcome and encouraged to apply, be they seasoned and well established, or novices and less experienced.  We will make every effort to include the work of as many artists as will be realistically feasible, within the constraints of curating an exhibit that is manageable in size, maintains a solid artistic standard, and assembles into a compelling story overall. 

The Organizing Committee will engage its Artistic Advisory Board in jurying the submissions and making the final selection of artworks accepted for exhibition.  That board, to be announced soon, is made up of respected local artists, gallerists, art teachers and art managers – representative of the diversity of our community and the Southeast Asian artists we want to attract.

Artists are encouraged to consider the artwork selection criteria below as they choose which pieces to submit:

1. Unique and Important Voice:  Artwork relates to the broad range of experiences in our Southeast Asian communities, and our diverse community at large
2. Relevant to the Theme of the Festival:  Artwork resonates with the themes of ‘Resilient Generations,’ in (1) our Southeast Asian Communities; (2) in other immigrant and underrepresented groups; (3) in our post-COVID community
3. Constructive Contribution:  Artwork encourages and facilitates cross-cultural conversations, learning, and mutual understanding
4. Authentic Contribution:  Artwork is genuine and believable, and devoid of appropriation
5. Artistic Quality:  Artwork leverages the medium chosen in a skillful way to convey an idea or emotion
6. Suitable for Public Display:  Artwork adds to the visual appeal of the district and is suitable for all ages

BACKGROUND ON SOLIDARITY STREET GALLERY FESTIVAL

SOLIDARITY STREET GALLERY is an annual, community-centered arts and cultural festival, held along Payne Avenue in St. Paul, MN.  Its intent is to bring together artists and community members for important exchanges about justice, equity, and resilience, celebrating the diverse groups of people who call the Eastside of St. Paul their home.

SOLIDARITY STREET GALLERY began in 2020, as an outdoor celebration of the arts when conventional art spaces and community events were shut down due to Covid-19.  A walkable street gallery in the storefront windows of local businesses along Payne Avenue created a way to highlight artistic innovators and safely bring together people of our neighborhood, to cope with stresses from the pandemic, commemorate and honor George Floyd, and experience solidarity in a meaningful way.  In 2021, our festival focused on the Indigenous community, highlighting dozens of Native artists and performers, and educating community members on Indigenous Sovereignty and Environmental Justice.

SOLIDARITY STREET GALLERY is co-sponsored by the Eastside Neighborhood Development Company (ESNDC) and the Payne Arcade Business Association (PABA).  It is an outcome of the ‘Payne Arcade – Uniquely Eastside’ initiative, aimed at creating a more vital, equitable and prosperous future for the business, arts and entertainment district in the Payne Area – and for the diverse community of people who live, work and shop in the neighborhood.  The 2022 festival is being developed in partnership with SEAD (The Southeast Asian Diaspora Project), Urban Village, and many other local community and arts organizations.

Application Requirements

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Application Requirements

Images (or video clips) of each artwork to be considered for exhibition [per CaFE requirements]

Title, price, year created and other ancillary information for each artwork to be considered for exhibition [per CaFE requirements]

Artist Statement

Artist Bio

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility:

All artists residing in the Unites States are eligible to submit work.
All artworks submitted must be originals, created by the submitting artists.