FUTURE TENSE 2023
February 23 – April 23, 2023
The Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery
University of Nebraska-Lincoln

EXHIBITION: 

Surface Design Association (SDA) invites students to submit work for the annual SDA Juried Student Exhibition, FUTURE TENSE 2023. The exhibition will be held at The Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery at University of Nebraska–Lincoln, February 23 – April 23, 2023. Exhibiting artists are eligible for four awards recognizing excellence in artistic practice. Entries may be submitted via CaFÉ through the extended deadline of December 18, 2022.

FUTURE TENSE 2023 will celebrate the creative work of student artists, designers, and makers working with or inspired by fiber or textile materials or techniques. FUTURE TENSE 2023 offers a glimpse into the future of contemporary fibers by presenting the very best work being made by students in the field today. All SDA member and non-member students working in any media are encouraged to apply.

JUROR:

Natalie Baxter (b. 1985, Lexington, Kentucky) received her MFA from the University of Kentucky in 2012 and a BA in Fine Art from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee in 2007. Her work has been exhibited in galleries, museums, universities, and fairs internationally with recent shows at Denny Dimin Gallery in both New York and Hong Kong, The New York Historical Society, the Torrance Art Museum in California, and Supermarket Art Fair in Stockholm. She has been an artist in residency at the Wassaic Project, Stove Works, a fellowship recipient at the Vermont Studio Center, an IASPIS grant recipient at Konstepidemin in Gothenburg, Sweden, and was twice awarded the Queens Art Fund Grant. Press for Baxter’s work includes The New York Times, The New Yorker, Hyperallergic, The Guardian, and BOMB magazine.

ENTRY FEES:

$15 SDA student members/ $20 non-member students. To apply at the member-rate, you can Join SDA

ENTRY PROCEDURE: 

Entries are accepted online through CaFÉ Call for Entry website. The extended entry deadline is December 18, 2022. 

AWARDS:

First Place                  $300
Second Place             $200
Third Place                 $100
Honorable Mention     SDA Award of Excellence

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Dec. 18, 2022 Extended entry deadline
• Jan. 7, 2023 Notification of acceptance
• Feb. 2, 2023 Selected works and exhibit agreement due at gallery
• Feb. 23, 2023 Exhibition opens
• Mar. 29, 2023 In Person / Virtual Reception
• April 23, 2023 Exhibition closes
• April 30, 2023 Shipped Artwork is returned

This exhibition is presented in partnership with The Robert Textiles Hillestad Gallery at University of Nebraska–Lincoln. 

Surface Design Association, a 501c3 non-profit textile arts organization founded in 1977, is dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of textile-inspired art and design through member-supported benefits including publications, exhibitions and conferences. Visit us at www.surfacedesign.org.  For questions, contact info@surfacedesign.org.

Application Requirements

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

1. Name, address (and shipping address if different), telephone, email.
2. Up to 3 works total may be submitted. Juror requests one overall and at least one detail of each full original artwork. Six images total may be submitted per entrant.
3. 2D & 3D: Full and detail images - Upload options for image files:
   • File format: JPEG only
   • File dimensions: must be 1200 pixels or greater on the longest side
   • File resolution: 72 ppi/dpi (standard web resolution)
   • File size: 5 MB maximum
4. Video: Not to exceed 700 MB per sample, mp4 format only, 3 minute max, either 1280x800 or 2560x800
5. Audio: Not to exceed 10MB
6. A brief description accompanying each image of work submitted.
7. A brief artist statement (100-150 words maximum, cannot exceed 1000 characters). Since this is a blind jury process, please do not include identifying information in the statement.

INSURANCE: 

Artists are responsible for insurance during transit to the gallery. Invited artists must complete The Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery Artist Agreement by February 2, 2023, which includes insurance details. Work will be insured while at University of Nebraska–Lincoln. 

SHIPPING:  

Complete shipping instructions will be sent with the acceptance notification letter. Artists are responsible for shipping costs both to and from FUTURE TENSE 2023 (including insurance during transit) by providing a prepaid shipping label with the shipped art for return shipping. All artwork must arrive at the Hillestad Gallery no later than February 2, 2023. Works will be ready for return shipping to artists no later than April 30, 2023.  

PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDELINES:  

Artists are strongly encouraged to submit images for this call for entry that presents the work to its best advantage. Photographs should give a sense of how the artwork “sits” or “hangs.” Detail photographs are important to show the technical excellence of the work; they can highlight special areas that might not be obvious in the full shot of the work. Resources and tips for photographing work are available online here and here. 

Works accepted in the exhibition must be available to be photographed individually or in exhibition installation shots for advertising and publicity during the entire run of the exhibition.

Audio and video works will be included in the exhibition in their entirety. 

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY:       

This exhibition is open to all student* artists. Up to three pieces may be submitted per artist. 2D, 3D, video and audio works are eligible. Entries must be original work completed after 1/1/2021.

*SDA defines ‘student’ as someone who is engaged in a mentor/mentee relationship with a knowledgeable instructor in their field, for the purpose of gaining instruction. This includes, but is not limited to: institutional settings including K-12; community organizations; craft institutions; visual art organizations; intergenerational learning environments, and other experiences in which an individual may learn/absorb/practice/create new skills and knowledge over a period of time.

Entries that do not meet the stated requirements will not be considered. Artists who have been included in prior SDA exhibitions are encouraged to apply, but work should show a progression or be from a different body of work. Works previously exhibited with SDA will not be considered. No substitutions for accepted work may be made. Accepted artwork that differs significantly from image in online submission may be disqualified. Accepted works must be available for the duration of the exhibition. For ceiling-suspended work, individual components must not weigh more than 5 lbs. Work must not exceed 7’x7’.