HOW TO APPLY
Applicants should apply through CAFÉ (www.callforentry.org) and the call may be found using “12th Mountain Maryland Plein Air Competition & Exhibition”. No entries sent directly to the sponsoring organization will be accepted. If an applicant has not previously applied to a call through CAFÉ, it will be necessary to set up a login prior to application. CAFE provides an extensive library of FAQs to support applicants with CAFE-related issues. If applicants are unable to troubleshoot issues, please contact the sponsoring organization at 301.777.2787 or at art@alleganyarts.org.

The entry fee for this competition is $40.00 and includes submission of three (3) digital images which should broadly represent the applicant’s plein air body of work. Applicants should include a brief artist statement. A total of 30 artists will be selected to participate.

The deadline to enter is February 28, 2020.

ENTRY GUIDELINES
Applicants should consider a number of factors before application to the competition, which include the following:

SCHEDULE

The 12th Annual Mountain Maryland Plein Air Competition & Exhibition will take place June 12-17, 2023, in Cumberland, MD. Selected artists will be expected to arrive the morning of Monday, June 12, 2023, and remain through the Quickdraw event on Saturday, June 17, 2023. 

Selected artists are expected to attend the following events:

Artist Orientation (morning) – Monday, June 12, 2023
Welcome Event (evening) – Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Reveal Evening (evening) – Friday, June 16, 2023
Quickdraw (morning) – Saturday, June 17, 2023

*Other events may be scheduled through the week, but artists are not required to attend.

PRIZES

Best of Show: $3500
First Place: $2500
Second Place: $1500
Third Place: $1000
Juror's Award of Merit: $700
Best Use of Light: $700
Best Architectural: $700
Artists' Choice: $500

QUICKDRAW

Juried First Place: $1000
Juried Second Place: $500
Juried Third Place: $250
Community Artist Award: $100
Student Artist Award: $50

LODGING

Artists are responsible for costs related to their lodging; however, the sponsoring organization attempts to obtain host housing for any artist wishing to be housed with a local family. Host families may reside in either Allegany or Garrett Counties, and host accommodations can be as far as a 60-minute drive from the gallery space. Host accommodations vary in size and amenities and cannot be guaranteed. It is up to the sole discretion of the sponsoring organization to make housing assignments. Artists should not directly contact hosts to make arrangements.

PROMOTION

Selected artists will be required to provide a digital photo and 200-word bio which may be used for promotion of the event. Artists are expected to comply with published deadlines for submission of these materials.

COMMISSION

The Allegany Arts Council charges a 35% commission on artwork sold during the 12th Annual Mountain Maryland Plein Air Competition & Exhibition, with all sales to be handled directly through the sponsoring organization. Artists are not permitted to arrange for private sale of their work during the event – doing so may make an artist ineligible for future competitions. During the course of the event program, artwork will be insured for 65% of its retail value.

EXHIBITION INFORMATION

Artists will arrive Monday, June 12, 2023, and will be given time to paint daily through Thursday, June 15, 2023. On Friday, June 16, 2023, all paintings completed through the week will be turned in and installed for the Reveal Evening, which takes place Friday evening, June 16, 2023. Artists will be free to collect their work at 1:00PM on Saturday, June 17, 2023. Artists may not take work prior to that time.

During painting time, the sponsoring organization will install an exhibition of selected artists previous work, and some sales may occur. Further details will be provided to selected artists after notification. The intent of this exhibition is to educate the community about each artist’s style and body of work prior to the reveal event.

Work produced during this event may not exceed 30” in width, including frame. Participating artists will be required to complete, frame and prepare artwork for installation onsite. A list of local resources will be made available.

JUROR: Charlie Hunter

Charlie Hunter is a nationally recognized painter of the post-pastoral American landscape. His distinctive, low-chroma work, heavily reliant on a mastery of values, edges and composition, utilizes a variety of moderately unorthodox techniques. His work has been featured in numerous art and lifestyle publications, is in multiple collections and museums, and was the recent subject of a one-man show, SEMAPHORE, curated by fellow artist Eric Aho. In 2022 Hunter scored a trifecta of sorts, winning the Grand Prize at Plein Air Easton, First Place at Door County Plein Air, and Best Body of Work (Artists’ Choice Award) at Smoky Mountains Plein Air. With painter and designer Larry Moore, Hunter created the En Train Air painting train, and Hunter’s weekly live stream, REASONABLY FINE ART TALKS, has a fervent following.

Growing up in rural New England, the son of a small-town printer, Charlie Hunter’s work examines the pressures of modern urban and suburban culture upon small-town and agricultural communities. Initially a graphic designer of tour posters for musicians such as the Jerry Garcia Band, Bob Dylan, The Clash, and REM, Hunter became a music manager and event producer, before turning to painting full time in the 2000’s,

Despite these achievements, Hunter’s cats remain surprisingly unimpressed, and merely wish he would provide more of “the gud fud.”

IMPORTANT DATES
Deadline to enter: Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Notification: Thursday, March 9, 2023

CONTACT US:

https://www.alleganyartscouncil.org/pleinair
301.777.2787
art@alleganyarts.org

SALES

All work must be for sale and priced with intent to sell. (65% to the artist and a 35% commission supports the Arts Council's Saville and Schwab Galleries, a non-profit organization).

INSURANCE

During the course of the exhibition, artwork will be insured for 65% of its retail value.

SHIPPING

It is the responsibility of the artist to cover the costs of all shipping, insurance and related costs as needed.

Application Requirements

See notice above.

Eligibility Criteria

See notice above.