ON EDGE is an annual juried exhibition of contemporary work by artists residing in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region who are pushing the boundaries of material and concept . EDGE Gallery has exhibited groundbreaking contemporary art for more than 30 years and has been instrumental in presenting important experimental work in our region.

All artists working in any media and residing in the Rocky Mountain region are invited to submit their work. This show is open to contemporary art of any medium, with an emphasis on work that challenges the margins of material, content, artistic process, and technology. The merits and definition of “contemporary” will be defined by the juror. Accepted artwork must be hand delivered.

Honorary Juror: Annie Geimer - Producer/Artist Liason for Meow Wolf and the Denver Theater District’s Understudy Arts Incubator Space  

Annie was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, and after attending college in Chicago and a brief stint back in Denver, she landed in San Francisco working for Superfly Presents. At Superfly, Annie was directly involved in festival operations and logistics, and over time her mission became to strengthen the local art community by empowering creatives. 

She returned to Denver in 2014 and was hired by the non-profit arts organization,The Denver Theatre District, where she spearheaded programs for local artists; namely the arts incubator, Understudy. Annie worked with Meow Wolf for 6 years, originally with the community outreach team and then as the Artist Liaison for the Convergence Station. Her work in the arts has been challenging and rewarding, requiring diligent attention to detail, people and problem solving skills. Annie is an active practitioner of grace under pressure, and majored in getting her hands dirty. She’ll go to the moon and back for you, partly because she really likes it there. Ask her about the last dream she had.

Blind Jury Process
On Edge exhibitions are evaluated without without artist statements, or artist names visible to the juror, in order to ensure that the quality and content of the artwork is the primary guiding factor for selection. The juror is encouraged to select works that demonstrate the best contemporary art, as defined by the perspective and expertise of the juror.  In addition, Edge Gallery co-op member artists will not submit their work for this exhibition do avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.

Prizes: $250 Juror's Choice Award

Guidelines: Artists must be able to drop off and pick up their work in-person (hand-delivered) to Edge Gallery. We cannot receive shipped artwork. Application fee is non-refundable.

Delivered artwork from the invited artists must be the specific art pieces selected in the jury process. No substitutions for other art pieces is allowed. Images and information provided in the CAFE application must be representative of the work. Accepted work may be refused if the quality or information does not meet standards.

Installation Requirements

All work must be ready to hang or display in a professional manner, ready to hang or to install.  Frames, mats, and wiring must be of professional quality, in good condition and substantial enough for the weight of the artwork. Saw-tooth hangers are not accepted because they are not stable and difficult to level. Maximum weight of any 2D art work or relief is 70 lbs. Fragile work must be labeled and include protective materials as needed. Work may be refused if Edge Gallery is unable to install, hang professionally, or properly protect the artwork from standard wear and movement.

Work that needs set up for installation or has multiple components must be accompanied by a diagram and/or instructions, or the artist may be asked to personally install more complicated pieces. 

For 4-D and other time-based media, if your audio or video is publicly available online, please enter a URL link to embed the audio in your CaFE portfolio, such as Youtube or Vimeo  NOTE: Artists must provide equipment to display the work (video monitors are best; projectors are difficult to hang in the gallery and artists will have to install themselves on installation day, but they may be easily placed on a pedestal that we provide). Headphones are required--works cannot disrupt viewing of other artist's works. Please provide video or computer monitors and/or other playback equipment at the time of drop off. Questions? Please email https://www.edgeart.org/

Important Dates:

Application deadline: Friday, June 30, 2023

Exhibition dates: August 4 – August 20, 2023

Artists Notified: Week of July 10, 2023

Artwork Drop Off: Sunday, July 30, 4:00pm-6:00pm  and Monday July 31 6:00pm-8:00pm.

6501 W. Colfax, Lakewood, CO 80214 (Our gallery is located in the 40West Art Hub building, next to Burger King.)

Opening Reception: Friday, August 4, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Meet-the-Juror artist reception and Juror's Choice Award announcements: August 20, 2023. 3:00-5:00 pm. (Artists may pick up their work after event.)

Edge Gallery has very limited storage facilities. Artwork not picked up on the exhibition pick-up dates after 5 days will be considered abandoned and deemed the property of Edge Gallery--unless artists make arrangements beforehand.  Contact edgethegallery@gmail.com

Sales

EDGE Gallery takes a 30% commission on anything sold through the show. Price provided on the CAFE application cannot be changed  Edge Gallery will pay local and state sales taxes.

Questions? Please email edgethegallery@gmail.com

Application Requirements

1-3 total images/media of artist's artwork. Submissions can be of 3 different artworks or fewer if detail  shots are needed. This event is accepting:
Images - Minimum: 0, Maximum: 3

Video - Minimum: 0, Maximum: 3 
Audio - Minimum: 0, Maximum: 3

Total Media - Minimum: 1, Maximum: 3

Eligibility Criteria

All artists of all ages are welcome to apply.