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Off Center - An International Ceramics Competition
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Contact Email: info@bluelinearts.org

Entry Deadline: 2/29/24
Application Closed

Entry Fee (Off Center: An International Ceramic Competition): $35.00
Work Sample Requirements
Images | Minimum:Min. 1, Maximum:Max. 10
Total Samples | Minimum:Min. 1, Maximum:Max. 10
Call Type: Competitions
Eligibility: International
State: California
Event Dates: 4/6/24 - 5/18/24

Blue Line Arts invites you to join our annual show: Off Center. This competition celebrates the timeless tradition of ceramic art but also welcomes your unique artistic vision. Whether you prefer classic pottery or bold abstract creations, we are eager to check the pulse of the Ceramics community and see your applications!

This year's competition is seeking a special focus on installation artworks and large-scale ceramics. The competition accommodates monumental and multi-part creations, so feel free to dream big!

Of course, all forms of ceramic artwork are welcome, including functional and non-functional pottery, abstract sculptures, hanging/ wall-mounted pieces, jewelry, and mixed media.

We call this show Off Center for a reason. We want to see you break the mold and try something new on a international platform. We are looking for highly unique artworks that redefine our expectations of what ceramic art can be.

Guest Juror: Heidi McKenzie is a ceramic artist based in Toronto, Canada. Heidi completed her MFA at OCADU in 2014. Heidi is informed by her mixed-race Indo-Trinidadian/Irish-American heritage. Heidi uses photography, digital media, and archive to forefront themes of ancestry, race, migration and colonization, as well as body and healing.

In 2022, Heidi was a finalist for the Shantz Award, Canada’s national emerging ceramics award. Heidi has exhibited internationally in Europe, Scandinavia and the US. The recipient of numerous grants, Heidi has created in Denmark, Hungary, Australia, China and Indonesia.

Heidi curated ‘Decolonizing Clay’ at the Australian Ceramics Triennale, 2019, and participated in the World Indian Diaspora Congress in Trinidad, 2020, and the Celebrating Girmityas (Indo-indenturehship) International Conference, May 2023. Heidi was inducted into the International Academy of Ceramics in 2022. Heidi serves as a volunteer board member with NCECA, the National Council for the Education of the Ceramic Arts.

Heidi’s solo exhibition at the Gardiner Museum, Reclaimed: Indo-Caribbean HerStories (spring 2023) continues to explore the little-known histories of Indo-Caribbean indentureship through a feminist lens.


Important Dates:

Exhibition Dates: April 6-May 18th, 2024
Deadline to Enter: February 29th, 2024
Artist Notification: March 6, 2024
Shipping deadline of work to Blue Line Arts: March 10, 2024
Hand deliver work to Blue Line Arts: March 24th & 25th from 10am-3pm 
Opening Reception: Saturday April 20th from 4 to 8pm.
Pick up unsold work from Blue Line Arts: May 19th & 20th from 10am-3pm 

Cash Prizes

1st: $500
2nd: $300
3rd: $100

Questions:

If you have questions about submissions, please contact Blue Line Arts staff during gallery hours at (916) 783-4117 or at gallery@bluelinearts.org

Application Requirements

Application Requirements: You must be 18 years or older to apply. There is a non-refundable entry fee for Off Center of $35.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility

  • Open to artists everywhere!
  • All artwork must be original and completed within the last two years
  • Artwork cannot have been previously exhibited at Blue Line Arts
  • All 2-D works must be ready to hang
  • All artwork must be for sale
  • Accepted artwork that differs significantly from image in online submission will be disqualified
  • No accepted entry may be withdrawn or sold outside of the exhibition prior to the closing date
  • Blue Line Arts handles all sales transactions. Non-member artists receive a 50% commission from all gallery sales and members receive a 60% commission.
  • Size limitations
    • Art must be able to enter through the doors with a clearance of 94”h x 91”w
    • Ceilings in the gallery are 10 feet high
    • Nothing over 60 lbs will be accepted
  • All artwork images must be renamed in the following format:
    • ArtistName-ArtworkTitle.jpeg
  • The artist is responsible to pay for all shipping and should have a prepaid label from FedEx or UPS (No US Mail)  for return of artwork.
  • All shipping of art must be packed as in this link!  Please see https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/ceramic-art-and-artists/ceramic-artists/packaging-ceramics-shipping/