The Dairy Arts Center is proud to announce our annual Call for Art Exhibitions! We invite artists who work in all visual art mediums to submit for consideration. Selected applicants will work with Curator of Visual Arts, Drew Austin, to develop and program exhibitions to be shown between September 2024 - August 2025. Applications may be submitted for an individual artist, a group of artists/collective, or a curated exhibition of artists*. Applications may include up to 10 images for consideration (any media accepted) and must submit a minimum of 2 work samples. Artists may submit as many applications as desired (max 20). Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a cohesive body of work, images that represent their work, and the type of work they would like to exhibit at The Dairy. 

*If applying as a group, only ONE application is needed: please consolidate all materials into a single application.

Details 

All visual art mediums are acceptable for entry. Please be aware The Dairy does not own display cases for jewelry. Jewelry artists will be required to provide their own secure display materials if their work is accepted for the exhibit.

The jury is composed of members of the Dairy’s Visual Art Committee, a fifteen-member committee of artists, curators, university faculty, art collectors, and local creatives. 

The Dairy houses four unique gallery spaces (Polly Addison Gallery, Hand - Rudy Gallery, MacMillan Family Lobby, and McMahon Gallery). Please take a look over the different gallery spaces and indicate a preference with your application. https://thedairy.org/art-gallery-information/

Please note, selected applications are not guaranteed placement in their preferred gallery space and applications showing flexibility to be presented in multiple gallery spaces is preferred. 

The Exhibition Process

Upon selection, artists will be notified and put in direct contact with Drew Austin, Curator of Visual Arts. Working in collaboration, The Dairy will assist in producing the proposed exhibition, including in most cases: exhibition title vinyl, exhibition guide, developed online exhibition, online sales platform for salable works, in house marketing, social media and newsletter marketing, multiple studio visits, curatorial advising, exhibition installation and deinstallation, exhibition documentation, opening reception with photographer present and auxiliary programming opportunities. 

Delivery or Shipping

Any art being shipped must be shipped both directions at the artist’s expense, except in special cases. 

Further details will be sent if your work is accepted.

Application Fees: $40 per application, non refundable

Each application must contain at least 2 media samples and no more than 10 media samples. A combination of video, audio, images, etc. may be submitted.

Works for display should be for sale, but is not a requirement. The Dairy Arts Center retains a commission of 40% on artwork sold, please consider this in your pricing.
 

Important Dates 

Ÿ Deadline for Application: Oct 15th, 2023

Ÿ Juror selection of art: Oct 16th - Nov 18, 2023

Ÿ Artist notification: December 1st, 2023

Ÿ Exhibition dates: between September 2024 and August 2025

About the Dairy Arts Center 

Dairy Arts Center was founded in 1992 to provide cooperative workspaces for local artists and venues for live performance in Boulder County. Originally owned by the Watts-Hardy Dairy, the building’s transformation from a former milk-processing facility to a thriving multi-disciplinary arts hub for Boulder and beyond is a nationally recognized example of constructive urban development and renewal. The Dairy’s founders envisioned a community arts center where artists of all genres would create and inspire each other and the greater community. 

Today, this dream of shared art making is a thriving reality. The Dairy’s 42,000 square foot facility houses disciplines ranging from visual arts, theater, and film to dance and music. A professional environment complete with art galleries, performance venues, teaching studios, offices, rehearsal spaces, dance studios, and a 60-seat art-house cinema, it is Boulder’s largest multi-disciplinary arts center. The Dairy’s audience spans all ages, backgrounds and ability levels, from young student to seasoned performer and from first-time to seasoned theatergoers. Our audience is inclusive of all ages and backgrounds as well as adults and children of various cultures and levels of ability; our facility is accessible to persons with physical mobility challenges.

Contact:  For additional information, contact Curator of Visual Arts, Drew Austin, drew@thedairy.org

Application Requirements

Please submit along with images:

• Brief artist biography
• Artist Statement pertaining to work submitted
• Gallery preference selection

Eligibility Criteria

All mediums will be accepted

Artists over 18 years of age are eligible to apply (younger artists may apply with parental permission, please reach out to drew@thedairy.org for more details)

Works must be original, no prints or recreations will be considered (unless conceptually grounded within exhibition)

Incomplete applications will not be considered

Applications received after the due date will not be considered 

If the required application fee is a financial barrier for your application being submitted, please reach out for assistance to drew@thedairy.org