Properties of Water

Exhibition Dates: November 18 – December 17, 2023
Katrina Bello, Juror

Water, our most essential natural resource, provides endless inspiration to artists for its natural beauty and spiritual qualities. Water also raises a range of historic and contemporary issues regarding the environment and conservation, climate change, equity and access, economics, politics, and origins. Arts Benicia, a non-profit art center in Benicia, CA, invites artists to submit works representing their individual interpretations, responses to, and personal associations with water.

All media accepted, 2D and 3D, audio and video files. 2D work may not exceed 40” in width or 72” in height, including the frame. 3D work may not exceed a 40” x 40” footprint. 

Deadline for Entries:  September 15, 2023 (10:59 pm Pacific Time)

Jurying of artwork: September 16 – 25
Notification to Artists: September 28 – 30
Shipped Artwork Received: November 1- 6 (no later than November 6)
Hand Delivered Work Received: Monday, November 6, 1-4 pm
Preview for Members & Exhibiting Artists: Thursday, November 16, 6 - 7 pm
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 18, 4 - 6 pm
In-Person Artwork Pick-Up:  December 19-20, 1 – 4 pm
Shipped Artwork Return: December 19-20

Juror

Katrina Bello is a visual artist whose work is informed by reflections, observations and experiences of natural environments encountered during the course of migration from the Philippines to the United States. She has participated in solo and group exhibitions in the United States and the Philippines and has been awarded fellowships and residencies in the United States. She has participated in exhibitions at the Montclair Art Museum, NJ; The Visual Arts Center of NJ; Gallery Aferro in Newark, NJ; El Museo Cultural in Santa Fe, NM; MO Space and West Gallery in Metro Manila, Philippines. She has been awarded residencies at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, NW; Millay Arts in Austerlitz, NY; Tides Institute & Museum of Art in Eastport, ME; and Art & History Museums in Maitland, FL. She has an upcoming solo exhibition in December with Golden Cargo Gallery in Metro Manila, Philippines, and is an upcoming artist-in-residence in November at the Tusen Takk Foundation in Leland, MI. She founded North Willow, an informal artist-run exhibition space that is dedicated for site-specific installation projects in Montclair, NJ. Katrina received a BFA from the Mason Gross School of The Arts at Rutgers University and a MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art. She lives and works in Montclair, NJ and Metro Manila, Philippines. 

GALLERY LOCATION
1 Commandant's Lane, Benicia, CA 94510

GALLERY HOURS
Thursday - Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 pm, during exhibitions. The gallery is closed between exhibitions.

CONTACTING ARTS BENICIA
Staff often works remotely. The best way to reach staff is via email or leave a phone message: Jean@artsbenicia.org; 707-747-0131.

ABOUT ARTS BENICIA
Arts Benicia is a community-based non-profit organization offering diverse and relevant exhibitions in its gallery and at other venues in Benicia, and providing engaging public programs, creative workshops for adults, and inspiring youth arts educational programming. Located in the Commanding Officer’s Quarters, an 1865 mansion in the historic Benicia Arsenal, Arts Benicia has been a vital part of the Bay Area regional art scene for over 35 years, supporting artistic development and enriching the larger community.

POLICIES
Arts Benicia has a history of selling artworks at every exhibition. Upon sale, a check and purchaser information will be mailed to the artist within 30 days after exhibition closure, to the address provided in the Exhibition and Consignment Agreement. Artists receive 60% on the sale of their work. Arts Benicia, a non-profit organization, receives 40%. Arts Benicia also bears all the sales transaction fees and collects and reports sales tax on artwork sales.

Entry fees are not refundable. Only use the member entry price if you are a current member, otherwise your entry will not be juried.

Exceptions for late delivery of artwork cannot be made.

RELEASES AND WARRANTIES
Artists agree to release Arts Benicia for damages in shipping or delivery. Artworks are insured while they are at the gallery. Our gallery includes a security alarm system and a security camera system.

Application Requirements

MEDIA
All media accepted, 2D and 3D, audio and video files. Any digital files must be in a common format and if the work is accepted the artist must provide the audio or video player.

SIZE LIMITATIONS
All media accepted, 2D and 3D, audio and video files. 2D work may not exceed 40” in width or 72” in height, including the frame. 3D work may not exceed a 40” x 40” footprint.
 
There is a 35-pound weight limit for any hanging work. Floor weight for 3D work must not exceed 300 lbs. Please contact the staff with any special requirements for installation.

ENTRY PROCESS
Artists may submit one application. One application allows you to submit up to 6 artworks with appropriate payment of entry fees.

IMAGES TO SUBMIT
Up to 6 entries (images or files) may be uploaded...and a maximum of 6 artworks may be submitted. For optimal juror viewing, submit the highest quality images. For each image file, 1 MB is the minimum size; maximum file size for each still image is 5 MB. If your photo software specifies quality levels instead of pixels (i.e., you are submitting an image directly from a cell phone), choose "actual size" or “very high quality.”

Do not include your name in any of your file titles. Use the artwork title to name the files.

For questions on using café to apply for this call and prepare your images, etc. visit https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/ 

CONCEPT STATEMENT, OPTIONAL
A brief explanation describing your concept to the juror may be submitted during the application process. This statement will be seen by the juror. Omit your name from this statement. This is not your artist statement which can be submitted upon invitation to the exhibition.

FEES AND PAYMENT

Entry fee is $35 (or $25 for current Arts Benicia members; selected at checkout) for one artwork; an additional $5 fee is required for any additional entries, up to a maximum of 6. For example, to submit 5 entries, a non-member artist will pay $35 for the first entry, plus an additional $20 ($5 each for four additional), for a total of $55. Fee may be paid through CaFE using a credit card or Paypal.

Entry fees are not refundable for any reason, in whole or in part. Arts Benicia members receive a discount on the entry fee, by selecting member at checkout. To review other benefits of becoming an Arts Benicia member, including NARM benefits, or to join online before submitting your entry, visit artsbenicia.org.

NOTIFICATION OF JURY RESULTS
The deadline is September 15, 2023, at 10:59 PM, PDT. An email will be sent via CaFE to all submitting artists by September 30 with jury results. Additionally, the results will be available in CaFE artist accounts after September 30. Arts Benicia will produce and distribute promotional materials in digital formats and make them available to exhibiting artists at no cost. 

It is the responsibility of all submitting artists to check for emails, possibly in your SPAM or Promotions files, for notification. If you do not receive notification about either acceptance or non-acceptance of your submissions by September 30 contact Arts Benicia via email at info@artsbenicia.org.

CONTRACT
All artists with accepted artwork must provide a signed exhibition contract to participate.

DELIVERY AND SHIPPING DETAILS
Artists must be able to deliver or pick up your work, or have someone else do it for you, on the designated dates. Exceptions for late delivery cannot be made. Late pickups will be charged fees for storage and retrieval of the artwork. Except in rare situations, we cannot store packing materials of hand-delivered work; take packing materials with you and bring them back when you pick up your work at the end of the exhibition. Artists should use UPS or FedEx to ship work; do not use USPS for any packages. Artists shipping work to Arts Benicia must purchase a return shipping label. This is most easily accomplished at the time you purchase your outgoing shipping. Enclose the pre-paid label inside your package or crate or email it to jean@artsbenicia.org. We cannot access individual shipping accounts.

PREPARATION
All artwork must be clean, fully dry, and in good repair. Arts Benicia reserves the right to decline any artwork that does not meet the preparation standards or is otherwise unsuitable for exhibition. Examine your artwork for cleanliness under good lighting.

Artworks must have secure identification on the back or bottom of the work, with the Artist’s name and the title. If artworks require special installation, the Artist must include written instructions. 

Wall works must be wired. Works cannot hang from sawtooth hangers. Stretched canvas must not have exposed staples. Giclées are not accepted (except photography). Due to nature of the hanging system in the Commanding Officer’s Quarters, there are weight limitations (see SIZE LIMITATIONS above) and a cleat system is not permitted.  If your artwork requires an exception with regard to hanging mechanisms, please contact celeste@artsbenicia.org before submission to discuss the options. For 2-D work, Arts Benicia reserves the right to change the position of your hanging wire to accommodate the COQ hanging system.

ART SALES
Artwork must be available and for sale. Arts Benicia will retain 40% of art sales during this exhibition and mail a check to the Artist at the postal address the Artist provides above, in the amount equal to 60% of the sales price declared by the Artist in this contract or CaFE application (and either confirmed or amended on the Inventory Form, after selection to the exhibition), within 30 days of the exhibition closing date. The Artist agrees Arts Benicia is not responsible for any commission, division of sales, or financial obligation between the Artist and any other gallery, organization, or person. Arts Benicia handles all art sales, including sales tax.

ARTIST STATEMENT
Selected artists juried into the exhibition will be asked to submit their bio, artist statement, and resume, to be made available within the gallery. These materials are not required until after artist selection into the exhibition.

Eligibility Criteria

National and international artists invited to apply.