The Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance (SEFAA) and the Professional Crafts - Fibers Program at Haywood Community College have joined forces to organize, promote, and host a juried student exhibition of creative works in fiber art. The exhibition exclusively features the work of post-secondary students to honor and encourage the next generation of fiber artists and it showcases a wide range of content, material, and techniques with the common threads of originality and passion. This exhibition is the fifth in a series, with previous Spotlight exhibitions held in Greenville NC, Athens GA, Murray KY, and Greenville SC.

ELIGIBILITY: Any undergraduate/graduate student enrolled in a fiber/textile program or independently pursuing a study of fibers/textiles in the Southeast (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Virginia) at the time of application is eligible to apply.

CALENDAR:

• Entry Deadline: June 29, 2024
• Notification of Acceptance (via email): August 3, 2024
• Window for Delivery of Accepted Work: September 3 through September 13, 2024
• Exhibition Opening: September 27, 2024
• Reception: October 5, 2024
• Exhibition Closing: November 8, 2024
• Deadline for Pick-up of Artwork: November 22, 2024

LOCATION: Haywood Community College, 185 Freedlander Drive, Clyde, NC 28721

AWARDS: 

• First Place - $800
• Second Place = $500
• Third Place - $300
• Honorable Mentions - awarded at the discretion of the juror.
• Susan Morgan Leveille Award - $500
• Handweavers Guild of America, Complex Weavers, and Surface Design Association Awards.

ENTRY FEE FOR 1-3 WORKS: 

• $20 - Members of the Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance (SEFAA)
• $35 - Non-members (includes 1-yr student membership in SEFAA)

JURORS: Sherry Masters, Allie Dudley, and Kristen Artz

• Sherry Masters has worked in the craft industry in Western NC for over 35 years. The first 25 years she was General Manager and Buyer in two large Asheville galleries. Since 2013, she has provided custom art studio tours for visitors to the Asheville area. Sherry has juried craft shows, gallery exhibits, and art festivals for organizations including the American Craft Council, KY Crafted, TN Craft, 4 Bridges Art Festival, and many regional events.
• Kristin Arzt is a natural dyer, educator, gardener, and designer based in Western Maryland. She has served on the board of Local Cloth (Asheville, NC) and has been involved in Fibersheds across the country. She believes that by exploring the collision of textiles, plants, and sustainability she can help make the study of natural dyes accessible to everyone through education and enthusiasm.
• Allie Dudley is a textile artist working primarily in weaving and stitching. Their work originates in historical textiles, drawing on Appalachian coverlets and historical stitching samplers. They combine analog and digital processes to continue to pull the thread of these techniques from the past into the present. Allie is currently working as the Textiles & Natural Fibers Coordinator at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC.

WORK REQUIREMENTS:  

• Each student may submit up to three works.
• Submitted work must be original in design and must have been completed after January 1, 2022.
• Work must utilize fiber techniques (interlaced, felted, stitched, dyed, coiled, knotted, printed, spun, woven, etc.) and can be of any material.
• Only individual work will be considered; no group projects will be accepted.
• Students who propose an installation work must be prepared to personally install the work at Haywood Community College and remove it after the exhibition closes.
• Work is limited to a weight of 50 pounds including any mounting hardware and/or armature.
• Installed work must be no wider than 4 feet and no taller/longer than 7 feet.
• Screws are allowed for hanging, but bolts are not.

ENTRY SUBMISSION:     

• Only digital submissions through CaFE are acceptable.
• Each student must submit the following:
  • An artist statement (1,000 characters maximum)
  • Answers to application form questions for each piece entered (materials, techniques, for sale/sale price/not for sale, mannequin/pedestal required).
  • One to three jpeg or jpg image files for each work entered. Your images should present your work to best advantage and should give a sense of how your piece will look installed. Detail images should be used to show the technical excellence of the work and/or to highlight special areas of the work.
    • Include a full view with up to two additional detail images for clarification.
    • Images must be a minimum of 1200 pixels on the longest side.
    • Maximum file size is 5 MB.
    • Images may be color corrected to accurately represent the work but not enhanced in any way.
    • Image editing is limited to cropping and adding or modifying a solid background of white, black or gray.
  • The non-refundable application fee.
    • SEFAA members will be emailed a coupon code to enter during CaFE checkout to receive a $15 entry fee discount.
    • Payments by credit card or PayPal will be accepted.

SELECTION:

• The juror’s decision is final.
• If accepted work differs dramatically from the images submitted, the work will be returned to the student and will not be included in the exhibition.

SHIPPING

• All shipping to and from Haywood Community College and shipping insurance costs are the responsibility of the artist.
• Work may be sent by any delivery service or hand delivered between September 3, 2024 and September 13, 2024.
• All deliveries should be addressed to:
  
  Amy Putansu
  Haywood Community College
  185 Freedlander Drive, Clyde, NC 28721
   
• Label all packing materials and all work with your name.
• Work will be returned in the packing in which it was received.
• Work will be returned ONLY if pre-paid return postage and shipping insurance labels are included with the initial shipment to Haywood Community College.

INSTALLATION AND EXHIBITION

• Work must be received ready to display and must include all mounting/display hardware.
• Include clear written installation instructions (supplemented by photos, if appropriate) with each work.
• Two-dimensional work will hang against walls. Three-dimensional work will be free-standing or placed on pedestals or mannequins.
• Haywood Community College will insure all work while it is at the College.

SALES

• Sales are permitted for works where a sales price has been declared during the application process.
• Haywood Community College will direct all sales inquiries to the student artist who will be responsible for all sales transactions and for notifying Haywood Community College that their work has been sold.
• No commission will be charged, but you are encouraged to donate a portion of your revenue to Haywood Community College, SEFAA, or another nonprofit of your choice.
• Sold work must remain on exhibit throughout the duration of the exhibition.
• Haywood will return sold work to the artist and the artist will be responsible for delivery to the purchaser. Haywood will not ship work directly to purchasers.

PERMISSION AND COPYRIGHT

• By submitting an entry, you agree that:
  • You will not contact the jurors at any time for any reason.
  • The jurors’ decision regarding selections is final.
• By submitting an entry,  you:
  • Certify that if your work includes an image of any individuals, you have obtained a model release from those individuals.
  • Grant permission for the Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance (SEFAA) and Haywood Community College to use the accepted image(s) and images of the installed exhibition on their respective websites, for brochures, promotional materials, and publicity about the exhibition, both physical and virtual.  Every effort will be made to maintain quality true to submitted images and attribution will be given.
• By submitting an entry, you:
  • Your selected work(s) will delivered to Haywood Community College by September 13, 2024.
  • Agree that if your accepted work differs dramatically from the images you submitted, the work will be returned to you and will not be included in the exhibition.
  • Certify that the work submitted is original, completed after January 1, 2022, and does not infringe on any existing copyright.

QUESTIONS?

• For entry and general questions, please call or email SEFAA at 678-235-4328 or exhibitions@fiberartsalliance.org.
• For shipping and installation questions, please call or email Amy Putansu, Haywood Community College Instructor at aputansu@haywood.edu or 828-627-4672.

Application Requirements

• Each student may submit up to three works.
• Submitted work must be original in design and must have been completed after January 1, 2022.
• Work must utilize fiber techniques (interlaced, felted, stitched, dyed, coiled, knotted, printed, spun, woven, etc.) and can be of any material.
• Only individual work will be considered; no group projects will be accepted.
• Students who propose an installation work must be prepared to personally install the work at Haywood Community College and remove it after the exhibition closes.
• Work is limited to a weight of 50 pounds including any mounting hardware and/or armature.
• Installed work must be no wider than 4 feet and no taller/longer than 7 feet.
• Screws are allowed for hanging, but bolts are not.

Eligibility Criteria

Any undergraduate/graduate student enrolled in a fiber/textile program or independently pursuing a study of fibers/textiles in the Southeast (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Virginia) at the time of application is eligible to apply.