ABOUT ROWAN UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY & MUSEUM

Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum serves as a premier cultural destination for South Jersey, the Rowan community, and surrounding region. Our mission is to provide a platform for discourse on best practices in contemporary art by professional artists, curators, and scholars through the presentation of interdisciplinary art exhibitions, panel discussions, guest curatorial projects, and other public programming.

We are committed to cultivating an inclusive environment that encourages a dialogue between exhibiting artists, students, faculty, the general public, and other cultural institutions.

EXHIBITION THEME

Artist as Activist

The theme for the Arts Annual 2025 will be Artist as Activist and we will request work that reflects artistic thoughts and responses to that concept. Artist as activist is an artist who harnesses the power of creativity to inspire social and political action. Unlike traditional activism that primarily uses direct action or advocacy, artists engage in activism through various forms. In this case visual art. They use their work to challenge norms, raise awareness about issues, and inspire audiences to think critically about the world around them.

We will look for artists whose work tackles a wide range of topics and concerns such as human rights and access to resources, environmental awareness and justice, racial and gender equalities, health and well-being, and the political and cultural climate. Their work may serve as vehicles for expressing advocacy, highlighting injustices, and envisioning alternatives. By capturing emotions, experiences, and truths through their art, they aim to promote empathy, ignite dialogue, and encourage individuals toward collective action.

You can find the digital prospectus HERE.

EXHIBITION FORMAT

Rowan University Art Gallery and Museum is an intimate space and venue. As such, we will approach the review and selection of work through a curatorial lens and framework.

Artists who are considering applying should think of their application as a body of work that addresses the exhibition theme.

ELIGIBILITY AND TERMS

●      All artists over the age of 18 who either work or live in the state of New Jersey are eligible to apply.

●      All mediums are eligible.

●      Proposals that include unfinished or unrealized works will not be accepted.

●      Submitted work has been completed within the past five years.

●      Is available for the duration of the exhibition.

●      Has not been shown in a previous Arts Annual.

●      Submitted work is exhibition-ready.Any work that depicts harmful, unjust, disparaging imagery of anyone or any group will be disqualified.

JURORS

Brittany Webb (PAFA)

Brittany Webb is the Evelyn and Will Kaplan Curator of 20th Century Art and the John Rhoden Collection.  Her most recent exhibition, Determined to Be: The Sculpture of John Rhoden, debuted at PAFA in October 2023 and is currently on view at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Webb’s curatorial work at PAFA has been supported by grants from the Henry Luce Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, the Terra Foundation for American Art, the William Penn Foundation, and the Wyeth Foundation for American Art. She earned a PhD from Temple University and a BA from the University of Southern California. 

Dejay Duckett (AAMP)

Dejay B. Duckett is the Director of Curatorial Services at the African American Museum in Philadelphia. Over the last four years at AAMP she has organized 11 exhibitions including "Collective Conscious" and "Sonya Clark: Self Evident." Formerly, she was Associate Curator at The University of Pennsylvania’s Arthur Ross Gallery where for 15 years she curated projects including "Henrique Oliverira: Adencalcinoma Poliresidual" and "Darkwater Revival: After Terry Adkins." Duckett earned her B.A. in Art History from Spelman College in 1994, and an M.A. in Museum Studies from Seton Hall University in 2001, where she researched the evolving role of the culturally specific museum in the 21st Century. In 2019, Duckett was awarded the Distinguished Alumna Award from the College of Communication and Arts at Seton Hall University.

Application Requirements

There is no entry fee to apply. All applications are submitted through the slide management platform CAFE. 

INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED

Go to CAFE to register and apply to this call.

https://www.callforentry.org/login/

Interested artists should submit a minimum of 5 work samples and a maximum of 10, including up to 3 samples that highlight the artwork's detail.

APPLICATION MUST INCLUDE

While CAFE will accept different file uploads, we kindly request Doc or Docx files only.

1. Application form
2. Brief Professional Bio, 500 word maximum
3. Current Resume
4. Artist statement, 150 word maximum
5. Images: (required) minimum of 5 | maximum of 8
6. Applicants may submit examples of up to 5 different artworks. All work samples should be the highest quality CAFE will allow. Each file must include the following accompanying information in the CAFE upload: artist’s name, title of work, date, medium, and dimensions. (Example: ‘Jane Smith, Untitled, 2022, oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches).
7. Videos: (optional) minimum of zero | maximum of 2

INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED

ACCEPTED MEDIA FILE TYPES

IMAGE MEDIA

●        File format: JPEG only

●        File dimensions: 1200 pixels or greater on the longest side. Anything larger than 1200 px will be resized to fit the limitations.

●        File size: at least 2MB but not more than 5 MB

VIDEO MEDIA

●        File formats: MOV, MPG, MP4

●        Resolution: minimum 640 x 480, maximum 1920 x 1080

●        Aspect ratio: 4:3 or 16:9

●        Bit rate: recommended above 240 kbps

●        Frame rate: minimum 12 fps, recommended 30 fps.

●        Codec: h.264, h.263, mpeg-1, mpeg-2, mpeg-4, Windows Media Video, and motion jpeg mpeg-1 muxed, Apple Lossless

●        Container: mov, mpg, mp4

●        File size: under 100 MB

AUDIO MEDIA

●      File formats: AIFF, WAV, XMF, MP3

●      Bit rate: 96 kpbs-320 kbps

●      Codec: aiff, wav, au

●      File Size: under 10 MB

DO NOT EMAIL MEDIA TO THE GALLERY

Currently, linked media from YouTube, Vimeo, etc. is not accepted. Please use upload-ready media files only.

SHIPPING

Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum will coordinate pick up and shipping of artwork. If packing materials are in good condition and space is available, the gallery will save all original packing material provided by artists and reuse it for packing at the end of the exhibition

INSURANCE

Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum will ensure all artwork at fair market value, from the time it is picked up until it is returned at the end of the exhibition. Artists will be notified upon receipt and inspection of their artwork if the Gallery feels a work cannot be insured due to its condition, structure, fragility, or inherent vice.

CONDITIONS OF AGREEMENT

Work selected for the exhibition must remain for the duration of the exhibition. No substitution of the work may be made. Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum reserves the right to reproduce entries for catalog and publicity purposes. Submission of entries will constitute agreement to the conditions set forth between Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum and the artists selected for the Arts Annual. The Gallery’s loan documents will formalize this agreement. Selected artists will receive a stipend for participation in the exhibition of $500 contingent on the timely submission of contractual forms and agreements.

SALES

Artists are invited to sell their work. All sales negotiations are between the artists and potential buyers.

CATALOGUE

An exhibition catalogue illustrating the work of each artist and a directory of the artists represented will be produced. It will be available for all participating artists at Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum. By applying for this opportunity, if selected, you agree to have representation of your selected work included in the exhibition's catalogue. 

TIMELINE

APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED

January 2nd, 2025 - March 3rd, 2025

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS

Monday, March 3rd, 2025

JUROR REVIEW

March 17 - 24, 2025

ACCEPTANCE NOTIFICATIONS

On or around April 4th, 2025

SHIPPING OF ARTWORK

Week of May 12th, 2025

EXHIBITION DATES

June 7th, 2025 - August 2nd, 2025

OPENING RECEPTION

June 7th, 2025, 4 - 7 pm

RETURN OF WORK

2 - 3 weeks after the exhibition closes

QUESTIONS

Contact Mary Salvante or Kristin Qualls at Rowan University Art Gallery and Museum with any questions.

Mary Salvante

Director

salvante@rowan.edu856-256-4521

Kristin Qualls

Gallery Coordinator

qualls@rowan.edu

856-256-4520

Eligibility Criteria

Artists over the age of 18 at the time of application who work or live in the state of New Jersey are eligible to apply. 

ELIGIBILITY AND TERMS

●      All artists over the age of 18 who either work or live in the state of New Jersey are eligible to apply.

●      All mediums are eligible.

●      Proposals that include unfinished or unrealized works will not be accepted.

●      Submitted work has been completed within the past five years.

●      Is available for the duration of the exhibition.

●      Has not been shown in a previous Arts Annual.

●      Submitted work is exhibition-ready. Any work that depicts harmful, unjust, disparaging imagery of anyone or any group will be disqualified.