Art of the State 2025

Exhibition Dates: January 16 - March 30, 2025

Call for Entry Dates: July 29 - October 13, 2024

Every three years, all 10,000 square feet of the Arvada Center Galleries are filled with a celebratory survey of the incredible diversity, quality, and depth of work from Colorado Artists. After its start in 2013 and iterations in 2016, 2019, and 2022, Art of the State 2025 continues its legacy as a juried exhibition that shows off the powerful scope of contemporary art from across the state.

Before completing your application, please review the eligibility criteria and terms of submission. To complete the application, you will need to gather all relevant information about the pieces you are submitting.

Jurors:

Jane Burke, Curator, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art

Christopher Herron, Interim Director and Curator, Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Art

Collin Parson, Director of Galleries and Curator, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities

Eligibility Criteria and Terms of Submission:

Please read thoroughly before beginning your application.

Eligibility:

1. Open to all artists over age 18 who currently reside in Colorado.

2. All media are eligible. Please refer to size restrictions below.

3. All applications must be completed online through CaFE; no emailed submissions or late applications will be considered.

Artwork Requirements:

1. Artwork must be your original work. Reproductions of your artwork, including giclée prints and reproduction prints on wrapped canvas, are not eligible. Giclée prints of photographs or digital media are eligible.

2. Artwork must be created within the past 3 years (2022 - 2025).

3. Artwork must not have been previously shown at the Arvada Center.

4. Framed and/or 2D work must be ready to hang with a hanging wire or D-rings and should not exceed 6 feet in any one direction and must weigh less than 100 lbs.

5. Sculpture should not exceed 8 feet in any one direction.

6. Installations, performances, and new media pieces are encouraged to apply. 

For specific questions regarding eligibility please email galleries@arvadacenter.org

Submission Guidelines:

 1. Non-refundable entry fee of $35 for up to 3 pieces. Limited entrance fee scholarships are available for artists who are experiencing economic hardship, for artists who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), and for artists who identify as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. Please email galleries@arvadacenter.org to request a scholarship before Wednesday, October 9th. Scholarship inquiries after this date will not be considered.

2. Images may be JPG files only. New media files must fit requirements set by Call For Entry.

3. Crop images to exclude framing and background.

4. Images must represent the work exactly.

Delivery and Return of Accepted Work:
1. Shipped work should arrive no later than December 16, 2024. Artists must provide a pre-paid return shipping label. Ship work in sturdy, reusable crates or cartons. Work will be returned in the container and materials in which it arrived.

2. Artwork may be hand-delivered December 19-20, 9:30am - 4:30pm.

3. Arvada Center provides insurance for artworks while on premises.

4. Arvada Center is not responsible for damage or loss during transport.

Sales of Artwork:
1. If artwork is sold, artists will receive payment after the close of the exhibition.

2. Artworks may be for sale during the exhibition. Artists will receive 60% of sale proceeds. Arvada Center will retain 40% of sales. If an artist is represented by a gallery, the Arvada Center will retain 20% of sales and the representing gallery will receive 20%.

3. Artwork does not need to be for sale to be selected for the exhibition.

Awards:

1. Cash awards will be given to Best of Show, 2nd, and 3rd place.

2. Other independent awards will be given.

Agreement:

Submission to this competition constitutes an agreement on the part of the entrant to the conditions outlined in this prospectus. Submitting an application and application fee in no way guarantees acceptance into the exhibition. Arvada Center reserves the right to final curatorial, educational, and installation decisions. The Arvada Center may use your image(s) for marketing and catalog purposes, and will credit the artist in that case.

Important Dates:

• Deadline for entries: Sunday, October 13, 11:59 pm. Late entries will not be considered.

• Email notification by November 8, 2024

• Hand-delivered artwork: December 19-20, 2024 9:30am - 4:30pm

• Opening Reception: January 16, 2025 6pm - 9pm

• Final Day of Exhibition: March 30, 2025

• Pickup unsold works: March 31-April 1, 2025

Juror Bios

Jane Burke

Curator, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art

Burke is currently the curator at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art in Boulder, Colorado. Previously, she held positions at the Denver Art Museum, the Honolulu Museum of Art, The Contemporary Museum, and The East West Center Gallery. She has also guest curated for Artworks Center for Contemporary Art (Loveland), RULE gallery (Marfa), and University of Denver Museum of Anthropology. Burke received a bachelor’s degree in studio art from the University of Colorado at Boulder and an interdisciplinary master’s degree in Asian art history and Mandarin from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Christopher Herron 

Interim Associate Museum Director, Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art

Christopher Herron has worked at Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art for 20 years and has held the positions of Collection Manager, Deputy Curator and most recently, Interim Associate Museum Director. Before the Museum, his background includes graphic art, design and photography. He has been involved in the curation of exhibitions at Kirkland Museum since 2008, especially with the layout and design.
 

Collin Parson

Director of Galleries and Curator, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities

Born and raised in Colorado, Collin Parson currently serves as the Director of Galleries and Curator for the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities in Arvada, Colorado, is a former member of the historic Pirate: Contemporary Art cooperative, and is an alumni of RedLine's artist residency program. An arts administrator, artist, curator, and designer, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater Design and Technology with an emphasis in Lighting and Scene Design from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his Master in Arts in Visual Culture and Arts Administration from Regis University in Denver. 

Application Requirements

Submission Guidelines:

 1. Non-refundable entry fee of $35 for up to 3 pieces. Limited entrance fee scholarships are available for artists who are experiencing economic hardship, for artists who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), and for artists who identify as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. Please email galleries@arvadacenter.org to request a scholarship before Wednesday, October 9th. Scholarship inquiries after this date will not be considered.

2. Images may be JPG files only. New media files must fit requirements set by Call For Entry.

3. Crop images to exclude framing and background.

4. Images must represent the work exactly.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria and Terms of Submission:

Please read thoroughly before beginning your application.

Eligibility:

1. Open to all artists over age 18 who currently reside in Colorado.

2. All media are eligible. Please refer to size restrictions below.

3. All applications must be completed online through CaFE; no emailed submissions or late applications will be considered.