Call Description

Artists currently living in South Dakota, or artists who are enrolled members of one of the state’s federally recognized tribes, are invited to submit artworks for consideration for the South Dakota Governor’s 11th Biennial Art Exhibition. This juried exhibition is the premier showcase for artists currently living in the state and is a celebration of the tremendous quality of visual art being produced here and now. The biennial exhibitions share some of South Dakota’s best artworks with visiting audiences at multiple exhibiting institutions across the state through the course of the one-year traveling show. The catalog is an important historical record of the state’s current artists and art practices for future generations. Purchase Awards are opportunities for South Dakota artists to make their mark on South Dakota history by having their artworks preserved within some of the state’s most significant public art collections. A limited number of artworks will be selected through a competitive process, juried by representatives of the exhibiting institutions. We encourage artists to submit their best artworks for consideration.

EXHIBITION TOUR

South Dakota Art Museum       Feb 8—Jun 1, 2025

Washington Pavilion                Jun 20—Sep 14, 2025

University Art Galleries-USD    Oct 29—Nov 14, 2025

Dahl Arts Center                       Dec 13, 2025—Mar 29, 2026

JURORS

Noah Geiger & Jeannie Larson, Dahl Arts Center

Amy Fill, University Art Galleries at USD

Jana Anderson, Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science

Taylor McKeown, South Dakota Art Museum at SDSU

PURCHASE AWARDS: Each exhibiting institution will designate up to $1,500 ($6,000 total) for Purchase Awards. Artworks purchased through these awards will become part of the purchasing institution’s permanent collection.

Application Requirements

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS & PROCEDURE

· Entry fee is  $25.00 for up to three (3) artworks. Paid via credit card, PayPal or check.

· This call for entries is open for a fixed period with a hard deadline date. No applications can or will be accepted after the deadline has passed. 

· All entries must be submitted online via CaFÉ (CallForEntry.org). Artists will need to set-up a free profile on the site before applying.

· Artists must only submit images of finished original works to be considered for inclusion in the exhibition. Images of similar works or works-in-progress are not acceptable.

· Completed submissions will require detailed information, including: titles, media, framed/finished sizes, and prices of artworks; educational experience (up to 4 listings) and exhibition experience (up to 6 listings); and a brief artist statement under 1,000 characters including spaces. Please remember to reserve time to fill out this information completely when submitting.

· Only high resolution digital images in standard jpeg or jpg format are allowed. Images must be no more than 1200 pixels on their longest side and no less than 300 dpi.

· Digital images should be saved and submitted in the correct horizontal or vertical orientation for viewing with Artist’s first and last name and title of work. If submitting multiple untitled artworks please number them so they are easily identified (i.e. untitled 1, untitled 2, untitled 3).

· Images submitted by Artists will be reproduced in the exhibition catalog if their artwork is accepted. Artists should photograph works with balanced lighting and a plain white background for consistency. Submitting an image indicates permission to use it for catalog production and for exhibiting institutions to use images of artworks included in the exhibition for the purposes of documentation, publicity, education.

Eligibility Criteria

ARTWORK DATE & ARTIST ELIGIBILITY: Only new artworks completed within the last three (3) years may be submitted. All artists living in South Dakota, or those who are enrolled members of one of the nine federally recognized tribes, are eligible to submit unless there is a conflict of interest because of current employment at one of the exhibiting institutions. Submitting implies that no conflict of interest exists.

MEDIA ELIGIBILITY: Submitted artworks may be 2-D or 3-D and must be original artworks, not reproductions. The exhibition is open to all visual media, including but not limited to: painting, drawing, original prints, photography, sculpture, ceramics, mixed media, fine crafts, traditional/folk arts, video art and artist books.

SALES & OWNERSHIP: Artworks submitted must be owned and created by the submitting artist and not on loan from outside parties. Because of significant Purchase Awards associated with the exhibition, all artworks submitted must be for sale. A sales price will be required on the loan agreement for accepted artworks. Exhibiting institutions receive a 30% commission on artworks sold through the exhibition and sales prices listed by artists must incorporate this commission.