The Lincoln Center in Fort Collins, CO, invites visual artists residing in the US to enter our national juried Annual Contemporary Art Survey with Guest Juror Steven J. Yazzie. The exhibition is an open call to artists working in all media and reflects the artists’ capacity to consider the wide world of issues, objects, imagery and ideas to tell stories through art. We are seeking works in all media and genres that together will present a survey of contemporary art in America. Representational, abstract and conceptual work will be considered.

ABOUT OUR JUROR

Steven J. Yazzie
Diné/Pueblo of Laguna/European Ancestry

Steven J. Yazzie (b.1970) is a multidisciplinary artist working across painting, installation, video/film, photography, and community collaboration. Yazzie is a member of the Navajo Nation and a veteran of the Gulf War, serving honorably with the United States Marine Corps, 1988-92. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Intermedia at Arizona State University and named 2014 Outstanding Graduate for the Herberger Institute for Design and Art; Yazzie was a Community Scholar for the Interdisciplinary Research Institute for the Study of (in)Equality, University of Denver, Colorado, 2019-20; Additionally, Yazzie was a founding member of Postcommodity, an indigenous arts collective, and the co-founder of the Museum of Walking.

Yazzie’s notable exhibitions include the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C; Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; National Museum of the American Indian, New York, NY; Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, Denver Art Museum, Colorado; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada; Phoenix Art Museum, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Tucson Museum of Art in Arizona. Yazzie has been selected for the 2025 Sharjah Biennial 16, UAE.

Yazzie has participated in residencies at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Maine; Plug-In Institute of Contemporary Art Winnipeg, Canada; Museum of Contemporary Native Art, Social Engagement Residency, Santa Fe, NM; Native Artist in Residence, Denver Art Museum, Colorado, Center For the Future, Slavonice, Czech. Yazzie is an Eiteljorg 2022 Contemporary Art Fellow, Indianapolis, IN; a 2024 Ucross Fellow, Wyoming. He lives and works in Denver, Colorado.

AWARDS

$1,750 in cash prizes will be awarded. Grand Prize: $1000, Second Place: $500, Third Place: $250.

MEDIA

We encourage the submission of work in all media, including small installations (up to 12’h x 6’w x 6’d), and new media. Artists may be asked to provide equipment for media presentations.

VENUE

The Lincoln Center in Fort Collins, CO, is a city-owned and operated cultural center in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is one of Colorado’s largest and most diverse presenters of professional theatre, dance, music, and visual arts. Annually The Lincoln Center Art Gallery presents 6-8 rotating visual arts exhibitions in diverse media. Exhibitions are curated from local, regional and national artists and collections, and often include juried competitions such as this one. The mission of The Lincoln Center Art Gallery is to promote and nourish the creation and appreciation of the visual arts. Diverse exhibitions, programs and projects engage and inspire our community through the world of art and ideas.

 The Art Gallery includes both a self-contained space of approximately 1450 s.f., with 12’6” ceilings, and a second gallery space open to the Main Lobby approximately 30’ wide x 8’ deep with an 8’ ceilings.

 CALENDAR

• Notification to artists: Week of March 3, 2025.
• Delivery of Artwork to Lincoln Center:
  • Shipped artworks to arrive April 7-11 – please, no earlier and no later
  • Hand deliveries can be made on Tuesday, April 15, 12-2 pm.
• Reception & Awards Presentation: Saturday, April 26, 4-6 pm.
• Exhibition Dates: April 18-June 13, 2025.
• Return of Artwork: Shipped from The Lincoln Center the week of June 16, 2025.

SHIPPING/INSURANCE

Artists are responsible for round-trip shipping of artworks. All shipments must include a prepaid return shipping label and be shipped in a container appropriate for re-use in return shipping. Lincoln Center will insure artworks for their insurance value or retail value while on the premises. Please, no Styrofoam peanuts in packaging. Air packs, rigid foam and bubble wrap are acceptable substitutes.

 RULES AND REGULATIONS

• Artworks must be available for loan during the entire exhibition period.
• Accepted artwork must be shipped "installation ready" unless otherwise noted in the acceptance letter.
• Our preferred standard for 2D installation is a hanging wire or cleat. NO sawtooth hangers. Security hardware may be attached to the artwork frame, requiring small holes to be drilled into the back of the frame.
• For any artwork that requires non-standard set up or any artwork with more than one component all hanging hardware must be included along with detailed hanging instructions.
• Only Plexiglas framing is accepted (no glass framing) for shipped 2D artwork. We cannot guarantee against breakage and damage to the artwork if glass if shipped.
• The Lincoln Center reserves the right to reject accepted work at any time; including work that differs significantly from the submitted images or is inadequately prepared for installation.
• Each artwork must have a label attached on the back or bottom of the pieces containing the following information: Artist’s name, title of piece, media, date of completion, sale price (or if NFS, the insurance value).
• The Lincoln Center will retain a 30% commission on all sales made as a result of the exhibition.
• The Lincoln Center reserves the right to use images of the artworks for educational and promotional purposes including but not limited to newspaper, television, radio and internet.
• Upon acceptance artists may be asked to submit a high-resolution image of the accepted artwork for such purposes.
• The Lincoln Center reserves the right not to exhibit a work selected by the Guest Juror for any reason.

Application Requirements

Entry Fee: $35.00, non-refundable for up to THREE different artworks per artist in any combination of media, including small installations, and video. Each image must reflect one artwork, additional views are encouraged for 3-D and installations.

Eligibility Criteria

Artists 18 years and older whose primary residence is in the United States, working in any media may apply to the exhibition. Entries must be of the artist’s original design and not a result of a class assignment, completed in the past two years, since February 2023.