PROSPECTUS

Long Island Aquarium’s 25th Anniversary Celebration - Open Juried Art Exhibit
Long Island Aquarium – 431 E. Main St., Riverhead, NY 11901
Entry Period: February 2025 – June 7, 2025|Acceptance Announcement: 6/13/25
Reception Date: June 25, 2025 | 5:30pm-8:30pm

Jurors: Bryan DeLuca, Eli Fishman, Clayton Orehek, East End Arts Member

Celebrating Long Island Aquarium’s 25 Years of Making Waves!

This exhibition provides artists with the opportunity to showcase works that depict their visions of marine life and aquatic settings. To celebrate the Long Island Aquarium’s 25th anniversary, the jurors will select the pieces that best convey the artists’ intention and showcase originality of vision of our marine environment.

Eligibility & Submission Guidelines:

This exhibition welcomes mediums of all sizes including fine art, sculpture and photography. The work must be the artist’s original design and concept. All art should be submitted ready to be hung or displayed. This is a national open call, however the subject matter must connect to marine and aquatic imagery. Artists can enter up to 3 submissions of work that meets the theme. Only digital submissions completed through CaFE (www.callforentry.org) will be considered. Submissions that are missing information will be rejected. There is no refund for the rejection of a submission for any reason. See second page or application for a full list of terms and conditions.

Submission Fees: $10 per one submission (artist may submit up to three pieces).

Prizes:
Best in Show = $500 cash prize
First Place = $ 250 cash prize
Second Place = $150 cash prize
Third Place = $100 cash prize
Two Honorable Mentions = 2 Long Island Aquarium Tickets

About the Jurors:

Bryan DeLuca transforms reclaimed items into innovative art, like repurposing vintage wooden water skis into Adirondack chairs, a baby grand piano into a wall-mounted bookcase, and Scandinavian chairs with LED and epoxy finishes, while also converting fiberglass surfboards and canoes into nautical light fixtures for a floating barge. His large-scale public installations include a magnificent 12-foot "Giant Fish" crafted from old music CDs and a 14-foot illuminated Sea Horse and Sea Turtle, assembled with heat-molded intricate acrylic components. Currently, he is channeling his passion into a 15-foot Manta Ray project, slated for completion by the summer of 2025, all while he continues to run Reflextions Art in the Park, an event that transforms Riverhead’s Grangebel Park into a luminous destination for art enthusiasts and tourists alike.

Eli Fishman is the resident artist and Exhibit Construction Manager at the Long Island Aquarium, a role he has held for 22 years. He began his career at the Bronx Zoo, contributing to the Congo exhibit where he honed his skills in epoxy, cement, and steel fabrication. At the aquarium, he has overseen exhibit design and construction to enhance both animal habitats and visitor experiences, creating installations like twelve-foot penguin structures and simulated trees. In addition to his work at the aquarium, Eli has enriched public art in Riverhead, NY—crafting alewife fish sculptures for Grangabel Park, producing the "Swimmer" wire sculpture and the welding of a stainless steel structure for the giant Sea Turtle, for Reflextions Riverhead.

Clayton Orehek is a New York-based sculptor, painter, and writer whose work, rooted in conceptual art and Dadaism, reflects his background in literature and engineering from Stony Brook University. With over thirty years of experience specializing in neon, metal, glass, and wood, his notable creations include the "Neon Butterfly Chairs" (OK Harris Gallery, NYC), the "Sag Harbor" cinema sign, "Nikola Tesla" at the Nassau Museum of Art, and public art installations in Grangebel Park, Riverhead, NY, all inspired by the interplay of shape, time, and light.

Judge TBD from East End Arts The East End Arts & Humanities Council is committed to building and enriching the community through the arts by way of creating a vibrant arts community on the East End that enhances individual and professional artistic development, stimulates community enrichment, economic development, and cultural tourism while encouraging a wide range of artistic expression through education, exhibition and performance, and collaboration across the community.

Terms & Conditions

·      One (1) submission  = One (1) piece of art. Diptychs or triptychs are considered a single piece of art and should be a single submission. Artists may submit up to three (3) different pieces. Each entry must be completed in its entirety.

·      Artwork must be the original work and concept of the artist. The Long Island Aquarium (LIA) reserves the right to reject work delivered that differs from the accepted work or if the art or framing is in poor condition.

·      Acceptance into this exhibition is at the discretion of the jurors and is not guaranteed in any way.

·      Accepted artwork must be available for the duration of the evening event on June 25th and available to remain on display for up to 2 weeks after the event at the aquarium. Donated pieces may be auctioned off with proceeds going to the NY Marine Rescue Center.

·      Media/Public Relations Release: Long Island Aquarium reserves the right to use any digital images of accepted artwork for promotion and publicity in all media channels.

·      Delivery/Pick Up: All artists must make an appointment to drop-off their work between June 1 and June 7, 2025. Deliveries should be coordinated to arrive during this time. Works will NOT be accepted after 6/7/25 – no exception. Artist is responsible for all shipping and delivery coordination and fees, in both directions. Works MUST be picked up during the designated period to be announced. Works not picked up during this time shall be deemed abandoned. Long Island Aquarium reserves the right to dispose of works as it sees fit with no compensation to the artist.

·      Prizes are distributed after the event. Some restrictions may apply.

·      Hold Harmless/Liability: Long Island Aquarium does not insure artists’ work for this exhibition. LIA will do its utmost to protect work in its possession but is not responsible for loss or damage.

·      Please email info@amwny.com with any questions.

Application Requirements

Please submit photo of artwork and include your name, age, the title of the piece, type of artwork, plus the dimensions of the piece.

Eligibility Criteria

This exhibition provides artists with the opportunity to showcase works that depict their visions of marine life and aquatic settings. Please submit photo of artwork and include your name, age, the title of the piece, type of artwork, plus the dimensions of the piece.