1.  Statement of Purpose
The New Art Center (NAC) is currently accepting curatorial proposals for 5- to 6- week group exhibitions from September 2015 – May 2016 at the New Art Center in Newton through our Curatorial Opportunity Program (COP).
Electronic submissions only, through Call for Entry (callforentry.org): goo.gl/Nq4eIz
2.  Background Information
Since May 1991, the NAC’s Main Gallery has housed group exhibitions (two artists or more) curated by an exhibiting artist or independent curator. We continue this tradition through a public call for proposals. The COP investigates contemporary culture through the visual arts. It makes possible diverse curatorial visions in a non-profit and alternative exhibition space.
The New Art Center supports the development of visual artists and cultivates a community that appreciates art. The NAC educates over 2,500 students annually in classes and workshops, sustains a faculty of 40 professional artists, and operates one of the few mid-sized nonprofit exhibition spaces in New England, with over 4,500 visitors each year.
The Main Gallery is the hall of a former church, with 25-foot vaulted ceilings, substantial natural light, and several movable modular wall panels. The space is approximately 2,500 square feet, with an average width of 39 feet and length of 50+ feet. A visit to the gallery prior to application is advised and encouraged.
3.  Scope of Work
Group Exhibition Proposals

• Required:
  • Proposals must include works by two artists or more.
  • Proposals must include one public presentation with an educational component; more than one is encouraged (see ‘proposed public presentations’ under Criteria, below).
• Optional:
  • The proposed exhibitions can include works in a single medium or several media, from painting, drawing, sculpture, photography and video to installation art, performance art and sound art.
  • They can be organized around medium or process;
  • They can investigate social, cultural, historical, theoretical or political concepts.
  • Artist/curators wishing to include their own work are strongly cautioned that their work should not be the main focus of the exhibition, and should only be included if it supports the thesis.

NAC Support
For each exhibition, the New Art Center provides a curator's stipend to be applied to exhibition-related expenses at the curator's discretion. The stipend is awarded after the opening reception. Curators and artists are encouraged to consult with the NAC to seek outside funding to enhance their exhibition presentation or invitation, or to provide for additional advertising. The NAC receives a 50% commission on sales of any works in the exhibitions.

• The NAC provides:
  • a set budget for printing of a postcard invitation
  • a $1,000 curator stipend
  • public relations support such as press releases and images to press contacts
  • advertisements and listings
  • duplication of material for distribution at the exhibition
  • interpretive materials for a variety of audiences
  • gallery signage
  • insurance up to $150,000 in total for art work while it is at the NAC
  • physical assistance in preparing the space
  • an opening reception with refreshments
  • a gallery talk or public program with refreshments
• The NAC does not provide (or pay for):
  • transportation of artworks to or from the NAC
  • unusual installation construction

4.  Decision Criteria

• Quality of the work to be shown.
  • Note - though submission of artists' resumes is required, artists who lack substantial exhibition records and experience will still be considered.
• Clarity, subtlety, and power of the underlying concept.
  • Proposed exhibitions must articulate a central idea, convincingly supported by the work included. This idea, or thesis, must be expressed in a brief curator's statement of concept. This is required whether the central idea is simply strong aesthetic resonance between works in a single medium or complex theoretical or academic dialogue presented across multiple media.
• Proposed public presentations.
  • The Curatorial Opportunity Program helps advance the New Art Center’s educational mission by using the galleries to enhance the experience of NAC’s students and guests.
  • Proposals are expected to include at least one educational component connected with the exhibition, the goal of which is to place both their exhibition and their art practice and curatorial practice into the larger context of contemporary art for a general public. This can consist of a panel discussion, gallery talk, ongoing interactive presentations, activities geared toward engaging the NAC’s daily student population or related presentations and/or performances in other mediums.
• Capability of the curator to carry out the project.
  • In addition to working with the Exhibitions Director on the exhibition design and installation, curators are also responsible for communicating with the artists. This includes assuring timely delivery of press materials, adherence to agreed-upon artwork delivery and pickup times, etc. The curator and artists are expected to work with the Exhibitions Director to assure that all necessary tasks are accomplished.

5.  Eligibility
All artists are eligible regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, belief, national origin, sexual orientation or physical abilities. While artists and curators from the greater Boston area are encouraged to participate, there are no geographic restrictions. Please keep in mind that the NAC does not pay for travel expenses.
Proposals will not be considered for one-person exhibitions or if they envision a general call to artists. Additionally, proposals will not be considered if they lack a statement of concept; require financial support from the Center beyond the usual stipend and services (see Support); are late or incomplete; are inappropriately scaled for the Main Gallery (see Gallery Space) or have highly unusual installation requirements.
6.  Requirements for Proposal Preparation
CHECKLIST
Please note: You must complete all fields in the online application in order for it to be submitted. After creating a CaFÉ™ login and password, you are able to upload images and all other aspects of the application. Other helpful hints and a CaFÉ FAQ are found here: https://www.callforentry.org/cafehelp.phtml

• Curator's Statement of Concept (suggested length: 1 - 3 pages or 300-1,000 words). The curator's statement must begin with a one-paragraph summary of the curatorial intention of the show and should address how each artist's work relates to the central concept.
• Proposed Public Presentation(s) with Educational Component (suggested length: up to one page or 300 words). At least one public presentation, whose goal is to contextualize the exhibition and the contemporary art practice and curatorial practice for the general public, must be proposed. More than one proposed public presentation is encouraged.
• Image List for Digital Submissions - Please follow instructions carefully! The Image List must be numbered in accordance with the image’s position in the slideshow uploaded into CAFÉ. TIP: Create the Image List first and then select and order your images in CAFÉ in accordance with the Image List. The list must include (for each work):
  • Artist's Name (The name(s) should be the first words entered in CAFÉ’s “description” field, followed by a colon [:] )
  • Image Number (This should follow the Artist’s Name and colon in CAFÉ’s “description” field and be preceded by a hash mark [#] )
  • Title of work (CAFÉ “Title” field)
  • Year (CAFÉ “Year” field)
  • Medium (CAFÉ “Medium” field) 
  • Dimensions (CAFÉ “Dimensions” field) 
  • Price field, insert $0; you must complete this field in order to submit the application. Price has no bearing on the application’s review process.
  • Specify either 'A' (for actual work to be exhibited) OR 'R' (for representative) in the description field upon selecting images in CAFÉ. Inclusion of 'actual' works is encouraged. 
  • ​Image Specifications, Audio & Video Specifications.
    • ​The image must be a BASELINE Standard JPEG.
    • The image must be under 3 megabytes.
    • The image must be at least 1920 pixels on the longest side.
    • A maximum of 30 images will be reviewed, with a maximum of 12 images per artist. For a tutorial on image prep please visit: https://www.callforentry.org/image_prep.phtml
    • A maximum of 6 audio files and a maximum of 6 video files can be uploaded BUT WE CAN REVIEW MORE. In addition to your online submission, please mail your CD of additional audio and/or video files postmarked by April 6, 2015 to Casey Curry, Manager of Exhibitions and Gallery Learning, New Art Center, 61 Washington Park, Newtonville, MA 02460, or share a Dropbox with casey@newartcenter.org.
• Artist Agreement: You must have secured participation of all the artists in your proposal prior to your application’s submission. 
• Resumes and references: Provide resumes (1-4 pages each) for the curator(s) and for each of the participating artists. Curators must also submit contact information for 3 professional or academic references.

7.  Review of Applications and Award Process
Deadline: April 6, 2015
Applications must be submitted on the CaFÉ™ website by 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time on April 6, 2015. No paper applications will be accepted and no extensions will be granted. Applications are reviewed by a group of professional artists, curators, educators, museum and gallery personnel / staff, NAC staff and NAC Board members. The panel reviews the application and support materials for the quality of work, educational potential and clarity. NAC staff may contact the applicant’s professional references and/or request to meet with finalists as part of the selection process. The review process may also include a phone interview or studio visit to view actual work.
COP awards will be announced to the recipients in June of 2015. No phone calls please. The New Art Center will determine the exhibition dates for COP exhibitions. Restrictions on scheduling flexibility must be stated in the application’s Curator Statement of Concept.
8.  Contact
Questions? Please contact: Casey Curry, Manager of Exhibitions and Gallery Learning at casey@newartcenter.org.
These COP Guidelines can be downloaded from the New Art Center website: www.newartcenter.org/COP
Please tell us how you heard about the New Art Center’s COP call for proposals:
 _  Print publication
 _  New Art Center website
 _  Social media outlet
 _  Postcard
 _  Internet search
 _  New Art Center email announcement
_  e-Flux's Art & Education Email Announcement
 _  Word of mouth
 _  Other

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria

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