CALL FOR ENTRIES
In The Fields: Botanical Lore

Important Dates:          

• Deadline for Entries: Sept 15 
• Artists Notified: Oct 1
• Shipped Artwork Received: Oct 23-27
• Hand Delivered Work Received: Oct 25- 27
• Member Preview: Nov 8
• Public Reception: Nov 10
• Exhibition: Nov 10-Dec 21
• Family Art Day: Dec 2
• Hand Delivered Work Pick up: Jan 10-12, 2019
• Shipped Work Return: begins on Jan 10, 2019

The history of art shows us that artists and plants are a natural pairing. Artists have been creating botanical lore for centuries, inspired by the forms, colors, myths, metaphors, science, and symbolism of plants. Artists working in all media are invited to share their botanical expressions and depictions. 

Accepted artists will be invited to attend the member preview, and to talk about their work (optional), as well as to the public reception. Artists hand-delivering work will be provided with promotional postcards. Artists shipping their work will receive digital version of the postcard.

JUROR
Artist and curator Jennifer Perlmutter balances the influences of nature and civilization in her work, combining environmental character with urban features in a complex layering to create a push-pull of color, figure and texture. Botanicals were her first subjects, used to explore watercolors and oils in the late 90s. She produced chinoiserie, artwork and deep, layered finishes on high-end furniture, featured in LA's Pacific Design Center. Perlmutter ultimately found her niche in mixed media on wood and canvas, which is her predominant medium today. She opened a gallery in Lafayette, CA in 2014, exhibiting a diverse program of contemporary art. Perlmutter's work has been widely commissioned, collected internationally, and shown in New York, Beverly Hills, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

ENTRIES
Entries must be uploaded and submitted through CaFE. All media will be considered: painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, book art, video, sound art, and installation. Size limitations: wall work no larger than 36” in either dimension; sculptural work no taller than 6 feet, 30 pounds weight, or a 36” footprint. For information about gallery layout or installations, direct inquiries to lisa@artsbenicia.org.

For optimal juror viewing, submit the highest quality images. Maximum file size for each still image is 5 MB. Video/audio file guidelines are here. If your photo software specifies file quality levels instead of pixels (i.e., you are submitting an image directly from a cell phone), choose "actual size" or “very high quality.” Please DO NOT include your name in your file titles. If your work benefits from explanation or an accompanying statement, there is an option to provide one in the entry process. It will be seen by the juror, but not the gallery. Omit your name from the optional artist statement. Accepted artists will be asked later to provide statements and resumes to the gallery.

Entry fee of $45 (or $35 for current Arts Benicia members; select at checkout); this includes submission of up to 3 artworks. 

To review other benefits of membership, including NARM, or to join Arts Benicia before submitting your entry, call or visit artsbenicia.org and then return to this page. You do not need to wait for verification of membership before completing your application to In the Fields. 

Fee may be paid through CaFE (using a credit card or Paypal), or paid directly to Arts Benicia using any form of payment once the entry has been submitted through CaFE. To pay by check, upload your images onto CaFE, complete the entry form on CaFE, and select check as the payment option. Mail your check to Arts Benicia, or bring payment to the gallery during office hours, before the deadline. Accepted artists will be notified via email on or before October 1. 

DELIVERY AND SHIPPING DETAILS
Artwork Preparation. Secure a label to your artwork with your name, materials and/or technique, the title, price if the work is for sale, or the dollar value if the work is not for sale. Work intended for hanging must arrive ready to hang, with a mechanism adequate and appropriate for the artwork dimensions and weight. We do not accept sawtooth hangers. If special installation instructions are required, include them in your delivery or shipment.

Walk-in Delivery is Oct 25 through Oct 27, between 11 and 2 PM only. We cannot store packing materials of hand-delivered work. If someone other than the artist will deliver the work, the submitting artist must contact us in advance, and complete an exhibition contract by email, fax, or mail. Pick up of unsold work is January 10 through 12, 2019, between 11-2 PM. The gallery and office close over the winter holidays.

If you plan to ship your work, contact us and we’ll email you an exhibition contract, which must be signed and returned to us prior to receipt of the artwork. Shipped work must arrive no later than Oct 27. Artists are responsible for all shipping costs to and from Arts Benicia. We receive packages and crates from all common carriers, as well as freight and private art shippers. Please purchase a return shipping label at the time you purchase your outgoing shipping, and enclose the pre-paid label inside your package or crate, or otherwise arrange for paid return shipping, in order to avoid artwork return delays. Unsold artwork will be returned using the same shipping method and packing materials, after January 10, 2019.

GALLERY
Location:
Arts Benicia
991 Tyler Street, Suite 114
Benicia, CA  94510

Contacts:
Website: artsbenicia.org
707-747-0131
Lisa Quintero, Exhibitions and Public Programs Manager
lisa@artsbenicia.org

Hours:
Gallery open Wed through Sunday, noon to 5 PM, during exhibitions.
Between exhibitions, the office is open Wed through Friday, noon to 5 PM.
Receipt of shipped artworks and installation of artworks may have variable hours.
Arts Benicia is closed for Thanksgiving, and for the winter holidays.

About Arts Benicia: Arts Benicia is a community-based non-profit offering diverse and relevant exhibitions in its gallery and at other venues in Benicia, and provides engaging public programs, creative workshops for adults, and inspiring youth arts educational programming. Located in the historic Arsenal, Arts Benicia has been a vital part of the Bay Area regional art scene for over 30 years, supporting artistic development and enriching the larger community.

POLICIES
Arts Benicia has a history of successfully selling multiple works at every exhibition. Upon sale, a check and purchaser information will be mailed to the artist within 30 days after exhibition closure. Artists receive 60% on the sale of their work. Arts Benicia, a non-profit, receives 40%. Arts Benicia bears all transaction fees, and collects and reports sales tax on artwork sales.

Entry fees are not refundable. Use the member entry fee only if you are a current member; otherwise your entry will not be juried. 

Artists selected for this exhibition will be asked to sign an exhibition contract. Artworks will be covered by Arts Benicia Insurance while they are at the gallery. 

Unsold artworks not picked up on the designated dates will be placed in storage, for a fee, per the exhibition contract. Artwork shipped to us without a pre-paid return label will be stored. Once stored, artwork will be available for retrieval only during Arts Benicia office hours. Arts Benicia is not responsible for the safety or condition of work stored after the designated pick-up dates. Work not retrieved within 30 calendar days of the last designated pick up date is considered abandoned. 

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria