Bellingham National 2019 Juried Art Exhibition and Awards @ Whatcom Museum   
Exhibition Dates: February 2 – May 19, 2019

Juror: Bruce Guenther, Independent Curator and Art Historian

Awards: 1st $2,000; 2nd $1,000; 3rd $500; Popular Award $500 

Exhibition Title & Theme: Water's Edge

The Whatcom Museum is seeking submissions by artists working in 2-dimensional mediums for whom landscape serves as an important inspiration and motivation to their practice and aspects of their work. Submissions should evidence an investigation of contemporary art practices, and address our understandings of the Earth, climate change, and the evolving relationships of humanity to nature. Works range from traditional interpretations of the observed landscape to the metaphoric and spiritual manifestations of the landscape through image, language, and mapping of our response to nature and the world. 

Exhibition space considerations preclude consideration of time-based and site-specific installations or performances.

TIMELINE
December 2, 2018: Deadline for Entries
December 18–19: Artists notified of selection in the Bellingham National 2019
January 9–18, 2019: Deliveries of artworks accepted between these dates
February 1: Exhibition reception
May 19: Exhibition closes

Specifications: All two-dimensional artworks MUST BE READY FOR DISPLAY WITH HANGING DEVICES/HARDWARE ATTACHED. Whatcom Museum reserves the right not to include it in the exhibition if artwork is not properly prepared for installation. The weight limitation of each crated or packaged work must not exceed 50 lbs.

Entry Fee: $35. Secure credit card payments can be made through CaFÉ at https://www.callforentry.org. Personal checks or money orders will be accepted via mail payable to Whatcom Museum and mailed to: Whatcom Museum/Bellingham National 2019, 121 Prospect Street, Bellingham, WA, 98225. To guarantee that your images are sent to the juror, all entry fees sent by mail must be received by November 26, 2018. 

Submitting Images for Jurying: All entries (images and information) will be accepted only through the CaFÉ website. Instructions on how to format images to CaFÉ specifications can be found at Media Prep. 

1) Each entrant may submit a total of up to three digital images. All art must be original, completed within the last two years, and available through the entire run of the exhibition. 

2) Please also attach a current resume and provide an OPTIONAL artist's statement (no more than 1,000 characters in length). 

Shipping: Artists will be responsible for all shipping and insurance costs both to and from the Whatcom Museum. The Museum will require prepayment of any shipping/insurance costs for the return of each artwork. Artists will need to include either a prepaid return shipping label or FED EX account number with the incoming shipment. All shipped work must be received between January 2 and January 18, 2019. Detailed instructions will be sent to those artists whose works are accepted by the juror. 

About the Whatcom Museum: The Whatcom Museum presents exhibitions of regional, national, and international art to an expansive audience. Landmark buildings, innovative exhibitions, and rich program offerings have made the Museum a destination for visitors ranging from Seattle, Wash. to Vancouver, British Columbia. We are located in Bellingham’s growing arts district, which includes the Mt. Baker Theatre, SPARK: the Museum of Electrical Invention, and the Pickford Film Center. The Whatcom Museum is accredited nationally by the American Association of Museums and is a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate. 

About the Juror: Art historian and independent curator Bruce Guenther is currently serving as Adjunct Curator of Special Exhibitions for the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. A specialist in post-war American and European Art, Guenther was the Chief Curator and Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Portland Art Museum, Oregon, until his retirement in 2014. Previously he was the Chief Curator at the Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, California, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois, and head of the Modern Art Program at the Seattle Art Museum, Washington. He has curated major monographic and thematic exhibitions internationally, and authored numerous books and exhibition catalogues. 

Legal Agreement: The Whatcom Museum assumes responsibility for works only while they are on the premises. We recommend that artists make arrangements to insure artworks during transit. Our professional art handlers will handle and install works with care. Fragile works will be displayed under a vitrine unless otherwise specified by the artist. The Whatcom Museum reserves the right to photograph artworks in the exhibition for publicity and educational purposes. Artists of diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. The Bellingham National 2019 exhibition and events are ADA compliant.

Whatcom Museum
121 Prospect Street
Bellingham, WA 98225
www.whatcommuseum.org

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria