Art Through the Lens 2019 is open to all without restrictions on content. It provides photographers with an outlet for their art, encouragement for growth in their vision and presentation and cash rewards for works of exceptional merit.  Each year from the works submitted, 50-70 images are selected for exhibition by a highly qualified juror. Selected works will be featured in a full color catalog produced by the Yeiser Art Center and for purchase during the exhibition. $5000 in cash awards will be given to works of high merit. An awards presentation will be held during the opening reception. Art Through the Lens 2019 will be on display from October 4 – November 9, 2019.

Yeiser Art Center is a non-profit visual arts organization celebrating over sixty years of serving the community with exhibitions and education throughout the Tri-State Region. As the region’s foremost visual art center, YAC brings diversity and excellence in visual arts to Paducah, a designated UNESCO Creative City. The gallery is situated near Paducah’s riverfront at 200 Broadway in the historic 1905 Market House building.

HISTORY
Originating in 1975 as the Paducah Summer Festival Photo Competition, Paducah Photo has grown from a fledgling contest into an international juried exhibition. Over the past 40+ years, this exhibition has become one of the Mid-South’s most prestigious annual photographic events.

In 2013, Paducah was bestowed the honor of being designated a member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative Cities Network in the area of Crafts & Folk Art. To embrace both this international honor and reflect the international growth of the exhibition, Paducah Photo took on a new name, Art Through the Lens.

2019 JUROR

Cheryl Zibisky
Cheryl Zibisky uses alternative processes in photography to reveal concepts about memory, loss and time. Zibisky earned her MFA in Photography in January 2017 from New Hampshire Institute of Art. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Commercial Photography program at Appalachian State University and works as a commercial photographer in addition to her artistic practice. Her work has been exhibited in dozens of group shows and two solo shows. Her commercial work has been published in more than 20 different national magazines as well as a handful of local and regional publications. She received Best of Show for her piece “Without Maya” in the 2018 Art Through the Lens international juried photography exhibition.

Zibisky was born in Detroit but raised in the South. She also enjoyed ten great years in Brooklyn, New York. While in New York she enjoyed capturing the colorful urban life that surrounded her. Her escapes from the city included train rides to Montauk or up the Hudson Valley to fly fish. Now, back in the South, she finds inspiration while hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains. She lives in Valle Crucis, North Carolina, with her partner, Pete, their dog, Kaya, and an impressive number of fireflies. 

Her fine art work can be found at www.cherylzibisky.wixsite.com/artist, and her commercial work may be viewed at www.cherylzibisky.com.

SPECIFICATIONS

Artists may submit up to 11 entries, including video and moving images (5 images, 3 videos, 3 audio files.  All photo-based imagery created through photographic processes is eligible including non-lens made images. All work submitted must be original, completed in the last three years and not previously exhibited in an Art Through the Lens (or Paducah Photo) exhibition. Size restrictions: No single work may be more than 6 feet in width and 8 feet in height, without advanced approval from YAC. Please contact YAC for approval of oversized submissions.

IMPORTANT DATES:

August 15, Midnight – Deadline to enter

August 31 – Notification of acceptance, International Show

September 7 – Notification of acceptance, Regional Showcase

September 27, 5pm – Deadline to deliver artwork

October 5, 5-7pm – Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony

October 4 – November 9 – Exhibition open to the public

ENTERING

Entries are submitted solely online through CaFE. This is an international juried exhibition; works will be selected to exhibit by a juror. If one or more of your works should be accepted into the show, you will receive subsequent instructions on final presentation. A nonrefundable entry fee of $15 is required for each photographic artwork submitted for consideration. Entries submitted via email or mail to the Yeiser Art Center will not be accepted. Members of the Yeiser Art Center will be charged a reduced fee of $10 per submission. Please contact the Yeiser Art Center to check the status of your membership and receive the coupon code.

Additionally, applicants who live within a 100 mile radius of Paducah, Kentucky will automatically be entered into a second jury round for a Regional Showcase component to the show. The Regional Showcase will take place on the same dates as the International Show at the Yeiser Art Center.

Exhibition dates: October 4, 2019 – November 9, 2019.

NOTIFICATIONS & ACCEPTED ENTRIES

All entries selected for exhibition will be notified by August 31, 2019. Work must arrive at the Yeiser Art Center no later than September 27, 2019, 5pm.

Accepted entries must be shipped prepaid to the Yeiser Art Center, 200 Broadway St, Paducah, KY. Only FedEX, UPS and USPS shippers are allowed. All work must arrive ready to install following museum standards. If not framed, artwork should be ready to hang in a professional manner and all hanging fixtures should be provided, including magnets, L-hooks or other appropriate hardware. For specific shipping or framing questions or concerns, please call YAC at 270-442-2453 or email office@theyeiser.org.

AWARDS

$5,000 in cash awards will be given in the following amounts:

International Exhibition
Best of Show $2000
First Place $1000
Second Place $500
Third Place $250
Honorable Mention $125
Honorable Mention $125

Regional Showcase
First Place $500
Second Place $250
Third Place $100
Honorable Mention $50
Honorable Mention $50

SALES

Sales will be encouraged where works are offered for purchase, but work need not be for sale to enter. Yeiser Art Center will keep a 40% gallery commission on all sales, please price your work accordingly. Work will be insured for the duration of the exhibition for the value of the work, or 60% of the retail price. Artists are responsible for insuring their work during transit to and from the Yeiser Art Center.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria