CALL FOR ENTRIES
Table Testaments

 Exhibition Dates: November 16 – December 20, 2019
Juror: Juan Miguel Santiago

IMPORTANT DATES
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES:  Tuesday Oct 8, 2019 (10:59 Pacific Time)
Online Judging: October 9-13
Artists Notified: October 14
Shipped Artwork Received: November 2-7
Hand Delivered Work Received: November 7, 2:00 – 6:00 pm
Preview for Members & Exhibiting Artists: November 14, 6:00 – 7:00 pm.
Public Reception: November 16, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Free Family Art Day: December 8, 1:00 – 3:00 pm
In-Person Artwork Pick-Up: January 8, 2020, 3:00 – 6:00 pm
Shipped Artwork Return: begins January 8

This exhibition will coincide with seasonal gatherings around tables, offering an exploration of sculptural and functional tableware as contemporary carriers of narrative and story – central elements in human gatherings. We seek a wide variety of content, and a broad representation of style. We want to see the story you tell.   

Submissions may include objects of ceramic, wood, glass, or metals; paintings, prints, or photographs; mixed media, installation artworks, and digital works. Utensils and flatware, table linens, and tables and chairs themselves will be considered, as will wall-hung works that relate to the exhibition subject.

Prizes:
Best of show: $250
Juror’s Choice, 2-D: $100
Juror’s Choice, 3-D: $100

For questions about installation capabilities, please email celeste@artsbenicia.org. We can accommodate even monumental works, have a variety of pedestals, and have several clear vitrines that can protect some small works. Gallery ceilings and some walls are 20 feet, but suspended works need specific clearance before submission. If you have any questions, please inquire well in advance of the deadline to celeste@artsbenicia.org.

JUROR
Juan M. Santiago’s art practice explores the narrative of human experience using traditional and non-traditional methods in clay and other mediums. He has taught at Sonoma State University, Diablo Valley College, Chabot College, and California College of the Arts. He is currently a professor at Southern Oregon University. Juan holds an MFA from Alfred University, and a BFA with high distinction from California College of the Arts and Crafts; he has apprenticed with Peter Voulkos, Jim Melchert, Arthur Gonzalez, and John Toki. Mr. Santiago has lectured in Thailand and China.

ENTRY PROCESS
Please read the following information carefully. Artists may submit one application. One application allows you to submit up to 3 artworks.

CATEGORIES
2-D: paintings, photographs, prints, video, flat textiles, and mixed media
3-D: sculpture and object regardless of medium, installation work, book art

Some mixed-media work may require a decision by the artist to determine which category best fits. Fiber work that is sculptural should be entered under 3-D; flat table lines or wall-hung textiles should be entered under 2-D. The category for sonic art may depend on how the artist intends to display the work.

IMAGES TO SUBMIT
For optimal juror viewing, submit the highest quality images. For each image file, 1 MB is the minimum size; maximum file size for each still image is 5 MB. If your photo software specifies quality levels instead of pixels (i.e., you are submitting an image directly from a cell phone), choose "actual size" or “very high quality.”

Do not include your name in any of your file titles. Use the artwork title to name the files. For technical questions or assistance with your image files, and for video/audio file guidelines, visit https://www.callforentry.org/image_prep.phtml.

Up to 6 images may be uploaded...but only 3 artworks may be submitted. You must submit at least one photo for each artwork. For the remaining 3 images, the content depends on your category:

●      2-D work: you may, if you wish, submit a second image.  If your artwork is not wall-mounted, submit a backside/reverse image as your second image. If your artwork is flatwork but is large or detailed, you may submit a detail image as well as the overall image. Your second image should not be merely a zoomed cropping of the first image. 

●      3-D work: you must submit 2 images for each artwork entered. Do not submit a second image that is merely a crop of the first image.

●      For video, sound, and installation entries, you must submit a still image as well as the video or sound file; the still image must be of the set-up in a gallery setting, an installation mock-up, or a drawing of the set-up. 

CONCEPT STATEMENT, OPTIONAL
A brief explanation describing your concept to the juror may be submitted during the application process. This statement will be seen by the juror. Omit your name from this statement.

FEES AND PAYMENT
Entry fee is $45 (or $35 for current Arts Benicia members; selected at checkout) for 1 to 3 artworks. You can submit up to 6 images, but these can depict no more than 3 artworks in total.  

Fee may be paid through CaFE using a credit card or Paypal. Alternatively, the entry fee may be paid directly to Arts Benicia using any form of payment, after 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. (If you plan to pay cash directly to Arts Benicia, you should also select check.) Mail your check to Arts Benicia or bring your payment to the gallery during office hours, before the deadline. Be mindful that our offices close for the day well before the deadline that day.

Entry fees are not refundable for any reason, in whole or in part. Arts Benicia members receive a discount on the entry fee, by selecting member at checkout. To review other benefits of becoming an Arts Benicia member, including NARM benefits, or to join online before submitting your entry, visit artsbenicia.org.

NOTIFICATION OF JURY RESULTS
The deadline is October 9, at 10:59 PM, PDT. An email will be sent via CaFE to all submitting artists by October 14 with jury results. Additionally, the results will be available in CaFE artist accounts after October 14. Accepted artists will be invited to the member preview and juror talk, and the public reception. Arts Benicia will produce and distribute promotional postcards and make them available to exhibiting artists at no cost, either in digital format for remote artists, or for pick-up in the gallery.

TECHNICAL ISSUES AND SUPPORT
If you have never used CaFE before, you’ll need to register your name and email address with them. This is free and allows us to communicate with applicants more easily.

Be aware that your ”portfolio” in CaFE is not the same as your application in CaFE. You can SAVE your application in CaFE at any time, and return to it later, before the deadline. For technical CaFE issues, they have a help page. They also have telephone assistance, M-F, during Mountain Time business hours.

DELIVERY AND SHIPPING DETAILS
Please do not apply for this exhibition if you cannot deliver or pick up your work, or have someone else do it for you, on the designated dates. Exceptions for late delivery cannot be made. Late pick ups will be charged fees for storage and retrieval of the artwork.

Preparation
All artwork must be clean and in good repair. Arts Benicia reserves the right to decline any artwork that does not meet the preparation standards or is otherwise unsuitable for exhibition. Examine your artwork for cleanliness under good lighting.

If your artwork is not legibly signed, secure a label to the back or bottom with your name and telephone number. If special installation instructions are required, include them in your delivery or shipment.

Work intended for hanging must arrive ready to hang, with a mechanism adequate and appropriate for the dimensions and weight, using D-rings and wire, or cleats for heavy work. No sawtooth hangers are allowed. Stretched canvas must not have exposed staples. If your artwork requires an exception with regard to hanging mechanisms, please contact celeste@artsbenicia.org before submission to discuss the options.

Contract
All artwork, whether delivered or shipped, must be accompanied by a signed exhibition contract. If you deliver in person and forget to bring your contract, we will have extras. Shippers who do not include the contract in the artwork crate may email the contract to us, but it must be legible, complete, and arrive no later than the artwork.

Artist Statement
Selected artists juried into the exhibition will be asked to submit their bio, artist statement, and resume, for an artists’ book to be displayed in the gallery and archived after the exhibition closes. These materials are not required until after artist selection into the exhibition.

Walk-in Delivery is November 7 only.  Note that we cannot store packing materials of hand-delivered work; take packing materials with you and bring them back when you pick up your work at the end of the exhibition. There is an accessible entrance to the gallery on Jackson Street, behind the building. This is our back door, which has a threshold level with the street and is also used for heavy or large artwork deliveries that need a hand truck, jack, or lift.

If your work demands special handling, or if you must install it yourself, you will need to make a specific delivery appointment by contacting celeste@artsbencia.org.

Pick up of unsold work is January 8, 3-6 pm.

Shipped work must arrive no later than November 6. Artists are responsible for 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 note that issues or problems with FedEx are not resolvable locally for us as there’s no FedEX facility near us; issues and problems with UPS are often more readily resolved because there’s a UPS facility right in Benicia.

Artwork will be sent back using the same shipping method and carrier it was delivered with. It must have re-usable packing. Note that stretch wrap is not reusable. Technically, bubble wrap is also not intended for more than one use, however, we will use the bubble wrap you send. Foam packing is preferable to bubble wrap. No packing peanuts allowed; not even the biodegradable kind.

Signatures and value claims
Artists shipping out must purchase a return shipping label. This is most easily accomplished at the time you purchase your outgoing shipping. Enclose the pre-paid label inside your package or crate or email it to jean@artsbenicia.org. We cannot access individual shipping accounts.

RELEASES AND WARRANTIES
Artists agree to release Arts Benicia for damages in shipping or delivery. Artworks are insured while they are at the gallery.

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

Contacts:
Website: artsbenicia.org
707-747-0131
Jean Purnell
jean@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 organization 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 32 years, supporting artistic development and enriching the larger community.

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

Entry fees are not refundable. Only use the member entry price 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 and may not remove the artwork from the gallery before the close of the exhibition. Artworks are covered by Arts Benicia insurance while they are at the gallery.

Artists are responsible for knowing the details of this call, and by applying, acknowledge they have been informed of our policies.

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 an included or emailed pre-paid return label, or which arrives damaged or does not meet exhibition standards described in this Call, or for which we have not received a signed exhibition contract, will be promptly stored. Arts Benicia is not responsible for the safety or condition of work stored after the designated pick-up dates, or artwork stored for the above reasons. Once stored, artwork will be available for retrieval only during Arts Benicia office hours. If Arts Benicia incurs storage or labor fees for handling the artworks, the artist must reimburse Arts Benicia prior to release of the artwork. Work not retrieved within 30 calendar days of the last designated pick-up date is considered abandoned.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria