The 34th Annual LowellArts West Michigan Art Competition highlights outstanding artwork by Lower West Michigan artists who reside in a 25-county region. Artwork in any visual art media can be submitted by artists 18 yrs. and older. Five cash awards totaling $2500 are awarded.

SCHEDULE
On-line Entries Accepted: January 2 to February 1, 2020
Notification of Acceptance: February 12
Drop-Off of Accepted Work: February 20, 21, 10am-6pm and February 22, 10am-5pm
Exhibit Dates: February 29 – April 8, 2020
Reception and Awards: Thursday, March 5, 6-8pm
Pick-up of Accepted Work: April 9, 10, 10am-6pm and April 11, 10am-5pm

JUROR
Jim Nawara earned a BFA degree from the Art Institute of Chicago and his MFA degree in painting at the University of Illinois, Champaign. Nawara is a Professor Emeritus of Painting & Drawing in the James Pearson Duffy Department of Art and Art History at Wayne State University in Detroit, where he taught for forty-six years. His paintings, drawings and prints have been exhibited in more than 250 international, national, and regional group exhibitions as well as nine solo exhibitions. Nawara has received substantial research grant support for his work from Wayne State University and three Creative Artist Grants from the Michigan Council for the Arts. His work is represented in numerous museums, corporate, university and private collections.

PRIZES
Five Awards - $500 each

ARTIST ELIGIBILITY
The West Michigan Art Competition is open to all visual art media by artists 18 yrs. and older who reside in one of the eligible West Michigan counties. Eligible lower West Michigan counties include: Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Cass, Calhoun, Clare, Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Ionia, Isabella, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Muskegon, Montcalm, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola, Ottawa, Saint Joseph, and Van Buren.

ENTRY ELIGIBILITY
Only original works completed in the last three years and not previously exhibited at LowellArts are eligible. Commercial reproductions, including giclée prints, will not be accepted. Traditional print media, photography, and digital art should be from a limited edition. 2-Dimensional entries may be no larger than 62 inches in any one direction, including the width of the frame. 3-Dimensional entries must fit through a standard door frame and be no larger than 62 inches in any one direction. Only artwork easily handled by two people will be accepted.

ENTRY PROCEDURES
Artists may submit ONE piece in any medium for consideration by the juror. Submit one image for 2-Dimensional pieces. For 3-Dimensional pieces, two images with different views of the same piece may be submitted. All entries must be submitted digitally through the www.callforentry.org (CaFÉ) website. There is no cost to register on CaFÉ, but it is required. Video entries may not be submitted. Deadline for entry is February 1, 2020 at 11:59pm EST.

ENTRY IMAGES
Digital image files must conform to the requirements as listed on the CaFÉ site. All entries require that the title, media, and dimensions be listed. Incomplete entries will not be juried. Accepted works that differ dramatically from the submitted images may be refused at the discretion of LowellArts staff. LowellArts will offer technical assistance on applying through CaFÉ to artists as needed, by appointment. Contact 616-897-8545.

NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE
Artists will be notified on February 12, after 5pm, via email if their piece was accepted for the exhibition. Awards will not be announced until the reception on March 5. Artists with accepted entries will be provided an identification label at the time of drop-off to affix to the back of their piece.

DELIVERY
All accepted entries must be hand-delivered or shipped to: LowellArts, 223 W Main St, Lowell, MI 49331. The new LowellArts Gallery is located in historic downtown Lowell at the corner of Broadway and Main Street. For hand-delivery, accepted artwork must arrive at LowellArts on February 20 and 21 between 10am and 6pm, or February 22 between 10am and 5pm. Shipped works must be prepaid and arrive by Friday, February 21. For shipped work, please include a prepaid return shipping label with the entry. All packing and shipping costs are the responsibility of the artist.

ENTRY CONDITIONS
Artwork must be ready for presentation upon delivery. All hanging works should be framed and fitted with secure hanging wire. D-Rings are allowed for larger, heavy 2-dimensional pieces. Fabric wrapped canvases are allowed and do not require additional framing. Frames with exposed glass edges are not acceptable. Saw tooth hangers are not permitted. Entries must be dry, completely assembled, framed, matted, or mounted. Multiple panel pieces (diptychs, triptychs, etc.) cannot exceed 62 inches in any one direction once installed. 3-dimensional entries that hang must have adequate hanging hardware or hanging system. Work requiring special handling or installation will be accepted only at the discretion of LowellArts. Unsuitably prepared, hazardous, unstable, or extremely fragile works will be declined. If you are unsure about your work conforming to these conditions, please contact LowellArts at info@lowellartsmi.org before entering.

ENTRY FEE
Artists may submit one piece only. The fee for entry is $35. LowellArts Members and Students over 18 with a college ID receive a discounted entry fee of $25. Members and students should call 616-897-8545 to receive their discount code before entering. Refunds cannot be provided after entry. Entry fees help fund prizes, programs, and services for LowellArts.

ART SALES
Accepted artwork must remain on display for the duration of the exhibit. LowellArts requires a 30% commission on all artwork sold during the exhibition. If the work is not for sale, please indicate “0 (zero)” for value on entry form. The artwork will be labeled as “NFS” – not for sale.

PICK-UP
Accepted entries must remain in the exhibition through April 8, 2020. Artists may pick up accepted work in person April 9, 10, 10am-5pm and April 11 between 10am-6pm. Artists must call ahead to authorize someone other than themselves to pick-up their work, otherwise artwork will not be released to anyone except the artist. Artwork not picked up at the designated times will be considered abandoned and become the property of LowellArts. Shipped artworks will be sent back in the packing materials they arrived in. Return of shipped artwork will begin April 10. Shipment costs are the responsibility of the artist.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria