Call Detail
New Jersey Arts Annual 2020
Entry Deadline: 2/21/20
Application Closed
Work Sample Requirements
Images | Minimum:Min. 0, Maximum:Max. 7
Audio | Minimum:Min. 0, Maximum:Max. 7
Video | Minimum:Min. 0, Maximum:Max. 7
Total Samples | Minimum:Min. 1, Maximum:Max. 7
Call Type: Exhibitions
Eligibility: Regional
State: New Jersey

2020 Arts Annual Prospectus

New Jersey Arts Annual

ArtCraftDesignPerformanceNew Media

Thursday, April 2, 2020 – Sunday, September 6, 2020

Exhibition Theme

Dissonance — ArtCraftDesignPerformanceNew Media

Dissonance—suggesting discord, tension, instability, and conflict—aptly fits the moment in which we find ourselves, as individuals, as institutions, as a nation, as a culture. In New Jersey, a state that embraces the tensions of diversity, geography, and history, our collective future remains tantalizingly malleable. The tension of creative thinking grows from the uncertainties of exploration, stepping away from the tried-and-true, while reaching for new inspiration.

While dissonance is most fundamentally understood as a musical quality, the tension and restlessness it implies can be expressed visually, verbally, or performatively. 

The Morris Museum encourages any expression of this concept through any artistic medium (including time-based works, poetry, performance, etc.).

Dissonance, examined through a musical lens, suggests directions it may take in other art forms.

·         Dissonance is employed in music, to various degrees, to add color and interest to consonance (sounds that are pristinely harmonious and "concordant"). Dissonance should not be simplistically understood to mean harsh, clashing, or unpleasant.

·         Music can be harmonious to the ear yet contain plenty of dissonance. Dissonances can be layered and mixed into the texture, making the sound richer and more colorful until, at some point (and depending on the listener), the saturation begins to turn muddled, agitated, strident, and even distressing.

·         While pure consonance often languishes happily, without urgent need to move forward in time, dissonance introduces tension and instability—and, thereby, movement—as an anxious sound “longs for” or pulls toward musical resolution (back to a consonant point of rest).

Parallels to musical dissonance in other art forms may be found through the treatment of color, through the choice of materials, through the construction of texture, through the juxtaposition of words, through the choreography of movement, through the topic of reference, etc.

New Jersey Arts Annual

The New Jersey Arts Annual is a unique series of exhibitions highlighting the State’s visual and performing artists. In partnership with major museums around the state, one exhibition takes place each year, alternating between host institutions. These exhibitions are open to any artist currently living or working in New Jersey to apply.

The Arts Annual series is sponsored by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment of the Arts.

Jurors

Lowery Stokes Sims, Curator Emerita of the Museum of Arts and Design, retired as Chief Curator of the Museum of Arts and Design in 2015 after nearly eight years, 43 in the art world altogether, during which she also served as Executive Director of the Studio Museum in Harlem and Curator of Contemporary Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sims brings tremendous expertise in working with both crafts and fine art across a diverse array of media, materials, and meanings; in a 2015 profile, The New York Times wrote that “Ms. Sims had broadened the conversation about how traditions, aesthetics, and materials were used.” Quoting her peer, Dr. Leslie King Hammond, Sims “has imposed ‘a new kind of language and a new kind of hierarchy in how we look at art and what we should be looking at.’

Cleveland Johnson, Executive Director of the Morris Museum, retired from DePauw University as Professor Emeritus of Music, after 23 years of teaching, much of it devoted to the cross-disciplinary convergence of music, art, and history. His musicological teaching and research focused on 17th-century northern Europe, early 20th-century Germany, and South Asia. His career switched lanes to the museum world in 2012, with his appointment as Director of the National Music Museum, before being drawn to the Morris Museum, home to the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata, to serve as Executive Director.  

About the Museum

Founded in 1913, the Morris Museum creates opportunities for lifelong learning, discovery, and creativity, driven by the contemporary interpretation of its Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata as well as its general collections of more than 40,000 objects, ranging from fine art to fossils. The Museum’s mission is to interpret the past and explore the future through Art, Sound, and Motion.

The only accredited museum in New Jersey with a fully-rigged proscenium theatre, the Museum has the rare opportunity to integrate the performing arts into its museum programming. As one of New Jersey’s most dynamic cultural institutions, the Morris Museum and its Bickford Theatre serve more than 300,000 persons each year. Visitors are drawn from every county in the state and reflect the social-economic and ethnic spectrum that defines northern and central New Jersey.

In 2019 the Morris Museum was selected by the Smithsonian Institution to join its Smithsonian Affiliates network of 200+ institutions across the United States. As the only Smithsonian Affiliate in the State of New Jersey, the Morris Museum is honored to fulfill its role of bringing Smithsonian resources to the state.

Eligibility

All artists over the age of 21 who either work or live in the state of New Jersey are eligible to apply. The exhibition theme can accommodate works created in both traditional and contemporary media (oil, acrylic, tempera, stone, metal, glass, wood, textiles, clay, etc.) and methods (painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, printmaking, performing/performance arts, poetry, film, installation, electronic, sound, etc.).  Works may be designed for wall hanging (2-D or 3-D); free-standing sculptures intended for the floor or pedestal display; small or medium works for protected display cases; for performance in the gallery; for audio installation; or for video display on a screen or digital monitor.

Selection Process

All submissions will receive direct consideration by the jurors. Artists may also be selected at the invitation of the jurors. Applicants may be requested to submit additional materials.  Artists are strongly encouraged to visit the Museum before submitting their work. 

All submissions must represent work that:

 Has been completed within the past five years.

 Is available for the complete duration of the exhibition.

 Has not been shown previously in a New Jersey museum or statewide exhibition.

Submission Procedure

There is no entry fee.  Applicants must apply online at www.callforentry.org (CAFÉ). Up to seven total work samples should accompany the application. Images, video or audio files may all be submitted, but the total number of submitted works must be no more than seven, regardless of the work sample type.  Images of details of work may be submitted, but they must be included in the seven total images.

CAFÉ accepts work samples in the following formats:

Images

File Type: JPEG or JPG only.

File Dimensions: 1,200 pixels or greater on the longest side.

File Size: Under 5 MB.

Audio

File Type: AIFF, WAV, XMF, MP3.

File Size: Under 10 MB.

Video

File Type: MOV, MP4, WMV, 3GP, AVI, ASF, MPG, M2T, MKV, M2TS.

File Size: Under 100 MB.

Currently, linked media from YouTube, Vimeo, etc. is not accepted.

If the proposed project for the exhibition is yet unrealized and will be produced on-site, a representative example of previous work should be submitted along with a detailed description of the proposed work and any assemblage that must be performed at the Museum.

Submissions must also include a current résumé, brief artist biography, and a document that lists a brief artists’ statement for each piece (150 words or less). For works selected for the exhibition, the submitted images may be used for in the catalogue and/or for press purposes.  If you do not choose to have your images retained by the Morris Museum, please note that at the top of your artists’ statement document.

Specifications

·         All work samples must be submitted via a CAFÉ application.

  • Images must be in JPEG or JPG format.
  • Audio must be in AIFF, WAV, XMF, or MP3 format.
  • Video must be in MOV, MP4, WMV, 3GP, AVI, ASF, MPG, M2T, MKV, or M2TS format.

·         For all images, sharp, accurate color reproduction, and highest resolution possible is essential, as selected works/images may be used in an exhibition catalogue or for press purposes.

·         Each digital file MUST include the following as accompanying information in the CAFÉ upload: artist’s name, title, medium, dimensions, and date. 

Example:“John Smith, Untitled, wood, 23x45x12, 2013.jpg”

·         Objects MUST include all necessary hardware and if operable, durability is required.

·         Electrical and wifi connectivity requirements must be stated; US/North America standard: 115/120V, 60 hz; no more than 15 amp.

·         Delicate electronics (micro-controllers, midis, etc.) must include their own battery back-up (UPS).

Submission Checklist:

¨ Completed Entry Form 

¨ Up to 7 high resolution images per object or 7 high resolution videos for performance and new media submissions, or a combination of images, video and audio of no more than 7 samples.

¨ Artist Biography

¨ Artist Statement document, listing details for each piece in150 word or less

¨ Current Resume 

Please Do Not Email Images To The Museum.

Email exhibitions@morrismuseum.org with any questions.

Insurance and Shipping

Artists chosen for the exhibition will be responsible for all shipping arrangements of their artwork.  Artwork must be delivered to the Morris Museum between Monday, March 9 and  Friday, March 13, 2020 between 10am and 4pm. Artwork must be picked up between Monday, September 14 and Friday, September 18, 2020 between 10am-4pm. Artists must contact the Collections Department (973.971.3701 or gsuss@morrismuseum.org), in advance to schedule a date and time for both delivery and pick up.               

Please Note: No Art Will Be Accepted Or Returned Without An Appointment.

 Insurance: The Morris Museum will insure all artwork at fair market value, from the time it is received until it is released by the Museum.  Artists must assume responsibility for their artwork while in transit to and from the Museum.  Artists will be notified upon receipt and inspection of the artwork by MM staff, if the Museum feels a work cannot be insured due to its condition, structure, fragility or inherent vice. 

 Packing Materials: The Morris Museum will save all original packing materials provided by the artist and reuse for packing at the end of the exhibition. All Packing Materials Must Be Labeled.

Conditions of Agreement

Work selected for the exhibition must remain for the entire duration of the exhibition. No substitution of the work may be made. The Morris Museum reserves the right to reproduce entries for the exhibition’s catalogue and for publicity purposes.  Work remaining after the listed pick-up period may be disposed of at the discretion of the Museum.  Submissions of entries will constitute agreement to the conditions set forth between the Morris Museum and the artists selected for the Arts Annual. The Morris Museum’s loan documents will formalize this agreement.

Sales

Potential buyers will be referred to the artists. The Morris Museum will not act as an agent for any sales. 

Catalogue

An exhibition catalogue listing selected works and including a directory of the artists represented will be published digitally. The Museum will publish the catalogue as a printable PDF document, available via the website.

IMPORTANT DATES

ENTRY DEADLINE:  Friday, February 21, 2020

Complete application with all supporting materials must be received by 5pm on Feb. 21. You are encouraged to submit in advance of this date, if possible.  Incomplete applications will not be considered.

ARTISTS NOTIFIED BY EMAIL: Friday, February 28, 2020

Letters of Notification will be sent out via the CAFÉ email system to all applicants.

DELIVERY OF ARTWORKS: Monday, March 9 — Friday, March 13, 2020

All work must be delivered to the Morris Museum between 10am-4pm. Contact the Collections department to schedule a delivery appointment, gsuss@morrismuseum.org or 973.971.3701.

Artists are required to assist in the installation of their work if needed.

EXHIBITION OPENING & RECEPTION: Thursday, April 2, 2020, 6-8pm

Member opening and exhibition preview.

EXHIBITION OPEN: Thursday, April 2, 2020 – Sunday, September 6, 2020

Exhibition is open to the public.

PICK UP OF ARTWORK: Monday, September 14 –Friday, September 18, 2020

All work must be picked up at the close of the exhibition, between 10am-4pm.

Contact the Collections department to schedule an appointment, gsuss@morrismuseum.org  or 973.971.3701.

Please contact: exhibitions@morrismuseum.org OR Phone: 973-971-3700 Ext. 3745 with any questions.

Exhibitions schedule and related components may be subject to change.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria