2020 SDA International Exhibition In Print

EXHIBITION: 
Each year, SDA’s  International Exhibition In Print showcases the breadth and depth of contemporary artists and designers working with or inspired by fiber art and/or textile-based materials, methods, and techniques. The work of selected artists are featured in the Fall 2020 issue of the Surface Design Journal. The Surface Design Journal is read by artists, gallery owners, curators, scholars, and enthusiasts nationally and internationally. Entries may be submitted online from Feb 18, 2020 through June 15, 2020 via CaFÉ.

GOAL:
The creation of cloth is characterized by a process of gradual repetition. An embroidery is made stitch by stitch. Each loop in knitting follows one after the other. Each pass of the shuttle in weaving builds upon a previous movement. As artists, we may think of these gestures as small acts of devotion. However, these tiny acts are, by no means, limited to textile processes. They appear in cooking, in cleaning, and in how we take care of our loved ones and our communities. In nature, repeated actions—layer by layer—create a mountain; tiny drops of water—inch by inch—carve out a canyon.

 As makers, we often ask ourselves “What does devotion look like in a material form?” There are purposeful acts we make by choice and other behaviors that we perform out of ritual and habit. The cycles and loops of daily life can sometimes seem mundane, forgettable, and otherwise ordinary. Perhaps through these repetitive and devotional processes of textile production, we can see something meaningful, surprising, and even sacred emerge in the humble routines of handwork and daily life. The idea that a link exists between the sacred and the mundane is a constant and universal theme within the human story. This exhibition in print seeks to reveal these narratives and invites artists from many material traditions to explore the theme as it manifests in their particular and idiosyncratic lives. 

Artists working in all media are encouraged to apply.

JOURNAL OVERVIEW: 
Journal Managing Editor, Lauren Sinner, and artist and educator, Jovencio de la Paz, will co-jury this exhibition, selecting work for inclusion in a comprehensive print and digital edition of the Fall 2020 Surface Design Journal. The publication will include full and detailed images as well as artist statements and juror reflections addressing the context of the work in the exhibition and its place within the evolution of broader trends in contemporary textile/fiber-based arts. 

Artists whose work is selected will receive one complimentary print copy of the Surface Design Journal. Print and digital versions will be available for purchase on the SDA website www.surfacedesign.org. 

GUEST JURORS:
Jovencio de la Paz is an artist, weaver, and educator. His work explores the intersection of textile processes such as weaving, dye, and stitch-work as they relate to broader concerns of language, histories of colonization, migrancy, ancient technology, and speculative futures. Interested in the ways transience and ephemerality are embodied in material, de la Paz looks to how knowledge and experiences are transmitted through society in space and time, whether semiotically by language and code or haptically by made things. He is currently Assistant Professor and Curricular Head of Fibers at the University of Oregon.

Lauren Sinner is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, teacher, writer, and performer based in Portland, Oregon. She is currently the Managing Editor of Surface Design Journal, Mentor to MFA candidates, and an independent contractor to many arts organizations throughout the country. She received her MFA in Applied Craft + Design from the joint program between the Oregon College of Art and Craft and the Pacific Northwest College of Art in 2016.

ELIGIBILITY AND ENTRY FEE:
This exhibition is open to all artists, with discounted entry fee offered to SDA members. Artists may enter up to three artworks. 2D and 3D works are eligible, as is documentation of time-based media, performance, or conceptual work. Only photographic documentation of work will be considered. Work must have been completed since January 1, 2018. Artists who have been included in prior EIPs are encouraged to apply, but submitted work should show a progression or be from a different body of work. Work executed under classroom/educational guidance or supervision is not eligible. 

Information about SDA membership is available at the SDA website: https://www.surfacedesign.org/members/member-benefits/

$25 entry fee for SDA members, up to 3 artworks.
$45 entry fee for non-members, up to 3 artworks.

ENTRY PROCEDURE:
Entries are to be submitted online through CaFÉ.

The following information is required for submission: 
1. Name, address, telephone, e-mail.
2. Up to 3 artworks - maximum 2 images per artwork - 1 overall image and 1 detail of each artwork.  Six images total may be submitted per entrant. Jurors request one overall and one detail of each full original artwork. 
3. Images - full and detail - JPEG only; Upload options for image files:

• File format: JPEG only
• File dimensions: 1200 pixels or larger on longest side
• File resolution: 72 ppi/dpi (standard web resolution)
• File size: 5 MB maximum

NOTE: Uploaded images are scaled by the system and two monitor versions are created: a small 100-pixel thumbnail and a large 700-pixel image. These images are available for preview in your portfolio after uploading.

4. Each image must be titled as follows: 

• Full Image: “last name_first name_title_year"
• Image Detail: “last name_first name_title_year_detail”

5. A brief artist statement (100-150 words maximum, cannot exceed 1000 characters). This is a blind jury process, please do not include identifying information in the statement. 

PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDELINES:
As this call is for an exhibition in print, the quality of photographic documentation will impact the assessment of your work for inclusion in the Journal. All backgrounds should be neutral or grayscale unless color is part of the work. 

NOTE: Artists must provide print quality images of selected work at 300 dpi, 6x8" min, jpg or Tiff.

AWARDS: 
Award honorees will be featured with expanded coverage in the September publication of the Surface Design Journal Fall 2020 edition, Devotion: Sewing the Sacred,  SDA International Exhibition in Print. Award categories are:

• Surface Design
• ​Guest Juror
• Material Exploration
• Next Generation
• Innovation in Technique
• Innovative Installation
• Modern meets traditional 

Surface Design Association, a 501(c)3 non-profit arts organization founded in 1977, is dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of textile-inspired art and design through member-supported benefits including publications, exhibitions and conferences. Visit us at www.surfacedesign.org. 

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria