The Wickford Art Association’s PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT 2020 is your opportunity to exhibit the best of your photographic work at one of Southern New England’s premiere art galleries with a 58 year record of promoting artistic excellence.  Open to non-members and members of the Association, this exhibit is not based in any particular theme.  You can unleash your creativity and vision as any photographic genre, substrate, process, or perspective (contemporary, realistic, historical, abstract, experimental, or futuristic) is eligible.  We encourage you to share a sampling of your photographic portfolio.

All current WAA members will SAVE 30% on all exhibit entry fees.

Please review this prospectus carefully and only consider submitting work if you can comply with the requirements and timetable outlined in this document.

IMPORTANT DATES

Registration Deadline
Monday- August 31, 2020 (11:59pm Eastern Standard Time)

Notification of Acceptance
Not later than Friday- September 18, 2020. All decisions are final.

In-Person Delivery
Tuesday- October 13, 2020 or Wednesday- October 14, 2020 (11am-3pm), as described below.

Shipping Delivery
Not later than Monday- October 12, 2020, as described below.

Exhibition
Friday- October 23 through Sunday- November 15, 2020

Opening Reception
(Pending Social Gathering and Physical Distancing Guidelines as determined by the State of RI) Friday- October 23, 2020 (6:30-8:30pm), prizes announced at 7:00pm.  If an Opening Reception is not possible, prizes will be announced via social media and website on 10/23/20.

Return of Work
In-person collection: Tuesday- November 17, 2020
Shipping return the week of November 16, 2020, as described below.

Wickford Art Association (WAA)
Since 1962, the Wickford Art Association (WAA) has hosted numerous fine art shows, classes, workshops, lectures and demonstrations. Ranked as the #7 fine art festival in the country by Sunshine Artist Magazine, WAA annually produces the Wickford Art Festival featuring 200+ fine art artists from around the world. The Festival was voted “Best Of” by Rhode Island Monthly Magazine and ranked #1 in New England. As part of its community involvement, WAA hosts an annual scholarship competition granting substantial scholarship awards to four of Rhode Island’s top public high school seniors pursuing art at the collegiate level. 

Located in the historic village of Wickford in North Kingstown, RI, the ocean-front WAA gallery is wheelchair accessible; all exhibits and receptions are free and open to the public.  The gallery is located approximately 22 miles south of Providence, RI (the State Capitol), 72 miles south of Boston (MA), 76 miles east of Hartford (CT), and 170 miles northeast of New York City.

Juror: David Helfer WELLS
David Helfer Wells is a film-maker and photographer who divides his time between Providence, Rhode Island and Bangalore, India. One day you can find him creating still and moving images for clients, such as Edible Rhody and the Providence Preservation Society on the unique local culture of America’s smallest state. Other days he may be working on personal/grant funded projects on the beautiful Narragansett Bay with the support of Rhode Island’s Council for Humanities and State Council on the Arts.  In India’s “Silicon City” Bangalore, he is busy creating visual narratives for clients such as Bryn Mawr College and Aramco World or working on personal/grant funded projects supported by the Fulbright and Alicia Patterson Foundations.

He has worked on assignment for such magazines as Fortune, Life, National Geographic, Newsweek, The Sunday New York Times, and Time, among others. One editor described him as a “…specialist in intercultural communication and visual narratives that excel in their creative mastery of light, shadow and sound, stills and video.” His project on the pesticide poisoning of California farm workers was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize by the Philadelphia Inquirer. He has also worked for corporations such as Consolidated Natural Gas and DuPont as well as for non-profits such as the Ford Foundation and the New Israel Fund.  More at davidhwells.com

Awards
Cash awards totaling $600 ($200 - 1st prize, $150 - 2nd prize, $100 - 3rd prize, $75 - Honorable Mentions, 2 provided) plus two non-cash prizes as Judge’s Award. 

Artist Eligibility
Artists of all levels who are at least 18 years or older are invited to enter. 

Artwork Eligibility
All 2D and 3D media will be accepted as long as photography is the predominant element as determined by the WAA. All artwork must be original creations by the artist, not under a teacher’s direct supervision. Artwork shown in prior juried or judged WAA gallery shows is eligible. 

All artwork must be exhibition ready to hang or position with all appropriate hardware securely attached and must be ready to sell. No work can be not-for-sale (NFS) or price-on-request (POR) without the prior approval of WAA. No saw-tooth hangers or ceiling hanging can be used. Frames are not required on all artwork if the presentation is current with today’s gallery/museum standards as determined solely by WAA. 

Artwork cannot be larger than 44 inches on the longest side including the frame. Artists may not submit crafts, functional art, or art composed of multiple pieces (diptych, triptych etc.) that would be hung or manipulated separately.  3D work must be easily movable and fit safely and securely in the gallery.

Work that does not adhere to any of these guidelines or is deemed not to be a faithful representation of the image submitted will not be exhibited.  The WAA reserves the right to refuse entry to works that do not fit its community’s standards or its operational needs.

Entry Fees
Artists may submit up to 10 entries. For non-WAA members, the application entry fee, which includes the first image fee, is $35, and the fee for each subsequent image is $15.  Current WAA members will be e-mailed a CAFE discount code to be used at checkout giving them a 30% discount. The WAA member application entry fee, which includes the first image fee, is reduced to $24.50, and the fee for each subsequent image is $10.50.  All CAFE fees are non-refundable and must be paid by credit/debit card through the CAFE system.  Payment of those fees indicates the acknowledgement and acceptance of the terms and conditions of the exhibition.

To become a WAA Member
Your membership dues help Wickford Art Association fulfill its mission to educate, encourage and inspire.  Over 450 members currently receive the benefits and opportunities of membership including a discount on all classes, reduced registration fees for exhibitions, 70% earnings on any sale of fine art, and the opportunity to exhibit in the Annual Members Exhibit as well as our Small Works- Holiday Sale of Fine Art.  Members can also volunteer in many areas of the association from help with our facility and garden to sharing time and artistic spirit with a number of committees that support our creative community.  To become a member, click HERE; more information is available on the Wickford Art Association web site.

In-Person Delivery of Accepted Work
All in-person deliveries will be made at the WAA Gallery on Tuesday- October 13 or Wednesday- October 14 (11 AM to 3 PM). Anyone delivering artwork in person must remove any packing materials used from the Gallery. Please DO NOT USE Styrofoam peanuts or their equivalents in packing.  Accepted work MUST remain in the gallery for the duration of the exhibit.  The WAA Gallery is located at 36 Beach Street, North Kingstown, RI 02852.

Shipment of Accepted Work
Shipped deliveries must arrive at a designated UPS facility in Rhode Island by Monday- October 12, 2020. WAA will forward specific instructions via e-mail to those artists whose work is accepted.  Shipped work must be accompanied by a prepaid, return shipment label.  Please make sure that the box and materials that you use will adequately protect your work, and DO NOT USE Styrofoam peanuts or their equivalents in packing. A $15 WAA handling fee will be required for each box shipped. Among the art shipping box solutions available, Air Float Systems (https://airfloatsystems.com) provides an inexpensive and reusable family of packaging products that are sold directly or through U-Line (https://www.uline.com/).  Accepted work MUST remain in the WAA gallery for the duration of the exhibit.                                           

Return of Work
Participating artists who delivered their art in person may collect any un-sold work on Tuesday- November 17, 2020 (11 AM to 6 PM).  Those who shipped their art will have un-sold work returned to them in the packaging in which it was sent using its prepaid return shipping label; this process will occur the week of November 16, 2020.

If WAA, UPS, or other carrier determines that the packaging is not adequate to safely ship the art back to the artist, WAA will contact the artist.  The artist must notify WAA in writing of any changes in their contact information, or their intended place or time of return of their art, prior to the end of the exhibition.  The artist is solely responsible for any time, materials, storage, shipment, or other charges that may arise from inadequate packaging, delayed, or redirected shipments, nonresponse of the artist, or any other artist requests.  All additional charges must be paid prior to the return of the art.

Sales & Commissions
WAA will retain a 30% commission on works sold (for WAA members), 40% commission on works sold (for non-members). Artists will be issued their percentage of sales following the close of the fiscal quarter (December 31, 2020). Rhode Island does not tax the sale of fine art.  

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria