Call for Entries

GearBox Gallery, 770 West Grand Ave, Oakland CA

Exhibit Dates: July 23 to August 21, 2021

Entry Deadline: Extended to Sunday, June 6, 2021 10 pm Pacific Time Zone

Submit your entry online at CaFÉ for artists:

GearBox Gallery invites submissions to our 2021 juried exhibition, Hierarchy.

Hierarchy is a system that ranks people or things according to importance or power. 
1) Social and racial hierarchies are systems of stratification based on the belief that some groups of people are superior to others based on a variety of attributes such as gender, identity, race, ethnicity, religion and social class. Movements such as Black Lives Matter and MeToo continue to draw attention to perceived racial and gender hierarchy, addressing systemic racism and gender discrimination.
2) Institutional hierarchies purport to support the function of the institution. Many dream of climbing to the top of a specific instituional ladder; chief, president, director, captain. Others work in support of the hierarchy, some may work to dismantle it.
3) Hierarchy may be applied to ecology and how the interaction of living things maintain a natural balance or how its imbalance may lead to the emergence of a pandemic and even global climate change.
4) Maslow's hierarchy of needs addresses psychological needs. On a personal level we generally prioritize our daily actions, relationships and decisions in some type of order or sequence, and prioritize the value of a wide array of materials and commodities based on strength, rarity or perceived desirability.
5) As artists our work reflects our values and how we respond to societal and personal systems. The work also speaks to our personal hierarchy with regard to the materials and moves that we make to best express those values and feelings.

JUROR: Elena Gross (she/they) is the Curatorial Manager of Exhibitions and Emerging Artists Program at Museum of the African Diaspora and an independent writer and culture critic living in Oakland, CA. She received an MA in Visual & Critical Studies from the California College of the Arts in 2016, and her BA in Art History and Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in 2012. She specializes in representations of identity in fine art, photography, and popular media. Elena was formerly the creator and co-host of the arts & visual culture podcast what are you looking at? published by Art Practical. Her research has been centered around conceptual and material abstractions of the body in the work of Black modern and contemporary artists. She has presented her writing and research at institutions and conferences across the U.S., including Nook Gallery, Southern Exposure, KADIST, Harvard College, YBCA, California College of the Arts, and the GLBT History Museum. In 2018, she collaborated with the artist Leila Weefur on the publication Between Beauty & Horror (Sming Sming Books). The two performed a live adaptation of their work at The Lab, San Francisco. Her most recent writing can be found in the publication This Is Not A Gun (Sming Sming Books/Candor Arts) and OutWrite: The Conferences that Shaped LGBTQ Literary Culture, forthcoming from Rutgers University Press, co-edited with Julie R. Enszer.

ELIGIBILITY:  Open to Northern California artists over the age of 18. Please note, artwork must be hand delivered to GearBox Gallery in Oakland, CA if accepted for exhibition.

ACCEPTED ENTRIES:  Entries must be of work original to the submitting artist. Entries may be of any media and created between 2017 and 2021 There are no size limitations for entries however works must be able to be delivered through a standard size doorway. All entries must include title, medium, year and specific dimensions. You may submit a statement about the work as it relates to the exhibit theme. Work differing substantially from the submitted image(s) may be rejected for exhibition. The juror will make the final determination if accepted work will be included in the exhibition. GearBox Gallery, LLC reserves the right not to accept exceptionally large, heavy, unstable or cumbersome pieces. Work must be framed (when applicable) and ready to hang (wire, d-rings, or cleat). Artist must provide means of display for audio or video works.

AWARDS:

Juror’s Award:  The opportunity to be featured as a guest artist in a two-person exhibition at GearBox Gallery in the following year.  See our website for information on past winners and their featured exhibitions.

GearBox Gallery Award:  An opportunity to exhibit in the Inner Room at GearBox Gallery.  The Inner Room is an intimate exhibition space within the gallery. See our website for past Inner Room exhibitions at GearBox Gallery.

ENTRY FEES:  A non-refundable fee of $35 is required for application. One application per artist only. 3 image or media files may be submitted per application for $35. Online submissions are not considered complete until payment is received. 

SUBMISSION PROCESS:  GearBox Gallery, LLC will only be accepting online entries for “Hierarchy” through the online, portfolio review site CaFÉ for Artists

1) Register at  https://www.callforentry.org if you don’t already have an account.

2) Follow the instructions to upload up to 3 entry images (up to 5MB; jpg, png, or gif) or media files in mov, wmv, flv, or mp4 format (up to 60 MB).

3) Complete entry details for the “Hierarchy” Call for Entries. You can save your progress and return to your entry at any time before the deadline to edit your information. 

4) Complete payment information to finalize your entry. You cannot edit your entry after submitting payment information. Payment must be received by the deadline for your entry to be accepted. Pay by credit card through the CaFÉ for Artists Site. To pay by check, mail your check to GearBox Gallery at 770 West Grand Ave, Oakland CA 94612. Checks must be received by the gallery on or before June 1, 2021 in order for your submission to be considered complete by the deadline.

Please do not submit any materials directly to the gallery. We are not requesting résumés, CVs, or other materials at this time. Please give yourself enough time to complete the application process.

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY TUESDAY, JUNE 1 BY 10 p.m. (Pacific Time Zone) IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE EXHIBITION.

NOTIFICATION:  Notification of the juror’s selections will be made by email on June 15, 2021. GearBox Gallery, LLC bears no responsibility for incorrectly submitted email contact information or any failure of the artist's email service.

DELIVERY & PICK UP OF WORK: The artist is responsible for the delivery and pick up of accepted artwork to the gallery. No substitutions of artwork are permitted. Artwork must be delivered in person to GearBox Gallery at 770 West Grand Ave in Oakland, CA between noon and 4pm on Sunday, July 18, 2021 in order to be included in the exhibition. Artwork must be delivered properly labeled and ready to hang or display. Exhibiting artists will sign a guest artist agreement specifying exhibit details per this prospectus. The juror will have the opportunity to review all delivered art work in person and make the final determination whether or not the work will be included in the exhibition by end of day July 19, 2021.

Following the close of the exhibition,  artwork must be picked up from the gallery between noon and 4pm on Sunday, August 21, 2021.Please arrange for a representative to pick up your artwork if you are unable. Artwork remaining at GearBox Gallery past specified pick-up dates and times will be subject to a $10 per day storage fee. After 15 days the work becomes the property of the gallery.

PHOTOGRAPHY and PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS:  Your entry gives Gearbox Gallery, LLC permission to use images of your artwork and to photograph the artwork for promotional, educational or historical purposes. Gearbox Gallery, LLC promotes exhibitions on the Oakland Art Murmur website, GearBox Gallery Instagram and Facebook page as well as on the Gearbox Gallery website and other online listing sites as the Gallery deems appropriate.

SALES:  Artwork must be for sale. Artwork may be sold but cannot be removed from the gallery during the exhibition. If an artwork is sold, GearBox Gallery, LLC will mail a payment of 60% of the sale price of the work to the artist within 30 days of the close of the exhibit.

If artwork exhibited at GearBox Gallery is sold up to three months after the “Hierarchy” exhibit ends and is sold as a direct result of the piece being displayed in that gallery exhibit, the artist agrees to pay GearBox Gallery, LLC a referral commission rate of 25% within 30 days after the sale.

LIABILITY:  All due care and caution will be taken in the handling of artwork. The Gearbox Gallery has a security system. Gallery attendants will be present during the hours of operation. However, the artist assumes all liability for artwork during the show's dates (from the day of delivery through the day of removal).

CALENDAR:

June 1— Entry details, images, and payment due by 10 pm Pacific Time Zone.

June 15— Artists notified of juror's results by email. 

July 18 (Sunday)— Drop-off of selected artwork at the gallery between noon & 4 pm. 

July 19—The juror has the opportunity to review the work. The juror will make the final determination whether or not the work will be included in the exhibition. 

July 23— “Hierarchy” Exhibition begins. Gallery Hours Thurs-Fri: Noon - 6 pm, Sat: 11 am - 5 pm 

July 23— Opening Reception with Juror’s Talk; reception 6-9 pm, dependent on Covid restrictions

August 21— Last day of exhibition

August 22— Artwork pick up between noon & 4pm. Artwork left 15 days beyond the stated pick up dates becomes the property of the gallery.

AGREEMENT:  Submission of work constitutes an agreement to the conditions set forth and acceptance that the decisions of the juror are final. GearBox Gallery, LLC may photograph and reproduce accepted work for promotional purposes. Artists may not withdraw accepted entries before the close of the exhibition. GearBox Gallery, LLC is not responsible for refunding entry fees or allowing artists to change submission information for artworks which do not meet above rules.

GEARBOX GALLERY:  GearBox Gallery is an artist-run, fine art gallery located at 770 W. Grand Ave in Oakland, CA directly below the well-established Transmission Gallery. GearBox Gallery is a member of the Oakland Art Murmur, which promotes Oakland arts and sponsors events. More information available at gearboxgallery.com.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria