Open Call for Iridescence: Juried Competition

Juror: Bradley Sumrall, Curator of the Collection, Ogden Museum of Southern Art

Iridescence, the phenomenon of color shifting as the angle of view or illumination changes, is a captivating sensation. In the natural world, iridescence is found in soap bubbles, bird feathers, butterfly wings, gemstones, seashells, and fish and snake scales. In the human-centric world, color-shifting clothes, automotive paints, and the newest cell phones are created with iridescent materials. 

The Louisiana Art & Science Museum is accepting submissions from artists of all styles and mediums for Iridescence: Juried Competition, a competition spotlighting the use of iridescent materials, principles, and techniques in the creation of fine art. Winning submissions will be featured in an online exhibition and a select number of top works will be included in an in-person exhibition at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum.

Iridescence: Juried Competition will be held in collaboration with Iridescence, an exhibition of contemporary works by artist-scientists who create artwork informed by their study and understanding of iridescence. Iridescence is a collaborative exhibition created in partnership with Dr. Nathan Lord, Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology and Director of the Louisiana State Arthropod Museum at Louisiana State University, and will feature works from artists around the globe, including Jennifer Robison, Kate Nichols, Christopher Marley, Franziska Schenk, and Ted Kinsman.

All artists over the age of 18, regardless of geographic location, are eligible to submit works for the exhibition’s juror to consider for inclusion.

Winning submissions will be featured in an online exhibition and a select number of works will be included in an in-person exhibition at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum.

Each application must be accompanied by a non-refundable $35 processing fee. 

DATES TO KNOW

Submission deadline: June 25, 2021
Notification: by July 9, 2021 
Deadline for artwork delivery: July 23, 2021
First Day Iridescence: August 7, 2021
Opening Reception for Iridescence: August 12, 2021 
Final day of Iridescence: July 31, 2022

 INFORMATION ABOUT THE JUROR

Bradley Sumrall is Curator of the Collection for the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, where he is involved in building, researching, and interpreting the nation’s most comprehensive collection of art of the American South. A native of Mississippi, he currently lives in the Historic Faubourg Tremé of New Orleans. He has written extensively on the art and culture of the American South, and has served as curator for over seventy museum exhibitions, including Piercing the Inner Wall: The Art of Dusti Bongé, The Whole Drum Will Sound: Women in Southern Abstraction, and Entwined: Ritual Wrapping and Binding in Contemporary Southern Art. His exhibitions have been reviewed in Art in America, Art Forum, Hyperallergic, Terremoto Magazine, and Art & Antiques, among other online and print publications. His books include One World, Two Artists: John Alexander and Walter Anderson, From Terra to Verde: The Art of Sharon Kopriva, Michel Varisco: Shifting, and Clementine Hunter: A Sketchbook.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS & DETAILS

Artists submitting work for consideration may do so through CAFE.org. All submissions must be received by 11:59 PM on June 25, 2021. Artists must follow the instructions presented within the CAFE.org system in their entirety. 

Artists may submit up to three works to be considered for inclusion in Iridescence: Juried Competition. If the artist wishes to submit only one work, we recommend submitting detail images for the additional two images required. If the artist wishes to submit more than three images, they will be charged an additional $10 per image with a maximum of 10 images. Images/videos submitted must represent the finished works that the entrant wishes to have featured in the exhibition. The Louisiana Art & Science Museum reserves the right to use any images submitted for promotional purposes (exhibition catalogues, social media, press releases, etc.).

Works must be able to be displayed throughout the exhibition, August 7, 2021 - July 30, 2022. All two-dimensional works must be ready to hang in a professional gallery; no bull clips, clip frames, or poster frames will be accepted. 

Artists will be notified via email of the juror’s selections.

SHIPPING / DELIVERY / INSURANCE

Shipping/delivery of selected works to and from the Louisiana Art & Science Museum are the responsibility of the artist. Works must be delivered to the gallery by 5 PM on July 23, 2021. The LASM is not responsible or liable for any damage resulting from the transit of works. Artists shipping works to the Museum are responsible for securing adequate insurance during transit to and from the gallery, if they so choose. While works are on the LASM’s premises, they will be insured for the full declared value (”sale price”). Artists shipping work(s) to the LASM should have an account with the shipping provider of their choice and should plan to make arrangements with said company for the pickup of the artwork. The LASM is not responsible for the cost of return shipping for any works.

PREPARATION OF WORK: All accepted entries must be ready for gallery installation. Two-dimensional works must be framed or gallery wrapped and all work must be finished to museum quality. All frames must have screw eyes or track mount clips for installation purposes and have a hanging wire attached to the back. Three-dimensional work must be ready for gallery installation. Works that require assembly will not be accepted without review by museum staff. If accepted, the artist will provide detailed installation instructions and work with museum staff to ensure proper assembly. Works not ready for gallery installation or pieces that are not representative of submitted images are subject to rejection. If a 2D work does not have hanging hardware, the artist will be asked to pay an installation fee of $50/hour to have the piece properly fitted to be hung. 

SELECTION OF WORKS: The pieces submitted will be presented blindly and independently to Bradley Sumrall. This juror has been selected by the Louisiana Art & Science Museum. All selected artists will be included in an online exhibition through www.virtual-lasm.org. A select number of pieces will be awarded exhibition space in Iridescence: Juried Competition at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum. 

RIGHTS: The Louisiana Art & Science Museum reserves the right to reproduce the selected works for publicity purposes. No changes in title or insurance value will be accepted after the selection process. No works may be substituted.

LIABILITY: Works chosen for the exhibit will have “On Premises” insurance only. Each participating artist must have submitted a declared fair market value (selling price) on the entry form in order to obtain “On Premises” insurance. No insurance coverage is provided for any work in transit or works without a written marketable insurance value.

DELIVERY OF WORK: Accepted works must be delivered to the main entrance of the Louisiana Art & Science Museum located at 100 South River Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70802 in downtown Baton Rouge between the hours of 9:30 AM and 5:00 PM by Friday, July 23, 2021.

PICK-UP OF WORK: Artwork is to be picked up by the artist or a designated representative of the artist between the hours of 9:30 AM and 5:00 PM  after March 30, 2022. A storage fee of $10.00 per day will be charged for any art left after August 30, 2022. The charge is to be paid by the artist prior to return of the work. Have questions or need additional information? Please email us at submissions@lasm.org

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria