Statement of Purpose: This juried exhibition highlights the work of artists exploring Christian themes.

Exhibition Prospectus: Artwork should encourage prayer and contemplation and therefore should be appropriate for use in public liturgy, churches, chapels, shrines, and/or in private domestic settings.

This Biennial encourages submissions that expand representations of Christ, the Virgin Mary, biblical narratives, and the lives of the saints beyond Euro-centric presentations. Artwork made by women and persons of color is strongly encouraged. In addition to depictions of traditional Christian subjects, artists are urged to submit works that address social concerns from perspectives of faith pertinent to the contemporary moment. Works investigating the diversity of the human experience enlivened by Gospel values are also desired.

Artwork may engage in contemporary methods of making, quote from historical styles/time periods, and/or employ multi-disciplinary approaches as part of the artists’ studio practice.

Now more than ever, the Church needs the creative work of artists:

• To support and enrich prayer of congregations and visitors to cathedrals, churches, schools, hospitals, and other sacred spaces.
• To inspire deeper devotion to God and God’s call for each of us.
• To amplify voices from oppressed and marginalized communities.
• To visually animate the sacred stories of our shared faith.
• To encourage empathy and understanding between diverse constituencies.
• To combat discouragement, apathy, or complacency among followers of Christ.
• To elevate concern and embolden action concerning the most pressing issues confronting the human family from perspectives of faith.
• To facilitate transformative conversations between families, communities, and society.

Significant Dates: 
Entry Deadline: June 25, 2021
Notification Sent By: July 9, 2021
Accepted Works to be Received: August 16 – 20, 2021
Opening Reception: Sunday, September 12, 2021
Dates of Exhibition: September 6 – October 29, 2021
Works Returned: November 1 – 5, 2021

Eligibility: This juried exhibition is open to any artist, of any religious affiliation, who is age 18 or older. All entries must be original works created by the submitting artist and executed within the past five years. Works submitted to this exhibition considered for previous biennials hosted at Saint Vincent are ineligible.

Media and Sizes: Entries may be in any media and style. Total weight of a single work should not exceed 500 pounds and each work must fit through a 54” wide x 83” high doorway.

Entry: All works must be submitted digitally through CaFÉ™ in JPEG or JPG file formats no larger than 5MB for each work. Do not place informational text over the pictures in your submission. For video work, artists must files in MOV, MP4, WMV, 3GP, AVI, ASF, MPG, M2T, MKV, or M2TS formats, under 100 MB.

Fee: There is a non-refundable $25 entry fee per submitting artist which entitles the artist to submit up to three works. Payment will be collected through CaFÉ™. Scholarships are available for artists currently experiencing financial hardship. For consideration, please contact the Center at verostkocenter@stvincent.edu.

Entry deadline is June 25, 2021. Notification of acceptance or non-acceptance will be sent by July 9, 2021.

Installation Requirements: All two-dimensional entries must be suitably framed. All accepted works must be ready to install, stand securely. The Center reserves the right to refuse accepted works should they fail to meet installation requirements.

Shipping and Insurance: The artist is responsible for shipping accepted works to and from the Verostko Center for the Arts, as well as insurance while the work is in transit. While the works are in the possession of the Verostko Center for the Arts they will be insured against theft and destruction. All due care will be taken by the Center’s personnel, but it cannot be held liable for damage which may occur because of poor packaging, inferior framing techniques, or inadequately balanced three-dimensional works. For artists admitted to the exhibition who may live within driving distance of the Center, a delivery of works to campus can be arranged.  

Timeline: All accepted works must be shipped or delivered to the Verostko Center for the Arts during the week of August 16 – 20, 2021. Works will remain in the possession of the Center until the conclusion of the exhibition on October 29, 2021 and may not be removed prior. Unless sold, works will be returned or available for pickup during the week of November 1 – 5, 2021.

Sale of Works: Artists are encouraged to sell their works. If a work is sold while on exhibit, the Verostko Center for the Arts will retain 30% of the purchase price for facilitating the sale.

The decision of the juror regarding the acceptance or non-acceptance of work submitted, and the awarding of prizes, is final.

Special Note: In the event the Verostko Center for the Arts is forced to close as a precautionary response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a virtual exhibition will be mounted on the Center’s website featuring accepted works. Artists will be promptly notified as a result.

Juror

David Brinker is Director of the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA) at Saint Louis University—the world's first interfaith museum of contemporary art that engages with the religious and spiritual dimensions. Volunteering at the museum as an undergraduate student, then joining the staff in 1995, Brinker has been deeply involved in every aspect of the museum’s operations and growth. He has overseen several important initiatives, notably the MOCRA Voices podcast. He looks forward to advancing MOCRA’s exploration of contemporary artistic engagement with the religious and spiritual dimensions, building on Founding Director Terrence Dempsey, S.J.’s extraordinary vision.

Brinker is active in the St. Louis visual arts and interfaith communities and chairs the Visual Arts committee for the organization Arts & Faith St. Louis. David is an accomplished professional flutist and keyboardist, and published arranger and music engraver.

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The recently opened Verostko Center for the Arts (formerly The Saint Vincent Gallery) is dedicated to the advancement and integration of the arts within the Saint Vincent College community and beyond. Located 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on the campus of Saint Vincent Archabbey, College, and Seminary, the Center cares for over 4,000 objects ranging from ancient to contemporary in a variety of media that form the permanent art collections of Saint Vincent College and Saint Vincent Archabbey. As part of a $22 million expansion of the Dale P. Latimer Library, the Verostko Center for the Arts is housed within a new, state-of-the-art facility that devotes 5,000+ square feet to hosting rotating exhibitions that present work by contemporary artists as well as selections from Saint Vincent’s impressive holdings.

 

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria