INTRODUCTION:

Join us for the 16th New River Art Biennial Exhibition this year coordinated by the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley with co-sponsors the Floyd Center for the Arts and the Blacksburg Regional Art Association. The exhibition is open to artists 18 years of age or older that live within 150-mile radius of Pulaski, VA, so it encompasses much of the states of Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee. Visit our website at facnrv.org/nrv-biennial-2021 for a map of the region.

Work must be original and executed within the past two years. Video, audio, and performing works of art are not accepted for this exhibition.  Exhibit dates are Saturday, October 23 through Saturday, December 4, 2021. We are pleased to announce that the exhibit will be hosted at the Tyler Gallery at Radford University.  An Opening Reception will be held on Saturday, October 23, 2021 from 5 – 7 p.m.

Top cash prize for this exhibition is $500, and other cash prizes and honorable mentions totaling at least an additional $1000 will be awarded. Artwork will be selected by Juror Mary Holland, the Thomas C. Gordon, Jr., Director of the Studio School at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia.

ABOUT THE JUROR:

Mary Holland is the Thomas C. Gordon, Jr., Director of the Studio School and a professional artist. She has a BFA from Syracuse University and an MFA in painting and printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has been a repeat visiting artist for the Nimrod Hall Summer Arts Program and has had numerous exhibitions across the country and overseas, including the Lyman Smith Gallery in Syracuse, NY; the Atelier Circulaire in Montreal, Canada; Galleria SL Punto A in Milan, Italy; and many galleries throughout Virginia.

ABOUT THE CENTER:

The Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley was incorporated in 1978 in Pulaski, Virginia. In more than 40 years of operation, the Fine Arts Center has touched the lives of an estimated 900,000 people through classes, gallery visits, performances, and special events.  The Center has hosted a combination of more than 5,500 classes or programs involving 30,000 plus artists.

Believing that art is important to the life of a community, the mission of the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley is to foster an enjoyment, appreciation, and understanding of all forms of art, promote art education, and to encourage and support artists. We do this with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We seek to be a place of belonging and to provide equitable opportunities and access to the Fine Arts for all people.

Radford University Art Museum promotes visual literacy as part of a broader, comprehensive education for all patrons.

ELIGIBILITY: 

Artists must live within 150 miles of the greater Pulaski, VA area.  This call is open to all artists 18 years of age or older.  Work must be original and executed within the past two years.
 
MEDIA:

All fine arts and fine craft media including painting, sculpture, graphics, ceramics, textiles, mixed media, photography, time-based/new media and installation are accepted. Handicrafts are not eligible. Sound and performance works will NOT be accepted for this submission. Artists may submit up to three (3) artworks.
 
ENTRY FEE: 

The Entry Fee is for up to three works and is non-refundable. 
 

A fee of $40 is required for to submit artwork(s) for consideration in this exhibit. Fee is payable online only through CAFÉ (callforentry.org). Current members of the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley are eligible for a reduced rate of $35.  Please use coupon code FACNRV to receive this discounted fee when paying online.

If you wish to become a member of the Center, please visit our website at  www.facnrv.org and pay for your membership before submitting your work.  

SUBMISSION OF ARTWORK:

Visit www.callforentry.org to apply. You MUST open a free CAFÉ account and load your artwork photos before continuing to complete entry for the exhibition.

A total of THREE (3) works of art may be submitted for jurying per artist. Submitted digital images should represent the quality and nature of the work. Work that is considerably different than the submitted images may not be accepted.  Artists must submit an image showing the artwork in its entirety.  Artists may submit a secondary image showing a detailed section of the work.  Artists submitting 3D works may submit up to three (3) images per work of art. A total of up to nine (9) images may be submitted of the THREE (3) artworks submitted for consideration by the Juror.

Artists must also submit a brief biography and statement about the submitted work(s) with a maximum of 1000 words.

All art must be hand-delivered and picked up. We will not accept shipped work. No work will be shipped back to the artists.

 
CALENDAR:
 

• Application deadline: Tuesday, August 31, 2021 (Midnight, Mountain Time)
• Notifications sent the week of September 13, 2021.
• In person drop off dates are Tuesday, October 19 and Wednesday, October 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• The Opening Reception is Saturday, October 23, 2021 from 5 to 7 p.m.
• Artists should pick up work Saturday, December 4 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. or Sunday, December 5 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

 
PRIZES:
 

• Grand Prize: from the Nadine Allen Memorial Fund, $500
• The inaugural Love, Mason, Preston Memorial Founder’s Award: from the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley, $300
• First Award of Excellence: from the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley, $200
• Second Award of Excellence: from the Floyd Center for the Arts, $200
• Third Award of Excellence: from the Blacksburg Regional Arts Association, $200
• People's Choice Award, $100

More prizes may be awarded.

EXHIBITION DATES:

October 23 through December 4

Opening Reception Saturday, October 23, 5 – 7 p.m.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria