Wrong Side of the Tracks: An Exhibition in Metal 

-Juried by Christine Clark

What's the railroad to me?  

I never go to see 

Where it ends. 

It fills a few hollows, 

And makes banks for the swallows, 

It sets the sand a-blowing, 

And the blackberries a-growing.

-Henry David Thoreau

The American railroad denotes adventure, exploration, and manifest destiny, but also nostalgia, dominance, and separation. The latter half of the 19th Century saw the first transcontinental railroad cut across Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California, slicing through indigenous lands, and displacing communities who had considered this region sacred ground for thousands of years. Almost a century later trains were a main mode of transportation for the rich and the poor alike exemplifying social class hierarchies. Shanty towns popped up along the tracks during the height of the great depression, and these same tracks cut through neighborhoods, drawing a line in iron between the haves and the have nots. Does the railroad symbolize progress or oppression? What does it mean to be from the “wrong side of the tracks” both literally and figuratively? 

Wrong Side of the Tracks is a call for metalsmiths of various Craft backgrounds to create a piece of jewelry or sculptural object that speaks to the symbology of the railroad in the United States. Although there is no material requirement, we do ask that works are in conversation with the long history of metalsmithing. 

Juror: 

Christine Clark is an artist living and working in Portland OR. Her work focuses on public art, installation art and abstract sculpture in steel, steel wire and mixed materials. She has had numerous solo and group exhibitions locally and nationally. She is a two-time recipient of the Oregon Arts Commission Fellowship Grant as well as a Professional Development Grant. She has been awarded residencies such as the John Michael Kohler Arts and Industry residency and the Ucross Foundation in Wyoming. She is a former Professor and Head of the Metals department at Oregon College of Art and Craft. Clark is a member of the Nine Gallery, an alternative art gallery that exhibits experimental and installation-based work and is co-owner of Ninety Twenty Studios, a maker/education space in Portland.

Best in Show - $500

Honorable Mention - $200
 

Application Requirements

Please submit at least one image along with an artist statement about why your piece is in line with the call. 

Eligibility Criteria

Artworks Center for Contemporary Art invites artists working in a variety of metalsmithing techniques to enter Wrong Side of the Tracks, a national juried exhibition. All artists age 18+ are encouraged to apply. Only online entries will be accepted. Eligible media include functional or sculptural works that reflect the long history of metalsmithing. Media may include traditional metalsmithing materials such as silver or copper, or non-traditional materials such as plastic. Fine art media such as painting, photography, and lithography are NOT ELIGIBLE unless incorporated into an otherwise eligible media. Decorated furniture, candles, pressed flowers, handmade reproductions, and objects made from commercial kits or commercially available plans are also NOT ELIGIBLE.