Sawed, Soldered, Constructed: The Work of Houston Metal Arts Guild is a Member Exhibition of jewelry and metalwork presented by the Houston Metal Arts Guild (HMAG) in Houston, Texas. We are excited to announce this year’s juror is Cindi Strauss, Curator of Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The exhibition will be held at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, located at 4848 Main St, Houston, TX 77002, centered in the Houston Museum District. 

This exhibition represents the accomplishments of both our members and our organization. The purpose of this exhibition is to showcase current work in the HMAG community, and to celebrate the wide range of processes and techniques in contemporary jewelry and metalwork. 

ABOUT THE JUROR

Cindi Strauss is the Sara and Bill Morgan Curator of Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design and Assistant Director, Programming at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. She received her B.A. with honors in art history from Hamilton College and her M.A. in the history of decorative arts from the Cooper-Hewitt/Parsons School of Design. At the MFAH, Cindi is responsible for the acquisition, research, publication, and exhibition of post-1900 decorative arts, design, and craft with a specialty in contemporary jewelry. She has authored or contributed to catalogues and journals on decorative arts and design topics and has been a frequent lecturer at museums nationwide. Her most recent publication is the book “In Flux; American Jewelry and the Counterculture,” co-authored with Susan Cummins and Damian Skinner.

DATES AND SCHEDULES

Application deadline: Entries must be received by JANUARY 15, 2022

Notification via email: FEBRUARY 1, 2022

Accepted entries due: February 28 – March 5, 2022.

Exhibition dates: MARCH 19 – May 7, 2022.

Awards Announced: MARCH 19, 2022.

Juror Walk-Through reception: APRIL 23, 2022, 3:00 PM.

Artwork pick-up at HCCC/Returned to artist*: MAY 12 – MAY 20, 2022. 

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must be 18 years or older and a current HMAG member. All entries must be original designs and not previously exhibited in HMAG exhibitions.  Submitted entries are open to a full range of processes and materials including found objects, but they MUST contain a significant visual handmade metal element. Artists will provide a brief statement (200 words maximum) explaining their work. Entries may not exceed 30” x 48” in dimension nor weigh more than 75 lbs. Artists may not substitute another work for an accepted entry, alter an entry or the sale price, nor withdraw an entry after it has been accepted. The artist is responsible for all transit costs (shipping and insurance). Accepted entries may be delivered in person or shipped. Accepted entries delivered in person must be in suitable packaging for storage and moving or they will not be accepted. 

*When shipping an accepted entry, the artist must ship it in the container it will be sent back in and provide pre-paid return shipping and insurance labels.

HMAG reserves the right to refuse any entry that does not match the images submitted or meet the criteria enumerated here. 

ENTRY FEE/IMAGES

HMAG membership is required, and you may register to become a member on www.hmag.org/membership. There is a $15.00 entry fee with a maximum of THREE entries per artist is permitted. Artists may submit one image of the entry, and one detail shot (optional) for each entry. Please remember that entries will be juried based on the digital images you submit, so take care that the quality of your images accurately depicts the quality of your entries.

Application Requirements

AWARDS

HMAG will award $600.00 at the discretion of the juror.

There will be two awards of $150 each that will be given at the juror’s discretion.

An award of $300 will be given for Best in Show.

Eligibility Criteria

SALES AND INSURANCE

All works must have a sale price or be marked Not For Sale (NFS). If the entry is NFS, please provide an insurance value (50% retail). HCCC will provide insurance for accepted work based on the insurance value (50% retail) listed in the loan agreement. HCCC does not handle the sale of artwork, but will make the artist's contact information and retail price available upon request. The artist will be responsible for handling all sale inquiries and coordinating the delivery of sold artwork to the buyer. All artwork that is sold during the duration of the exhibition must remain on view and HCCC must be notified of a sale.