The Juried Visual Art Exhibition showcases exceptional new art by regional artists and is one of the pillars for the Festival’s high-quality visual arts offerings. The exhibition will take place in SPACE Gallery 812 Liberty Avenue in the Cultural District during the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, June 3 – 12, 2022 and extend through July 31, 2022.  The theme for this year's exhibition is “___achian.” 

(See below for more details)

The Juried Visual Art Exhibition welcomes thousands of visitors over the course of ten days and SPACE gallery sees hundreds of visitors weekly. Often reviewed by esteemed art critics, artworks may be featured in Festival press coverage, as well as purchased by attendees for personal and corporate collections. Select JVAE Artists have also been recruited to exhibit in solo and group shows as part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s gallery system as well as other gallery opportunities citywide. All accepted artists will be invited to the private preview of the exhibition on June 2, 2022. Admission to the exhibition is free and open to the public. Please review eligibility, rules, and procedures before applying.

THEME

The theme for the 2022 Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival Juried Visual Art Exhibition is “___achian.” 

Exploring the many cultures, communities, identities and topographies of the Appalachian region. All too often Appalachian is flattened into one idea of who is part of the region, what is essentially Appalachian. We are curious to celebrate and expand the definition that represents the rich multicultural heritage in Appalachia. 
 

______achian is a celebration.

The Awards

Best in Show – $2500 (as selected by all three jurors)

Juror's Choice – $500 (4 total awards - 1 from each juror)

Special Anonymous Award - $500 

People’s Choice – $500 (as voted on by the general public)

ARTWORK ELIGIBILITY

Artists are invited to submit up to 3 applications for jury. Each application should be for 1 piece of art. Artists may submit up to 3 images of the work including wide angle and detail shots. All applications must meet the following requirements:

Artists must reside within 150 miles of 812 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

All work must be original, designed and created by the applicant(s).

All work must have some relation to the exhibition theme, “____chian”, described above.

All work must not have been previously exhibited in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

All work must have been completed within the past 2 years from the exhibition date of June 2022.

Video and sound components must be intended for display in a gallery setting. Documented performances (such as concerts, recitals, music performance, etc.) are ineligible. The video or sound art piece must be the original work of art.

All work must be ready to hang, exhibit or be installed during the scheduled hours of operations as determined by the Festival. Installation-based works must be installed by the artist, and should take no longer than two 8-hour work days to install.

All work must be available for display for the full duration of the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, June 3 - 12, 2022.
 

EXHIBITION REQUIREMENTS

The Juried Visual Art Exhibition will be displayed at SPACE Gallery 812 Liberty Avenue in the Cultural District during each day of the Festival, June 3 – 12, 2022 and will extend through July 31, 2022. The Exhibition will also be included in the Trust's Gallery Crawl on July, 29, 2022.

Artists will receive notification of application status in March. Selected artists must sign and return the JVAE exhibition agreement by April 20, 2022.

All accepted artwork must be delivered in person and picked up at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s gallery at 805/807 Liberty Avenue during the schedule outlined in the acceptance letter.

Shipments of artwork cannot be received directly by the Festival. Arrangements must be made by the artist to deliver the work to the gallery per the acceptance letter requirements and exhibition agreement.

Works that are selected for exhibition may be offered for sale at the artist’s discretion. The Festival receives a 20% commission on all sales to support the exhibition.

The exhibition will be staged at the discretion of the Festival. The Festival reserves the right to refuse any work that differs from the work sample submitted as well as any inappropriate work or display.

CANCELLATIONS

If your work is selected, a signed application, as well as agreement, is a commitment to show the selected piece(s) in the exhibition. Cancellations are discouraged. Notification must be received in writing to the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, 803 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 before March 31, 2022. Works selected for display may not be removed until the Exhibition's conclusion. Failure to comply with the cancellation policy may result in denial from future Trust festivals.

2022 Jurors

Rachel Saul Rearick 

Rachel Saul Rearick joined Contemporary Craft in 2021 as Executive Director and is responsible for leading the organization towards strategic goals in its new permanent facility. She has demonstrated a commitment to creating inclusive spaces in the arts over a career building public/private partnerships, and leveraging support for the advancement of artists and the field of craft. Previously, Rearick served as the Arts and Culture Manager for Allegheny County Airport Authority, where she managed the Art in the Airport program, the Performing Arts Series, and the Sense of Place program. She has curated and installed a myriad of exhibitions in her career and was also the Co-Founder of KuratedPgh, a retail gallery focused on fine art and functional craft. Rearick sits on the board of Artists Image Resource, the Advisory Committee for the Office of Public Art, and the Art Advisory Committee of the Sports and Exhibition Authority. She’s a member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Print Club.  Rearick holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration, with a focus on Organizational Leadership, from Gannon University along with a Bachelor’s of Fine Art in Printmaking with an Art History minor, from Edinboro University.

Njaimeh Njie

Njaimeh Njie is a multimedia storyteller. Her photography, video, oral history, writing, and public artwork explores contemporary Black experiences, with a particular focus on how the past shapes the present. Njie’s work has been featured in outlets including CityLab and Belt Magazine, exhibited in spaces including the Carnegie Museum of Art and The Mattress Factory Museum, and she has presented at venues including TEDxPittsburghWomen, and Harvard University. Among several awards and grants, Njie was named the 2019 Visual Artist of the Year by the Pittsburgh City Paper, and the 2018 Emerging Artist of the Year by the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. Njie earned her B.A. in Film and Media Studies in 2010 from Washington University in St. Louis.

Kilolo Luckett 

Kilolo Luckett is a Pittsburgh-based art historian and curator. With over twenty years of experience in arts administration and cultural production, she is committed to elevating the voices of underrepresented visual artists, specifically women and Black and Brown artists. Luckett is founding executive director and chief curator of ALMA|LEWIS (named after abstract artists Alma Thomas and Norman Lewis), an experimental, contemporary art platform for critical thinking, dialogue, and creative expression dedicated to Black culture. She has curated exhibitions by national and international artists that include Peju Alatise, Louise Bourgeois, Larry Bell, Martha Jackson, Jarvis, Amani Lewis, Thaddeus Mosley, Catherine Opie, Nam June Paik, Devan Shimoyama, and Shikeith.   recently served as an Art Commissioner for the City of Pittsburgh’s Art Commission for twelve years. Luckett is guest curator of the upcoming exhibition titled, Stephen Towns:  Declaration & Resistance, which opens January 30, 2022 at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art. She is also currently writing an authorized biography on Naomi Sims, one of the first Black supermodels. 

Brendan Dugan

Brendan Dugan is a gallerist, publisher, and the founder of Karma. Located in the East Village, Karma began in 2011 and represents emerging, established, and under-recognized multigenerational artists. The gallery handles work in all media, including painting, sculpture, photography, video, drawing and printmaking, and accompanies many of its exhibitions with Karma-published monographs. In 2018, Karma opened its standalone bookstore that presents artist books and rare ephemera alongside the gallery's publications. 

Application Requirements

EXHIBITION REQUIREMENTS

The Juried Visual Art Exhibition will be displayed at SPACE Gallery 812 Liberty Avenue in the Cultural District during each day of the Festival, June 3 – 12, 2022 and will extend through July 31, 2022. The Exhibition will also be included in the Trust's Gallery Crawl on July, 29, 2022. 

Artists will receive notification of application status in March. Selected artists must sign and return the JVAE exhibition agreement by April 20, 2022.

All accepted artwork must be delivered in person and picked up at the SPACE Gallery 812 Liberty Avenue during the schedule outlined in the acceptance letter.

Shipments of artwork cannot be received directly by the Gallery. Arrangements must be made by the artist to deliver the work to the gallery per the acceptance letter requirements and exhibition agreement.

Works that are selected for exhibition may be offered for sale at the artist’s discretion. The Trust receives a 20% commission on all sales to support the exhibition.

The exhibition will be staged at the discretion of the JVAE Coordinator, an independent contractor temporarily employed by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The Trust reserves the right to refuse any work that differs from the work sample submitted as well as any inappropriate work or display.

Eligibility Criteria

ARTWORK ELIGIBILITY

 Artists are invited to submit up to 3 applications for jury. Each application should be for 1 piece of art. Artists may submit up to 3 images of the work including wide angle and detail shots. All applications must meet the following requirements:

Artists must reside within 150 miles of 812 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

All work must be original, designed and created by the applicant(s).

All work must have some relation to the exhibition theme, “____chian”, described above.

All work must not have been previously exhibited in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

All work must have been completed within the past 2 years from the exhibition date of June 2022.

Video and sound components must be intended for display in a gallery setting. Documented performances (such as concerts, recitals, music performance, etc.) are ineligible. The video or sound art piece must be the original work of art.

All work must be ready to hang, exhibit or be installed during the scheduled hours of operations as determined by the Festival. Installation-based works must be installed by the artist, and should take no longer than two 8-hour work days to install.

All work must be available for display for the full duration of the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, June 3 - 12, 2022.