West Michigan Art Competition

The 36th Annual LowellArts West Michigan Art Competition highlights outstanding artwork by Lower West Michigan artists who reside in a 25-county region. Artwork in any visual art media can be submitted by artists 18 yrs. and older. Five cash awards totaling $2500 are awarded. Artists may submit one piece for consideration by the juror.

Schedule

• On-line Entries Accepted: December 8, 2021 to January 20, 2022
• Deadline for Entries: January 20, 11:59pm
• Notification of Acceptance: February 5
• Drop-Off of Accepted Work: February 23, 24, 25, 10am-6pm and February 26, 12-5pm
• Exhibit Dates: March 5 – April 16, 2022
• Pick-up of Accepted Work: April 19, 20, 21, 10am-6pm

Juror

Bill Davis is Professor of Art at Western Michigan University's Gwen Frostic School of Art where he teaches in the photography program. He has an MFA from The Tyler School of Art and has a BFA from Ohio University. Bill Davis’ work is archived in over 25 museum or private collections in the U.S. and abroad. Davis managed Pavel Banka’s Prague studio and taught Photo History at Umprum (Usti) before receiving grants, commissions, or fellowships to work in Las Vegas, the Amazon, Peru, Paris, Spain, Korea, Vermont, Michigan and exhibit in London, Prague, Madrid, Edinburgh, Orange, Australia, Leeds, and Kiev. Since. 2011,  he has received awards and project funding from the WMU Climate Change Working Group, IEFDF, FRACCA, The Kalamazoo Arts Council, and a Sustainability Project Grant via the Milton Ratner Foundation to photograph light pollution.

Prizes

Five cash awards totaling $2500 are awarded.

Artwork Requirements

Only original works completed in the last three years and not previously exhibited at LowellArts are eligible. Commercial reproductions, including giclée prints, will not be accepted. Traditional print media, photography, and digital art should be from a limited edition. 2-Dimensional entries may be no larger than 62 inches in any one direction, including the width of the frame. 3-Dimensional entries must fit through a standard door frame and be no larger than 62 inches in any one direction. Only artwork easily handled by two people will be accepted.

Entry Procedure

All entries must be submitted digitally through the www.callforentry.org (CaFÉ) website. There is no cost to register on CaFÉ, but it is required. Video entries may not be submitted. Deadline for entry is January 20, 2022 at 11:59pm MT.

Digital Images

Digital image files must conform to the requirements as listed on the CaFÉ site. All entries require that the title, media, and dimensions be listed. Incomplete entries will not be juried. Accepted works that differ dramatically from the submitted images may be refused at the discretion of LowellArts staff. LowellArts will offer technical assistance on applying through CaFÉ to artists as needed, by appointment. Contact 616-897-8545 or info@lowellartsmi.org.

Notification of Acceptance

Artists will be notified on February 5 via email if their piece was accepted for the exhibition. Awards will be announced after March 15. Artists with accepted entries will be provided an identification label at the time of drop-off to affix to the back of their piece.

Delivery

All accepted entries must be hand-delivered or shipped to: LowellArts, 223 W Main St, Lowell, MI 49331. The LowellArts Gallery is located in historic downtown Lowell at the corner of Broadway and Main Street. For hand-delivery, accepted artwork must arrive at LowellArts on February 23, 24, 25, 10am-6pm and February 26, 12-5pm. Shipped works must be prepaid and arrive by Friday, February 25. For shipped work, please include a prepaid return shipping label with the entry. All packing and shipping costs are the responsibility of the artist.

Entry Conditions

• Artwork must be ready for presentation upon delivery. All hanging works should be framed and fitted with secure hanging wire.
• Fabric wrapped canvases are allowed and do not require additional framing. Frames with exposed glass edges are not acceptable.
• Saw tooth hangers are not permitted. Entries must be dry, completely assembled, framed, matted, or mounted.
• Multiple panel pieces (diptychs, triptychs, etc.) cannot exceed 62 inches in any one direction once installed.
• 3-dimensional entries that hang must have adequate hanging hardware or hanging system.
• Work requiring special handling or installation will be accepted only at the discretion of LowellArts.
• Unsuitably prepared, hazardous, unstable, or extremely fragile works will be declined.
• If you are unsure about your work conforming to these conditions, please contact LowellArts at info@lowellartsmi.org before entering.

Entry Fee

Artists may submit one piece only. The fee for entry is $35. LowellArts Members and Students over 18 with a college ID receive a discounted entry fee of $25. Members and students should call 616-897-8545 to receive their discount code before entering. Memberships need to be active through March of 2022 to receive the discount. Refunds cannot be provided after entry. Entry fees help fund prizes for the competition, as well as programs and services provided by LowellArts.

Art Sales

Accepted artwork must remain on display for the duration of the exhibit. LowellArts requires a 30% commission on all artwork sold during the exhibition. If the work is not for sale, please indicate “0 (zero)” for value on entry form. The artwork will be labeled as “NFS” – not for sale.

Pick-up

Accepted entries must remain in the exhibition through April 16, 2022. Artists may pick up accepted work in person April 19, 20, 21, 10am-6pm. Artists must call ahead to authorize someone other than themselves to pick-up their work, otherwise artwork will not be released to anyone except the artist. Artwork not picked up at the designated times will be considered abandoned and become the property of LowellArts. Shipped artworks will be sent back in the packing materials they arrived in. Return of shipped artwork will begin April 21. Shipment costs are the responsibility of the artist.

Application Requirements

Application Requirements

Artists may submit ONE PIECE in any medium for consideration by the juror. 2 to 3 images of the SAME PIECE should be submitted for review. Submit one image of the piece in its entirety, and a second image detail of the piece to highlight texture and scale. (It is recommended that a common household object or ruler be included in the detail image to illustrate scale.) For 3-Dimensional pieces, a third image of the piece at another angle is recommended.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility

The West Michigan Art Competition is open to all visual art media by artists 18 yrs. and older who reside in one of the eligible West Michigan counties. Eligible lower West Michigan counties include: Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Cass, Calhoun, Clare, Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Ionia, Isabella, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Muskegon, Montcalm, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola, Ottawa, Saint Joseph, and Van Buren.