49th Annual Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition

CALL FOR ENTRIES

Submission Deadline: May 16, 2022 
Exhibition Dates: September 23 – October 29, 2022

The Rocky Mountain National Watermedia (RMNW) exhibition, in its 49th year, is presented by Center for the Arts Evergreen (CAE) in Evergreen, Colorado. RMNW attracts entrants and jurors from throughout the United States and is regarded as one of the top watermedia exhibitions in the country. This show traditionally offers more than $10,000 in cash awards. In 2022, the exhibit will be partially supported by a Challenge America grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

CAE’s mission is to promote and cultivate artistic excellence and to enrich the art experience in our mountain community. A nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, CAE is committed to delivering engaging exhibitions and diverse educational programs for adults and children. In 2017 we moved to a new facility, which includes a modern gallery space housed in a historic old schoolhouse that became a church and is now the new home of CAE.

2022 JUROR—SOON WARREN

CAE is pleased to announce that internationally acclaimed painter, Soon Warren, will serve as the juror for the 49th Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition. Soon Y. Warren is a full-time artist, teacher, and workshop instructor, nationally and internationally. She has an Associate degree in commercial art. Soon is a signature member of National Watercolor Society (NWS), American Watercolor Society (AWS), Southern Watercolor Artist (SW), Texas Watercolor Society, Purple Sage Brush (TWS), Transparent Watercolor Society (TWSA) and more. Her paintings and articles have been published in Artist’s Magazine, Watercolor Magic Magazine, North Light Book, Southwest Art Magazine, Watercolor Artist Magazine, International Artist Magazine, The Art of Watercolour, and Pratique des Arts. Her career awards have included a Purchase Award and Master’s Award in the National Watercolor Society exhibition, awards from the American Watercolor Society, Transparent Watercolor Society, Southern Watercolor Society, and many more. Her paintings are in permanent national and international collections of private, corporate, and educational institutions. 

2022 JUROR WORKSHOP

Soon Warren, the 2022 juror, will offer a 3-day Master Workshop entitled “Painting Vibrant Watercolors”, in-person at Center for the Arts Evergreen. The workshop will take place Wednesday-Friday, July 27-29, 2022 from 9:30 am-4 pm. Soon will also be offering a FREE demo on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 26. 

Registration for the workshop is now open on our website at https://evergreenarts.org/event/painting-vibrant-watercolors-workshop-with-soon-warren/. For questions on the workshop, you may contact CAE’s Senior Director of Exhibitions, Education & Outreach, Sara Miller, sara@evergreenarts.org. 

CALENDAR OF IMPORTANT DATES 

ELIGIBILITY

• Open to all artists residing in the United States.
• Each artist may enter up to 3 paintings for consideration. Accepted artists will have only 1 original painting hanging in the exhibition. Please only submit images of finished original paintings that you would like to be considered for hanging display in the exhibition.
• Paintings on boards, panels, or watercolor canvas that are not framed must have finished (non-raw) edges and be gallery-quality exhibition ready.
• Paintings must be an aqueous medium on watercolor paper, watercolor canvas, watermedia boards such as Aquabord, Claybord, Gessobord, Yupo, illustration boards, or panels. Computer-generated works or Giclee prints are NOT permitted. All collage materials must be painted by the artist.
• All works must be at least 90% watermedia (watercolor, acrylic, gouache, water-based inks, other water-based media).
• Oil, pastel, and other non-aqueous media are not allowed. Any additional media, if used, must be identified (collage, glitter, newspaper, etc.)
• All entries must be one-of-a-kind.
• Artworks must have been painted in the last two years, and may not have been shown previously in any exhibition at Center for the Arts Evergreen.
• Your source material must be your own design or made from your own photograph.
• If accepted, the painting shipped must be the same as the image submitted.

FRAMING

• Minimum image size is 8” x 10”.
• Maximum frame size is 40” x 60”.
• No glass is permitted. Plexiglas only.
• Frame must be sturdy enough to support the artwork without buckling the Plexiglas.
• Frame must be wired for hanging. No other types of hangers are allowed.
• Mats, if used, must be white or off white unless it is an integral part of the artwork.
• CAE reserves the right to reject inadequate framing or arrange with the artist to take it for repair/reinforcement at the artist’s cost.

DELIVERY AND RETURN OF ACCEPTED WORK

• All shipped artwork will be charged a $25 handling fee.
• Detailed instructions will be sent with notification of acceptance.
• All artists shipping work must provide a pre‐paid return-shipping label and a sturdy box. Unsold work or sold artwork empty boxes will not be returned without a prepaid return-shipping label. CAE will not create labels or call FedEx to process call tags with a shipping account number.
• CAE is not responsible for damage or loss during transport.
• CAE provides insurance for artworks while on premises.

CATALOG

CAE produces a beautiful full color catalog featuring the artwork in the exhibition and indicating the award winners. All artists who are accepted into the exhibition will receive one complimentary print catalog. An online catalog will also be available for download and to allow for off-site purchases of the work.

AWARDS

In 2021, awards totaled over $10,000 in cash and merchandise to exhibition artists.

SALES

All paintings must be available for sale during the exhibition. Please note that CAE retains a 40% commission on all art sales. Prices may not be changed after submission. Payment for sold artwork will be issued 30 days after the close of the exhibition. 

AGREEMENT

Submission to this juried exhibition constitutes an agreement on the part of the entrant to the conditions set forth in this prospectus. CAE reserves the right to final curatorial, educational, installation, and marketing decisions.

HOW TO ENTER

PREPARE YOUR IMAGES:

1.     File format: JPEG only

2.     File dimensions: no smaller than 1920 pixels on the longest side

3.     File size: 5 MB maximum

4.     Orientation: ensure your image is properly oriented (vertical or horizontal)

5.     Show only the image, no frame or mat

6.     No digital enhancement to the image is allowed

7.     No slides or photographs will be accepted

8.     It is in your best interest to submit a high resolution, high quality image

9.     Your $40 entry fee allows you to upload 2 images. Even if you only wish to submit one image for consideration, the Cafe system requires that you submit two images. If it is the case that you only wish to submit one image, you may upload a blank image for your second or simply duplicate the same image in your portfolio and apply both to your application. You may submit a third image for an additional $10 charge. ($50 total to submit 3 images.)

CAE encourages all entrants to review the instructions and tutorials for formatting images and entering before beginning the actual entry process. The following are tools available to help format digital entries:

·         Pixl Express: https://pixlr.com/express/ (free, online)

·         Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements (purchase software)

·         How-To Tutorial by Linda Doll: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wChDaNa5Z-o

ENTERING THROUGH CAFE:

1.     Prepare your digital image before you apply through www.callforentry.org

2.     Go to TBD based on CFE confirmation

3.     If entrants have not registered previously with CaFE, setting up a portfolio is free of charge

4.     Pay the non-refundable entry fee of $40.00 for 2 images or $50.00 for 3 images.

5.     Images submitted may be used for publicity and/or educational purposes

6.     For technical assistance with your entry, please see www.callforentry.org/cafehelp.phtml or contact cafe@westaf.org directly (CAE cannot provide technical assistance for CaFE)

COMMUNICATIONS & NOTIFICATIONS
Correspondence and notifications with entrants will be done via email. Please make sure that your contact information is correct. If you do not have an email address, it is advised that you create one before you enter. For further inquiries, contact Sara Miller via email at Sara@evergreenarts.org.

Application Requirements

Your $40 entry fee allows you to upload 2 images. Even if you only wish to submit one image for consideration, the Cafe system requires that you submit two images. If it is the case that you only wish to submit one image, you may upload a blank image for your second or simply duplicate the same image in your portfolio and apply both to your application. You may submit a third image for an additional $10 charge. ($50 total to submit 3 images.)

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY

• Open to all artists residing in the United States.
• Each artist may enter up to 3 paintings for consideration. Accepted artists will have only 1 original painting hanging in the exhibition. Please only submit images of finished original paintings that you would like to be considered for hanging display in the exhibition.
• Paintings on boards, panels, or watercolor canvas that are not framed must have finished (non-raw) edges and be gallery-quality exhibition ready.
• Paintings must be an aqueous medium on watercolor paper, watercolor canvas, watermedia boards such as Aquabord, Claybord, Gessobord, Yupo, illustration boards, or panels. Computer-generated works or Giclee prints are NOT permitted. All collage materials must be painted by the artist.
• All works must be at least 90% watermedia (watercolor, acrylic, gouache, water-based inks, other water-based media).
• Oil, pastel, and other non-aqueous media are not allowed. Any additional media, if used, must be identified (collage, glitter, newspaper, etc.)
• All entries must be one-of-a-kind.
• Artworks must have been painted in the last two years, and may not have been shown previously in any exhibition at Center for the Arts Evergreen.
• Your source material must be your own design or made from your own photograph.
• If accepted, the painting shipped must be the same as the image submitted.

FRAMING

• Minimum image size is 8” x 10”.
• Maximum frame size is 40” x 60”.
• No glass is permitted. Plexiglas only.
• Frame must be sturdy enough to support the artwork without buckling the Plexiglas.
• Frame must be wired for hanging. No other types of hangers are allowed.
• Mats, if used, must be white or off white unless it is an integral part of the artwork.
• CAE reserves the right to reject inadequate framing or arrange with the artist to take it for repair/reinforcement at the artist’s cost.