Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition

The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition supports Oklahoma’s undergraduate and graduate student visual artists. These awards are intended to recognize past achievement and future promise and can be used as the artist’s needs require. Deadline: April 30, 2019, 11:59 pm.

The Awards

Two Student Awards of Excellence of $500 are open to Oklahoma graduate and undergraduate students. OVAC will produce a brochure about the award winning artists, which will be sent to 500+ curators and galleries nationwide.

Guest Curator

Leesa Fanning is former Curator of Contemporary Art at The Nelson-Atkins Museum. While there (1998-2018) she curated Janet Cardiff: Forty-Part Motet, Nick Cave: Property, Philip Haas’ The Four Seasons, Bill Viola’s The Raft, OpenEnded Group and Bill T. Jones’ After Ghostcatching, Cao Fei’s RMB City Opera, Wolfgang Laib: Without Place—Without Time—Without Body, Siah Armajani: Dialogue with Democracy, Tapping Currents: Contemporary African Art and the Diaspora, Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle: Vanishing Sky, and Shirin Neshat: Turbulent. She also served as venue curator for Impressions & Improvisations: The Prints of Romare Bearden, Through African Eyes, and George Segal: Street Scenes. 

Fanning authored two essays in and edited a major volume called Encountering the Spiritual in Contemporary Art (2018), a 312-page book published by Yale University Press and The Nelson-Atkins Museum. She has lectured widely on the topic. 

Fanning’s dissertation was Abstract Expressionism and the Body: Philosophical and Cultural Interpretations, and she holds a doctorate in art history from the University of Kansas. She has taught art history classes on African art and contemporary art at The University of Kansas, The University of Missouri, and The Kansas City Art Institute. 

Today, as independent curator, Fanning is lecturing, researching, writing, and working with several artists to develop survey exhibitions of their art. 

Criteria
The curator will consider the following criteria during the selection process: the quality of the work as demonstrated by samples submitted with the application; the originality of vision as well as technical expertise of the work; and the record of professional activity and achievement as reflected in the resume. The curator will also consider that the artist shows exceptional and ongoing artistic investigation.

Eligibility
STUDENT AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE:  Graduate or undergraduate students in Oklahoma of a degree seeking program in art, design, film, or related may apply in the Student Awards of Excellence category.

How to Apply
Applications must be received by 11:59 pm on April 30, 2019. No late or incomplete applications will be processed. Violation of any of the terms of this agreement or of the application criteria will result in a rejection of an application, or if already awarded, rescission, or return of all funds disbursed.

Each applicant should submit only the following:
Recent resume.It is recommended that your resume include a record of professional activity such as exhibitions, visual arts related employment, awards, publications and educational background. Resumes should be no more than three pages.

Artist statement.The statement should explain the nature and significance of the work submitted and should not exceed one page.
Artwork Samples.10 jpeg images of your work. You may include both full views and details of work, but you may not submit more or less than 10 images. The files must be labeled only with the last name of the artist and numbers that correspond to the numbered image list (For example: Smith01.jpg). Please do not include spaces or special characters in file names. Do not place text on top of your images or include any graphic elements that are not a part of the artwork.  Entries that do not follow these specifications will be disqualified. 

For Media/Video/Film artist submissions:  Please submit one sample reel with a maximum length of ten minutes, which may include no more than three work samples. Media submissions should come as a URL to an embedded video.
Typed Image List or Video Summary. List must include the image number, title, medium, dimensions and created year. Video summaries should include a brief summary of each work submitted with URL, clip length, title, year work was completed and applicant’s specific role per each work sample submitted, e.g. director, screenwriter, etc.

Entry Fee $15. Waived for OVAC members. Membership in OVAC is not necessary to apply for this award. Non-members must pay the Entry Fee in order to be considered for the award.

The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition supports Oklahoma’s professional visual artists. These awards are intended to recognize past achievement and future promise and can be used as the artist’s needs require. Deadline: April 30, 2019, 11:59 pm.

The Awards
Two Oklahoma Visual Arts Fellowships for $5,000 are open to resident Oklahoma artists working in all media, not students of a degree seeking program of art, design, film, or related, 21 years of age and older. OVAC will produce a brochure about the award winning artists, which will be sent to 500+ curators and galleries nationwide.

Guest Curator
Leesa Fanning is former Curator of Contemporary Art at The Nelson-Atkins Museum. While there (1998-2018) she curated Janet Cardiff: Forty-Part Motet, Nick Cave: Property, Philip Haas’ The Four Seasons, Bill Viola’s The Raft, OpenEnded Group and Bill T. Jones’ After Ghostcatching, Cao Fei’s RMB City Opera, Wolfgang Laib: Without Place—Without Time—Without Body, Siah Armajani: Dialogue with Democracy, Tapping Currents: Contemporary African Art and the Diaspora, Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle: Vanishing Sky, and Shirin Neshat: Turbulent. She also served as venue curator for Impressions & Improvisations: The Prints of Romare Bearden, Through African Eyes, and George Segal: Street Scenes. 

Fanning authored two essays in and edited a major volume called Encountering the Spiritual in Contemporary Art (2018), a 312-page book published by Yale University Press and The Nelson-Atkins Museum. She has lectured widely on the topic. 

Fanning’s dissertation was Abstract Expressionism and the Body: Philosophical and Cultural Interpretations, and she holds a doctorate in art history from the University of Kansas. She has taught art history classes on African art and contemporary art at The University of Kansas, The University of Missouri, and The Kansas City Art Institute. 

Today, as independent curator, Fanning is lecturing, researching, writing, and working with several artists to develop survey exhibitions of their art. 

Criteria
The curator will consider the following criteria during the selection process: the quality of the work as demonstrated by samples submitted with the application; the originality of vision as well as technical expertise of the work; and the record of professional activity and achievement as reflected in the resume. The curator will also consider that the artist shows exceptional and ongoing artistic investigation.

Eligibility
FELLOWSHIP: The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition accepts Fellowship applications from living artists age 21 and older who are legal residents of Oklahoma. Work samples submitted may not have been completed while under artistic instruction. Recipients are expected to remain Oklahoma residents for the full fellowship year. Previous recipient of OVAC Visual Arts Fellowship are eligible three years after their award. Current students of a degree seeking program in art, design, film, or related are not eligible to apply for the Fellowship award, but are encouraged to apply for the Student Awards of Excellence.

 How to Apply
Applications must be received by 11:59 pm on April 30, 2019. No late or incomplete applications will be processed. Violation of any of the terms of this agreement or of the application criteria will result in a rejection of an application, or if already awarded, rescission, or return of all funds disbursed.

Each applicant should submit only the following:
Recent resume.It is recommended that your resume include a record of professional activity such as exhibitions, visual arts related employment, awards, publications and educational background. Resumes should be no more than three pages.

Artist statement.The statement should explain the nature and significance of the work submitted and should not exceed one page.
Artwork Samples.10 jpeg images of your work. You may include both full views and details of work, but you may not submit more or less than 10 images. The files must be labeled only with the last name of the artist and numbers that correspond to the numbered image list (For example: Smith01.jpg). Please do not include spaces or special characters in file names. Do not place text on top of your images or include any graphic elements that are not a part of the artwork.  Entries that do not follow these specifications will be disqualified. 

For Media/Video/Film artist submissions:  Please submit one sample reel with a maximum length of ten minutes, which may include no more than three work samples. Media submissions should come as a URL to an embedded video.
Typed Image List or Video Summary. List must include the image number, title, medium, dimensions and created year. Video summaries should include a brief summary of each work submitted with URL, clip length, title, year work was completed and applicant’s specific role per each work sample submitted, e.g. director, screenwriter, etc.

Entry Fee $25. Waived for OVAC members. Membership in OVAC is not necessary to apply for this award. Non-members must pay the Entry Fee in order to be considered for the award.

Before submission, please review full guidelines on the OVAC website.

Focus Entry proposals are accepted online only and must include:
__Title and Description of Proposed Project: No more than 350 words. The description of the project proposed should give as much information as possible in 350 words or less explaining the artist’s concept and proposed process.
Artists should prepare an idea for the exhibition knowing that it can be changed and/or developed. Working in meetings with the artists, the guest curator will ensure the artists create work appropriate for the gallery.
__Artwork Samples: 10-15 digital images or 10-minute video sample of past work

*Images: You may include both full views and details of work, but you may not submit more than 15 images. Images must be jpegs and no more than 2 MB each. The files must be labeled only with the last name of the artist and numbers that correspond to the numbered image list (For example: Smith01.jpg). No information other than the image should be included in the file.

*Media/Video/Film artist submissions: Please submit URL which links directly to a video with a maximum length of ten minutes, which may include no more than three work samples.

__ Artwork Sample Information: Image Info or Video Summary
Image info must include the title, medium, dimensions and year created. Video summaries should include a brief summary of each work submitted with clip length, title, year work was completed and applicant’s specific role per each work sample submitted, e.g. director, screenwriter, etc.
__Artist statement: No more than one page, submitted as a PDF.
__Resume: No more than three pages, submitted as a PDF

Pink: An Exploration

Zarrow Center for Arts & Education | Tulsa, OK 74103

August 2 – September 2, 2019

How will artists of different perspectives, backgrounds, practices approach something so broad yet defined as a single color? How is color experienced beyond the visual sensors? This exhibition explores what it truly means to think pink.

The color pink is rich in cultural tradition and symbolism that is still vitally relevant today. Pink is nuanced, political, rebellious, earnest, artificial, fun, warm, versatile, and ultimately relatable — such a dynamic color is more a representation of people’s perception of issues, emotions, and the world around them than a section of the color spectrum. Everyone has a touchstone moment connected to the color, and this exhibition allows artists to manifest these experiences into an unexpected and dynamic exhibit. In celebration, criticism, subversion, commemoration or any other response, no person nor artist connects with pink in the same way. This exhibition celebrates that, and we are actively looking for work speaking to these questions and ideas.

Eligibility

- Submission is open to a variety of media, including but not limited to: paint, photography, textiles, ceramics, wood, mixed media, sound, video, performance, installation, sculpture, poetry, etc.

- Submitting artists must be from Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, or Arkansas. Please note that out of area artists are responsible for shipping the work to the gallery, return shipping will be covered by the gallery.

Questions

If you have questions about this Call for Entry, please email Catherine at catherinebcrain@gmail.com.