What is a Jotform? What is a Call for Art?
A "Call for Art" - an artist learns this one quickly. And no it is not a, "YOO-WHOOO, ART?" This is a notice of an art project upcoming that gives artists the information they need to know and inviting them to respond so that their submitted art can be considered to be on display for that project. In other words, it is a way to show off your art.
I'll let Jotform.com give you their answer:
"Jotform is a powerful online application that allows anyone to quickly create custom online forms. Its intuitive drag-and-drop user interface makes form building incredibly simple, and doesn’t require you to write a single line of code. Using Jotform, you can create and publish forms, integrate them into your site, and receive responses by email."
Next, you will ask me why we need to know this, right?
PWAS Juried Art Events
The artists of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) have been given the wonderful opportunity to be a part of Open Space Arts (OSA) at Stonebridge in Woodbridge, just up from Wegmans. Artist members volunteer for the art gallery shifts and PWAS gets a percentage of all sales. But that does not guarantee every artist a spot on a wall.
While many of the PWAS member exclusive events are available for any active PWAS member to display their artwork are not juried, at Open Space Arts, artists from all over Prince William County and the various art and photography groups will be sent a "Call for Art" via a Jotform. Although all artwork at every event and/or gallery should follow the PWAS Display Guidelines, the Open Space Arts gallery will only hang art that has been juried. This means that they are selected to appear. Please see A Juried Art Show Blog Post
Therefore, a good way to manage the Call for Art entries is a Jotform which has been created. The details of the Show, the instructions for the Call for Art will be on the top of the form including what should be submitted, the number of pieces requested, the start and the DUE DATES to submit art for the show. Some information is absolutely required in order to consider your entry.
When a Call for Art is received, you should enter the MAXIMUM number requested of your best pieces. The artwork should be FOR SALE. You will not enter more than once, so if the gallery requests 6 large pieces, 5 small pieces, and 5 mini pieces (or whatever configuration) you are urged to ENTER that many pieces if you have enough of the criteria that fits!
Complete the Form in Full
Prince William County has some outstanding artists. We have seen it. Give yourself the best chance to be selected by entering the maximum number of entries of your best work and giving the Jury interesting information about yourself and your art. I have been in several juried art shows so far and not all of my entries have ever been selected. Sadly, it happens.
Enter the your details, an image of yourself and those so important details about your artwork in full. Price your ARTWORK accordingly. See the recent blog post on Pricing Your Art. I would also suggest the blog post Naming Your Art.
Also note, for Prince William County artists and art groups, there is no entry fee to enter an OSA Show, however, Prince William Art Society will keep a small fee of 15% of the sale of the artwork.
The Jury Committee
PWAS has a select Jury Committee to review all art entries. The purpose of having a juried art show can be varied, but our main idea is to ensure that the quality of the fine art on display is exceptional, fresh, inspiring and diverse. It is the best of the best. If any categories or themes are requested in the Call for Art, the artwork will always be juried to ensure that the art meets the criteria desired.
The Jotform of the art entries will be reviewed by the entire committee online and they may have a final in person group meeting for finalization of the selections.
All decisions are final and the winners are notified.
It is indeed an honor to be "juried into" an art show. You do get bragging rights for it! Spread the word to your family and friends of the dates your art will be up and on display - invite them to come see what you do! Get on your social media and let people know when you will be at the gallery!
Next up, you need a day to bring your selected art to the gallery.
The Hanging Committee
The PWAS OSA Jury or Hanging Committee will state the day(s) and time(s) for the juried art pieces to be dropped off at the Stonebridge Open Space Arts (or when the winners are announced, the instructions will be included). These dates and times must be strictly adhered to. IF for some reason you cannot drop your art off, you MUST speak to the Hanging Committee prior to the due date to make other arrangements. Art brought in after the posted time will NOT be accepted.
When dropping off and picking up artwork, you will be requested to sign-in or to sign-out your artwork. These are procedural standard operations at galleries.
The Drop-off day arrives and the Hanging Committee meets and greets the juried artists and begins the task of getting the PWAS art show arranged on the walls - artistically of course.
*I should note here that winners may have X number of entries accepted to display and one of the paintings -might- be a "back up painting". This is to allow for the best fit for the final display. I do believe that over time in using the gallery, we will get the space allowance configuration better perfected. It does depend on the total canvas sizes and the number of artists that enter per show. If spacing doesn't work for the back up painting, we'll ask for you to pick up that painting ASAP.
Pick up dates when the Art Show has run its course should also be treated in the same manor; please advise the Hanging Committee prior to the pickup date if you cannot pick up your art on the stated day/time! Please note that in some galleries, after a period of time, if artwork is not picked up, they sell the art and do not split the sale with you for abandoned art. A for-your-information thing.
At the last Stonebridge event, the artists were requested to come at closing time on the last day of the show and retrieve their unsold pieces directly off the walls which did work well. Each person is responsible for their own packing and/or wrapping and materials for their own work for transportation of course.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. I paint in mixed media, can I submit art?
Absolutely! We have artists that paint in only oils, only acrylics, only watercolors, only pastels, and ONLY in mixed media! Sculptors and other fine arts can be considered as well. Prince William County - show us what you got!
2. Can I submit abstract artwork?
Another absolutely! We have many artists that specialize in abstracts, paint pouring and everything in between.
3. I paint the human figure, can I enter nude paintings?
OSA and CCA are both family friendly galleries, so we request that your subject matter should follow suit (or dress).
4. If my art is sold, will it be taken down and carried out that day or at the end of the show?
A good question and one I had to find the answer to. We have done it both ways in previous events where sold items were picked up at the end of the show OR taken that day. This is when those red dots come in handy at art galleries. The art label with a red dot means that it has been sold.
Otis Stanley's Artwork Sold
*In answer to the question, the Jotform will state that all artwork must be for sale and must remain on display for the duration of the show unless it has been purchased. Our policy has been that if a piece has been purchased and removed by the new owner, we give that artist the opportunity to "replace" that artwork, hopefully of a similar size/style to fill that space. Be sure and check with OSA about replacement art.
5. Can I reenter art that was previously shown at Stonebridge Open Space Arts?
This is a question I needed to ask because I wanted to know! Honestly, the OSA gallery is new for PWAS although we did get to use it in Nov and Dec 2021 for a few weekends. We will be having plenty of procedural discussions and blog posts and more information will come out as we need it to.
*The answer will be that art from previous shows can be reentered as long as it is not appearing in sequential PWAS shows - with the exception of the Nov/Dec 2021 and the upcoming April 2022 show.
6. Do I need to be a member of the Prince William Art Society to enter my art?
All these questions! Ok, for Clearbrook (CCA), yes you do. For Stonebridge OSA, well, not necessarily is my best answer at the moment.
The hours at CCA is open are Saturdays and Sundays 1 to 4pm for the artwork of PWAS members, and is staffed by PWAS members.
*We are including artists and art groups in Prince William County when a call for art goes out. This is quite important: Our policy has been that if you have artwork on display with PWAS, you must also volunteer some time to work the desk and you will be trained to do so. Scheduling will be managed for each show with a minimum of at least 2 persons.
Tentatively the hours to start at OSA are Wed - Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5 and we will need to be flexible to make changes with advance notice. Occasionally the Stonebridge shopping area has events that draw in large crowds!
We will probably split those shifts up, and the number of shifts for the volunteers to be at OSA will depend on the number of artists that are displaying art.
So, in answer, no, you do not need to be a member of PWAS of OSA, but as you can see though, with PWAS having 2 galleries to display member art plus the art events we do, we have a lot of art opportunities available...hint-hint.
7. Is there a minimum age for the artist to enter the show?
At this time yes, the minimum is 18 because the artists that have art on display will also need to volunteer time to work the front desk. There may be art shows at a later date when we work with the school systems to display student's art.
*We will have more guidelines as we go forward, so please watch for updates.
Do you have a question to add to the mix?
If you are an artist in Prince William County, we suggest you come by a PWAS meeting, which are scheduled on the fourth Monday of the month at 7:30 at the Tall Oaks Community Center to learn more about displaying your art in PWC.
Local Art: Visit us at Open Space Arts at Stonebridge, 15000 #140 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA on Wednesdays - Saturdays 12-7pm and Sundays from 12 to 5 – it’s free to see the artwork! Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
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Photography/Video Credits:
Otis Stanley painting that was sold at Stonebridge in 2021
