2021 New Jersey Arts Annual: ReVision and Respond Submission

On View: June 15–August 22, 2021

Exhibition Theme 

Artists play a crucial role in our society and, historically through to the present moment, have been at the forefront of change. Their creativity, resourcefulness, and vision offer nuanced perspectives on our current and future worlds.  Resilient and inventive, artists help us to reimagine what we might not see clearly. Especially in times of crisis, an artist’s work can be a catalyst for personal and collective transformation.

Resourcefulness and resources are critical tools in responding to seismic changes in our world and directly inform an artist’s creative process. From newly acquired supplies to salvaged materials to found objects as well as techniques, styles, and imagery, artists have many and varied choices.  Beyond these tangibles, lived experiences are an intrinsic, intangible resource at their ready disposal.

From the perspective of pandemic quarantine, economic distress, and the collective reckoning with this county’s racist and violent history, how does a drastic shift in the world influence the accessibility of these resources and impact artists’ perspectives?

New Jersey is home to a diverse and robust artistic community. The Newark Museum of Art welcomes submissions to the 2021 New Jersey Arts Annual: ReVision and Respond. This open call invites a range of artistic practices-from  traditional to abstract, from craft to new media–that explore the ReVision and Respond theme.

New Jersey Arts Annual  

The New Jersey Arts Annual is a unique series of exhibitions highlighting the State’s visual and performing artists. In partnership with major museums around the state, one exhibition takes place each year, alternating between host institutions. These exhibitions are open to any artist currently living or working in New Jersey.

The Arts Annual series is sponsored by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment of the Arts. 

Juror 

Kristen J. Owens is the Associate Curator (Programs) for Rutgers University-Newark’s Paul Robeson Galleries at Express Newark with a background as an arts administrator and archivist as well as interests in visual culture, fashion, and African American studies. She has co-created exhibitions including Performing Fashion: New York City at NYU’s 80WSE Gallery (2017) and Dressed at Rutgers University-Newark’s Paul Robeson Galleries (2018). She has presented papers on African American photography and conduct literature, such as etiquette manuals, at conferences including Fashioning the Black Body in Bondage and Freedom (Brooklyn, 2017) and the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference (San Diego, 2017). Owens holds an MA in visual culture: costume studies and an MS in library and information science from New York University’s dual degree program with LIU Palmer She holds a BA in fashion studies from Montclair State University.

Eligibility 

All traditional, contemporary, new media, and craft artists over the age of 21 who either work or live in the state of New Jersey are eligible to apply. 

Please see links below for abbreviated prospectus PDF and CAFÉ platform with complete prospectus and submission application.

Important Dates 

•    Submission entry deadline:  January 8, 2021
•    Notification of accepted artists by email: by January 22, 2021
•    Delivery of artwork to TNMOA: May 24–28, 2021
•    Exhibition opening & reception: June 15, 2021
•    Exhibition closes: August 22, 2021 
•    Pick up of artwork: August 30–September 3, 2021

Catalog 

An exhibition catalog that includes works and a directory of the artists represented will be published digitally. The Museum will publish the catalog as a printable PDF document, available via the website. 

Submission Procedure

There is no entry fee.  

Artists may submit up to up to three (3) total works in any media.

To submit work, artists must apply online at www.callforentry.org  (CAFÉ).  Or, to download the abbreviated prospectus, click here [PDF].

Submission Checklist  

  • Competed Entry Form  
  • Up to 3 works per artist entry
  • Up to 6 high resolution images per work or 6 high resolution videos for new media submissions, or a combination of images, video, and audio of no more than 6 samples
  • Artist Biography
  • Artist Statement document, 150 words maximum
  • Current Resume

Questions? Contact Muhammad Abdul-Mubdi at mabdul@newarkmuseumart.org

PRINTABLE PROSPECTUS [PDF]