Call for Entries: Elliott Museum

A Patchwork History

Quilt & Fiber Arts Exhibition

An Invitational Exhibition for Innovative Quilters & Historic Quilts

June 8th – July 15th, 2017

Call for Entries

The Elliott Museum invites artists and quilters to submit original and historical family pieces to be considered for inclusion in an exhibition featuring modern and historic quilts, contemporary quilt art in non-traditional media (metal, wood, ceramic), wearable art, and art quilts. Focus on new pieces that are stitched art, out-ofthe box, innovative, 3D, and/or family quilts “from the attic” that tell a family or local/regional historical story, made by the artist or a relative of the person submitting the quilt (purchased quilts will not be considered).  Designs must be suitable for family viewing.  Fiber pieces must include three layers and be held together by stitching.  Pieces may have a sleeve to hang, or be framed or on a finished wrapped gallery canvas.  Historic quilts must be in good shape to hang for six weeks, not frayed or falling apart.  Non-traditional pieces must be ready to display.  

Submission Deadline:

Deadline for submission is Sunday, April 16th, 2017.

Notification:

A list of all artists and work accepted to show will be sent to all submitting artists no later than Monday, May 1st, 2017.

Eligibility:

Open to Florida artists.  All submissions must be original artwork. Pieces must not have been displayed at any venue in Martin County, FL.  Pieces may be for sale, and any that do sell will stay in the exhibit until the closing date. No work will be removed by the artist before the end of the exhibit. 

Size Requirements & Limitations:

Maximum size 96” max in either direction, including the frame; Minimum size is 12” in either direction.

Exhibition Location, Dates & Hours: 

The Changing Exhibitions Gallery, Elliott Museum, 825 NE Ocean Boulevard, Stuart, Florida 34996 www.elliottmuseum.org.  Exhibition runs Thursday, June 8, through Saturday, July 15, 2017. Open daily 10am to 5pm. Closed July 4. Exhibition included with regular admission fee (Members free).

Artists’ Reception:

Thursday, June 15, 2017, 5:30 – 7:30pm at the Elliott Museum. This exhibition will share a reception with the En Plein Air painting exhibit for Art Down the Hall.

Submissions:

Submission must be made digitally via email, sized to 1800 ppi on the long side of the image at 300 dpi, in jpeg format.  You may send one, two, or three images per entry, including an overall front and back, and detail shot.  LABEL your jpeg images with your lastname_entA1, etc. Example: mako_entA1.jpg will show the front of the first entry; mako_entA2.jpg will show the back of the entry (if it has a back); and mako_entA3.

jpg is a detail shot, then entB1, entB2, and so on.  Email to RMakowski@elliottmuseum.org with “Quilt Submission” in the Subject Line.  You must fill out the form and email it with your image and coordinate the title and description of your images.  There is no limit to how many pieces you may submit.  If you are submitting several pieces, feel free to use Dropbox and send an invite to the address above, allowing me to edit. Please label as instructed and include the completed form in the Dropbox.

Deadline: Deadline to submit work is 5:00pm, Sunday, April 16th, 2017.  Work submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

Fees: There is no fee to submit work, however, a fee of $20 per piece will be collected at the time of delivery of accepted work.  These fees offset the some of the costs of the exhibition (average cost of an exhibition like this to the Museum is $5000 - $8000.)

Notification of Committee’s Selections:  The Selection Committee, comprised of two professional art quilters, the Elliott’s Exhibits Coordinator, and a decorative arts expert will review all submissions along with the paperwork and curate the show.  Selections will be made based on unique design, quality, and relativity to the themes.  Notification of accepted artists and a list of work will be sent to all entrmade via email, by Monday, May 1, 2017. Committee’s decisions are final.  Artists may have multiple pieces in the exhibition.

Delivery of Selected Artwork: Hand-deliveries ONLY - accepted on Sunday, June 4, 2017 from 10am – 2pm.  Deliver to: Elliott Museum, 825 NE Ocean Blvd. on Hutchinson Island in Stuart, FL in The Studio.  Check in at the Front Desk and you will be directed to the art studio.

Pick-up:  

Unsold work must be picked up on Sunday, July 16, 2017, between 10am – 2pm.  Work not picked up will become property of the Elliott Museum.  Zero-tolerance policy on no-call, no-show, “I-forgot.”  If you have an issue, please call as soon as possible.

Theme and Other Details: 

•      Contemporary Fiber: Awesome, original art quilt pieces. Entries can be any quilted object, including modern quilts, wearable quilted art and 3D art quilts.  Emphasis is on new and innovative approaches to quilting, techniques, construction and embellishments.  Images must be suitable for family viewing.

•      Historical Fiber: Family quilts that tell a story of the family and/or local and regional South Florida history.  Must have been made by the submitting artist or a family member (no purchased non-family quilts will be considered).  The idea is to show a progression of where the art form began and where it’s come.

•      Non-Traditional “Quilts”: may be ceramic, metal, wood, or other materials.  Must be ready to display.  If the piece requires installation, the artist must assist.  Weight restrictions on pieces that hang on the wall – must not exceed 50 lbs.

•      All accepted work may be for sale. 

•      A 40% commission benefiting the Elliott Museum will be deducted from all sales. 

•      No unsold artwork(s) may be removed before Sunday, July 16, 2017 at 10:00 am. 

•      A label must be sewn, pinned, or otherwise attached to each artwork with the artist’s name, quilt title and phone number. 

•      If your work requires a pedestal, or a special arrangement for display, you must provide it.

•      If your work is shown on a mannequin or dress form, you must provide it.

•      Artists must assist with installation pieces (multiple components, other than simply hung).

•      Maximum size for flat work is 96” in either direction, including the frame. 96” square OK.  Minimum size is 12” in either direction.

•      Maximum size for 3D pieces is 50lbs and/or 72” in any direction.

•      The Elliott Museum reserves the right to reject any accepted artwork that is improperly finished or otherwise not ready to hang or set up, and/or is misrepresented by the submitted digital images or description in the application in any way. 

•      The Elliott Museum reserves the right to use any accepted image and/or accepted artist information, including likeness, for promotional and advertising purposes. 

•      Work submitted may not have been shown in any other Martin County, Florida venue.  Violating artists’ work will be removed from the exhibition.

Original Work: All work submitted must be the sole creation of the submitting artist, or for historic pieces, by a member of the person’s family. The concept and design must be original, not from a pattern or kit, and not derived from any other artwork, photograph, or published image, in whole or in part, that was not the creation of the submitting artist or family member. No classroom work or work done with the help on an instructor will be accepted. 

Sales: The Elliott Museum will handle all sales, collect and pay sales taxes, absorb credit card fees, and arrange all pick-up and/or delivery of purchases to patrons.  The Elliott Museum will deduct a commission of 40% from all sales. Sold work will hang through the end of the exhibition (unless extenuating circumstances prevail, at the sole discretion of the Exhibits Coordinator.)  If the artist sells the work independently during the show, the artist owes the Museum its commission and the work remains in the show until the close. Artists will be paid for pieces sold approximately ten (10) days after the patron takes delivery after the close of the show. Artists will be notified within 24 hours of the sale of their exhibited work. To price your work, decide what you have to have for it and multiply that number by 167%, then round up to the nearest 0 or 5.  Example: I want $325 for my piece, x 167% = $542.75, rounds up to $545 or $550 list price.  List only the final sale price – not what you want for it.

Questions: Please email questions to RMakowski@elliottmuseum.org with Quilt Show Question in the Subject Line.  Technical questions will be forwarded to and handled by our experts.   

FAQs:

Who are the professional people on the Selection Committee? 

Entries will be selected by Michele Sanandajian, award winning fiber artist and owner of Urban Palm Studio, 

LLC in Jensen Beach, FL; Stephanie Foster, quilt artist from Stuart, Florida; and the Elliott’s staff Art Studio & Exhibits Coordinator, Robin Lee Makowski, professional artist and Exhibition Curator.  Jennifer Esler, President & CEO of the Elliott Museum, an expert in Decorative Arts, will also be involved.

Can I bring my friends and family in to see the show for free? 

Artists in the show may attend the Opening Reception and bring one guest at no charge.  All other guests, including Museum Members, will be asked to pay $5 to attend the Reception.  Thereafter, the exhibition is included with regular admission (Museum Members free) even if it’s “just to see the show”.  To become a Museum Member, visit www.elliottmuseum.org.  Members at the Family Level and above may visit as often as they like and bring up to three other people over the age of 6 (under 6 always free).  Exhibiting Artists visiting to stay in the gallery for any length of time to talk to patrons about their work are welcome at no charge, but asked not to bring small children with them at that time.  Any other guests who come at that time are subject to regular admission (Members free).

How many pieces will be in the show? 

Hard to say, but we’re shooting for between 35-50, depending on size and how they fill the space. 

Are people allowed to touch my work?

No, but some do anyway.  Delicate and historic work can be stanchioned off.

The Legal Stuff:

All care will be taken in handling work, however, stuff happens. If your work has glass on it, we are in no way responsible if it breaks and ruins your artwork for any reason, and you will be responsible if it ruins someone else’s work. Acrylic glazing is strongly recommended over glass.  Beyond that, work is insured for 60% of the listed retail price or listed insurance value. 

We do not allow guests to photograph the artwork without the artist’s permission in respect of the artists’ copyrights. Signs are posted and if we see guests shooting work, we stop them. However, we cannot be held responsible if someone gets by us and misuses or posts your image. 

By submitting work to this exhibition, you verify that your entries are your own concept and work, and/or the work of a family member, alive or deceased, and not derived from any source material, in whole or in part, from images that were not your/their own; and that your work was done on your/their own and not in a classroom or under the supervision of an instructor; and has not been shown in any other exhibition in Martin County, Florida, including but not limited to the Elliott Museum, House of Refuge, the Court House Cultural Center (aka Arts Council of Martin County), the Martin County Fair, etc. Those found in violation will have their work removed from the exhibition. Other artists you exhibited with WILL report ineligible work! 

By submitting work to this exhibition, you have thoroughly read and understand all of the rules about being part of this exhibition, including sales percentages and commissions.  

By submitting work to this exhibition, you understand that the Elliott Museum reserves the right to respectfully and safely use any and all images of accepted work, artists’ information including likeness, name, and hometown, and other information pertinent to the exhibition in advertising, on Facebook, on the Elliott’s website, etc. without first contacting the artist. Artists are also encouraged to post exhibition photos to the Elliott’s Facebook page.

Please email the guild if you are interested and would like the submission forms.