Call for BIPOC+ Artists ‘24
Horizon Gallery at Summit Artspace
April 4 – June 14, 2025
Call for BIPOC+ Artists:
Summit Artspace invites local BIPOC+ (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) artists to apply for a funded solo exhibition. Through a blind juried process, one artist will be selected to receive a $1,000 stipend to support the creation of a solo exhibition in Summit Artspace’s Horizon Gallery. The organizational goal behind this exhibition is to actively undo systems of oppression and domination present in the art world. Summit Artspace is interested in the many ways in which BIPOC+ artists impact our communities through their art.
The exhibition is dedicated to– but is not limited to – uncovering the following themes:
· Exploring and advancing meaningful BIPOC+ narratives
· Re-contextualizing traditionally white-dominated genres to give new meanings
· Restoring hope by envisioning a world where social justice has taken hold
· Building support for social change, equity, and inclusion
· Exposing and denouncing injustices to marginalized communities
· Investigating new ideas and genres to transform viewer perceptions
Eligible artists will be Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color; they will live in Summit County, or surrounding counties and express an interest of making an impact through their artwork. All types of visual artists are welcome to apply for this opportunity.
Why do we use the term “BIPOC”? Black, Indigenous, and People of Color(BIPOC) is a term used in the United States intended to center the experiences of—and create solidarity between—different communities of color. Individuals and communities who identify as BIPOC note the significance of the term as an indicator of solidarity against systemic racism. BIPOC highlights each group of color and their unique experience. While many celebrate its usage, it’s important to know that not everyone agrees with the term BIPOC; there is always an element of personal preference and context to consider when using identity terminology.
The exhibition is funded in part through general operating support from Ohio Arts Council, Akron Community Foundation, and GAR Foundation.
Important Dates:
- Application Deadline: November 22 at 11:59 p.m.
- Notification of Acceptance: December 13
- Public Announcement: January 2025
- Exhibition: April 4 – June 14, 2025
Jurors: Amber N. Ford & Nick Lee
Click here for more info and to submit!
FRESH: Soft Offerings
January 10 – March 15, 2025 | Betty and Howard Taylor Main Gallery
FREE to apply!
For 20 years, the Annual FRESH Juried Exhibition at Summit Artspace challenged local artists to push the boundaries of their art-making through concepts and materials for this show. For its 21st year, we are revamping the exhibition format! Moving forward, the exhibition will feature local emerging artists exclusively to highlight the strong talent rising in our community and to provide a specialized platform to celebrate those artists. FRESH will also have a new theme each year that reflects current trends in the art world and our culture generated by a local emerging curator.
CURATORS: Abby Cipar & Julie Polsinelli
EXHIBITION THEME
“Contemporary times force us to contend with twenty-four-hour news cycles of unending loss, grief, pain, and struggle. As artists, we turn to our studios to aid in processing what we bear witness to and experience firsthand. Making allows us to operate from a central point of vulnerability, inviting us to compassionately open our minds, embrace love, and move forward with tangible and unyielding optimism. As Be Oakley suggests in Radical Softness as a Boundless Form of Resistance, allowing ourselves to embrace a full spectrum of soft emotionality becomes an act of defiance when operating from within individualist, oppressive systems.
With this iteration of FRESH, we strive to bring together a cohort of artists whose work meets this urgent call for softness in a harsh world. Art uniquely holds the ability to educate and enact change within our communities. Through our work, artists act as catalysts for community care, using craft to cultivate empathy, dialogue, and social change. FRESH: Soft Offerings seeks a diverse range of artworks whose tactile and conceptual forms of care invite audiences into a shared space of emotional resonance. Potential media may include print media, painting, sculpture, fiber and textiles, performance, video and sound, etc.
By situating this exhibition within the heart of Akron — a Rustbelt city that has long embodied resilience and strength — we aim to investigate how radical softness offers an avenue toward community healing and regeneration. It is within our praxis’ softest moments of vulnerability that potential for radical and enduring change lies.” – Curators Abby Cipar & Julie Polsinelli
IMPORTANT DATES
- Deadline for Entry: Friday, December 6, 2024, 11:59 p.m.
- Notification of Acceptance: December 13, 2024
- Drop Off: Friday, December 20, 2024, 12 – 6 p.m.
- Opening: Friday, January 10, 2025, 5 – 8 p.m.
- Pick up: Week of March 16, 2025
ELIGIBILITY
- Artist must be an emerging artist (active practice within the last five years max). Must be currently based in Summit County or contiguous counties (Cuyahoga, Geauga, Medina, Portage, Stark, or Wayne). Must be at least 18 years old to enter.
- Artwork must have been created since January 1, 2023 and not previously displayed in Summit Artspace. Artwork must be completed upon submission.
- Jurying will be done via digital image. Artists may submit two entries for consideration in the show, and may submit up to three high quality digital images (.jpg, .pdf, .tiff. .png) of the artwork entered. The images must accurately represent the finished work and accepted work must be professionally presented for exhibition (see notes below). Artist’s name cannot be in the file name of digital images.
Questions? Contact Natalie Grieshammer Patrick at natalie@summitartspace.org or (330) 376-8480 ext. 1.
Click here for more info and to submit!
Exhibition Proposals: Akron Bicentennial
Ends on
At Summit Artspace
Click here to apply for a Student Solo Exhibition in the Welcome Gallery
Click here to apply for a Professional Solo Exhibition in the Intersections Gallery
