Open Calls for Art
Check here regularly for rolling exhibition opportunities!
CALL FOR ART! Compendium: SELF, a Juried Exhibition
Artists living within the Lehigh Valley* are invited to submit artwork for consideration to the eighth annual Compendium juried exhibition, where we ask the artist to become the subject! This year’s exhibition will feature a wide range of styles and mediums celebrating the art of the self-portrait. The work may be a traditional portrait, it may represent a personal narrative, how the artist relates themselves to the world around them, how they are perceived by others, etc. The exhibition aims to celebrate the idea of personal narratives and images and how artists create these narratives in visual form.
Awards (Will be announced at the opening First Friday on Friday, November 1, 2024):
- 1st place = $200
- 2nd place = $100
- 3rd place = $50
All award payments will be made by check, artists are required to submit a W-9 in order to receive payment.
Compendium: SELF is juried by artist and arts administrator, Meg Wolensky (they/she).
Originally from West Chester, Pennsylvania, Meg Wolensky (they/she) is a queer nonbinary visual artist based in Philadelphia. Meg performs oil painting as a healing practice as they recover from CPTSD, translating colorful fragments of experiences, memories, and dreams into a cohesive whole that is reflective of queer identity. These investigative collage-like paintings layer cross-sections of colorful personal narrative, trompe-l’œil objects, and indicators of time as it whips by.
Wolensky’s work has been exhibited in venues across the country, including Drexel University, Kutztown University, University of Southern Mississippi, Moore College of Art & Design, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), Woodmere Art Museum, InLiquid Gallery, Seraphin Gallery, Rodger LaPelle Galleries, William Way LGBT Community Center, Democratic National Convention, Painted Bride Art Center, Abington Art Center, the Banana Factory Arts & Education Center and many more. in 2023, Wolensky was the recipient of InLiquid’s Dina Wind Fellowship by a jury of outstanding curators, artists, and arts leaders from around the Greater Philadelphia area.
Meg serves as the Managing Director of Continuing Education at Moore College of Art & Design where they are passionate about designing accessible arts experiences and work-readiness opportunities for marginalized professional artists and youth in need. With a BFA from the PAFA (’14) and an MS in Arts Administration from Drexel University (’16), Meg provides holistic solutions informed by creative strategy, nonprofit management, and audience research. Meg is passionate about coaching teams to success in creating arts education experiences with big impact. Outside of creating and working, she lends professional curatorial, grant-writing, art handling, and arts nonprofit administration strategy services to other queer artists, students, organizations and initiatives.
Sunday, September 1st, 2024: Deadline for submission of Formstack with up to three images. Entries must be submitted by 12 AM EST. Full prospectus and submission page here: https://fest.formstack.com/forms/compendium_self_portrait_2024
CALL FOR ARTWORK!
BananaRama Juried Exhibition
Deadline to submit: Sunday, September 22nd, 2024.
ArtsQuest invites artists in our community to submit artwork with a banana theme to close out one of the final shows in our current building! We want to see all of your weird and whimsical banana-themed artwork- just no real bananas, please!
This exhibition is open to all two-dimensional work including photography, paintings, drawings, digital, mixed media, fibers, chalk, ink, pastels, wax, graphite and printmaking, jewelry/metals, plus three-dimensional works that measure no larger than 18″ in any direction. For full information plus the online submission form, see here.
Call to Artists
Sculpture at SteelStacks 2024
Deadline to Submit: June 28, 2024
The submission window for this application has ended.
ArtsQuest and the Steel Weekend Arts Sub-Committee invite artists to submit work for the 3rd annual Sculpture at SteelStacks exhibition, an outdoor display featured at the entrance to the Visitor Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, PA, on the former site of the Bethlehem Steel, where the work will be visible to over a million people annually.
While artistic quality is very important, works will be reviewed for durability, safety, and appropriateness to the site. Artwork must be structurally sound and able to withstand an outdoor environment in a largely unsupervised area that is not protected from weather or curious viewers.
Sculpture at SteelStacks is open to experienced professional sculptors as well as students and emerging artists who specialize in the design, construction, and installation of outdoor sculptures. One sculpture will be selected for display from September 2024 to September 2025. The artist will receive $7,500 as a fee for the annual loan of their artwork, which includes any costs for installation and deinstallation.
Information Session:
An information session will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, June 4 at 4:30 p.m. EST for artists who want to learn more about the project from Review Committee members.
Tuesday, June 4, 4:30 p.m. via Zoom
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/4426917841
Meeting ID: 442 691 7841
Exhibitions
All the gallery spaces at the Banana Factory Arts Center and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks feature a rotating selection of national & regional contemporary artists, annual juried exhibitions, and community-based organizations.
If you would like to submit a proposal for an exhibition, please use one of the two forms below.
Information on eligibility, selection criteria, guidelines, and exhibition policies are included on the application forms below. A gallery committee will review applications on a rolling basis. If your proposal is accepted for an exhibition, staff will be in touch. Applications will be kept on file and reviewed for up to one year from the submission date. After that time, artists will need to reapply.
Exhibitions are typically planned one to two years in advance. Inquires on exhibitions can be sent to Nicole Gencarelli, Visual Arts Specialist, at visualarts@artsquest.org.
UPDATE 3.19.24: The 2024 Gallery Calendar is currently booked in full. After 2024, the Banana Factory Arts Center will be closed for planned renovations. Proposals for 2025-2026 on the forms below will be ONLY for the Alvin H. Butz Gallery at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks. Additional opportunities for the 2025-2026 calendar year will be posted as more details are available.
Solo Exhibition Application
This is for a single artist who would like to showcase a solo exhibition of their work.
Group Exhibition Application
This is for a group of artists (2 or more) who would like to exhibit work together in a single space. This form can also be used by an independent curator or artist to submit an exhibition they design/curate for one of the gallery spaces.
Resident Artist Studios
The Banana Factory Arts Center offers a selection rent subsidized working studios to area artists. Artists interested in becoming a resident artist should be dedicated to their work and be willing to participate in a community of fellow artists. Artists must also align with ArtsQuest’s mission of providing the surrounding community access to arts, culture, and educational programs.
Resident Artists receive the following opportunities:
- Low cost, subsidized studios. Studios vary in size from 200-900 sq. ft., with 24/7 access for artists.
- Paid teaching opportunities for classes at the Banana Factory Arts Center, as well as artist residencies and community outreach program opportunities.
- Exhibition opportunities, which include a location for displaying artwork in the hallway spaces on the second and third floors, a rotating monthly feature during First Fridays, as well as an annual group exhibition in the Crayola Gallery.
- Resident Artists have access to the creative facilities within the Banana Factory building
Interested artists can apply for a studio space using the application form below. Applicants are reviewed by a committee made up of ArtsQuest staff, representatives from the Visual Arts Board, and a selection of current Resident Artists.
Applications are kept active for one year past the application date, after that time artists are encouraged to re-apply. Please note, we may have a waiting list of artists who have already been reviewed and interviewed, which will take priority should a studio open over new applications.
UPDATE May 2024 – We are not currently accepting studio applications as we plan construction on The Banana Factory. Applications submitted will be kept on file to review for availability in the new Cultural Center building, which will open in 2026*
Inquiries can be directed to Lisa Harms, Sr. Director of Visual Arts & Education, at visualarts@artsquest.org.
