Compete City Scenes: Perceptions of Urban Life
Opportunity Description
U.S. National Deadline: November 30, 2024 – Streets and urban scenes — an inspiration to generations of artists who have produced extraordinary interpretations of city content including buildings, streets, signs, people, objects, machines, technology as well as space, light and movement.
Artists, photographers and sculptors who explore public places for visual ideas frequently encounter contradictions. Daily activities are depicted, whether ordinary or dramatic. People react to the random, fleeting events of urban life with clarity or ambiguity, calm or frenzy, sadness or joy. In addition, these contradictions and opposing forces are expressed in the creative execution of imagery about wealth and poverty, health and illness, youth and old age, beauty and ugliness, kindness and hostility, growth and decay, or order and chaos.
What do you emphasize in your art as you narrate your experiences, real or imagined, of a city, town or suburb? Do you capture the “decisive moment,” assert the “significance of place,” focus on storytelling and visual anecdotes, concentrate on oddities and psychic vulnerability, reflect social and economic issues, or reveal normality and joyful moments?
Exhibition Dates: March 7 – April 4, 2025.
ELIGIBILITY
This is a National Call for Entries inviting artists, photographers and sculptors from all regions and states. Artists must be 18 years of age or older and current residents of the United States. Photographers can submit black-and-white or color images, and all photographic processes are welcome. This is a great exhibition opportunity for street photography and for urban scenes in any medium. And, of course, paintings depicting city structures, exploring human rhythms of the streets, and portraying the activities of urban life have always been popular with collectors.
Mediums: The MVA Gallery accepts painting, watercolor, printmaking, mixed media, digital, pastel, encaustic, sculpture, fiber, drawing and photography. No reproductions or derivatives of original art (or copyrighted images) of other people’s work will be accepted. The artist should be the sole owner of all rights. ART should not be larger than 48 inches (framed) on the longest side and not weigh more than 45 lbs. SCULPTURE should not be larger than 24 inches on any dimension.
AWARDS
Art of Distinction Award will be granted at most exhibitions. One artist, photographer or sculptor will be selected and featured in a special exhibit at the MVA Gallery, Exhibition Room 2, to be scheduled at a future date.
One New York City Exhibition: One artist, photographer or sculptor will be selected from all the individuals who were accepted and displayed in an MVA Gallery exhibit during the past calendar year. This artist will be offered an exhibition opportunity in New York City and will be notified in December.
Director’s Choice Award – $200 one optional award may be granted at the discretion of the Executive Director of the MVA Gallery.
ENTRY FEE
Entry fee is $35.00 for 3 images. You may include additional files for $5.00 each up to a total of 9 maximum.
APPLY ONLINE
Visit us for complete details and easy online application.
Notification on or about January 21, 2025 (Midnight). Artists will receive separate email messages for “Invited” and “Not Invited” artwork entries.
All accepted artwork must arrive at the Gallery no later than March 4, 2025.
SALES
Artists can determine whether they wish to sell their artwork. For sales, the artist must list a specific price and not indicate “Upon Request.”
Commission Fees:
70% of the final sale price to the Artist.
30% of the final sale price to the Gallery.
About:
The MVA Gallery (Modern Visual Arts) is located in historic Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Bethlehem, along with its neighboring cities Allentown and Easton, comprise the third largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh). Bethlehem has a vibrant arts and cultural life — numerous active art galleries and nationally acclaimed festivals that attract tens of thousands of visitors each year. Located one hour from New York City, Bethlehem has become an art destination for informed collectors and prominent art professionals.
MVA Gallery
35 E. Elizabeth Avenue, Suite 35
Bethlehem, PA 18018
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