Community Art Exhibit

The ENMU Runnels Gallery conducts the Community Art Exhibit as an opportunity for local artists to submit their creative visual work in a competitive environment. The gallery believes creativity lives within us all and strongly encourages community members to enter their artwork to be considered for inclusion in this exhibit.

Important Exhibition Dates

Eligibility

Any adult who lives, works, or attends school within 40 miles of Portales, New Mexico is eligible to enter the Community Art Exhibit.

Entry Fee and Number of Submissions Permitted

There are no entry fees for this exhibit. Each artist may submit up to five pieces of work.

Media, Theme, and Size Restrictions

All visual art media types and themes are welcome. The artwork must be original and may not have been previously shown at the Runnels Gallery. Artwork must be stable and capable of fitting through a standard doorway. Artwork that requires suspension from the ceiling, water, perishable food, or electricity is prohibited.

Jury Selection

Work submitted to the exhibit will be juried anonymously, based on the following considerations.

• First Impression – How powerful is the first impression?
• Originality and Creativity – What degree of originality and creativity is shown?
• Artist's Voice – Is the artist's voice felt in the work and can their personal perspective of the world around them be seen?

Delivery of Work

• Artists will be notified about their acceptance through the email provided at the time of submission.
• Artwork chosen for inclusion in the exhibit must be delivered to the Runnels Gallery by the required delivery date and must be finished and ready for presentation at that time.
• The artist's name, title of the work, and medium must be secured to the back or bottom of the work.
• The gallery reserves the right to refuse any work that differs from the image submitted, is not ready for presentation, or is delivered after the deadline.
• Accepted pieces must remain on display until the closing of the exhibit and must be picked up within 30 days after the exhibit's conclusion. If artwork is unclaimed, it will become the property of the Runnels Gallery and the ENMU Department of Art.
• Artists are solely responsible for the delivery and retrieval of their work.

Presentation Ready Requirements

All work must be finished and ready for presentation when it is delivered to the gallery. Presentation standards include:

• Two-Dimensional Work
  • The work must be framed and have secure hanging hardware (preferably wire) on the back.
  • Paintings on wooden stretchers with painted canvas edges do not require framing. These pieces will be hung directly on screws if they don't have hanging hardware.
  • Dry mounting to foam/gator board with imagery flush to all four edges is acceptable without matting or framing. These pieces will be hung with Velcro strips if they don't have hanging hardware.
• Three-Dimensional Work
  • Work must be stable.
  • If special/custom stands or displays are required for presentation, they must be provided by the artist at the time of delivery.

Submitting Work to the Exhibit

Artists should submit their work for this exhibit using the gallery's online submission form below. A separate form must be submitted for each piece of work entered in the exhibit. In addition to the standard biographical information, the following must be included:

• Title of piece
• Media type
• Sale price or value
• Dimensions
• 50 to 75-word artist's statement describing or explaining the concept, the process, materials used, the goal of the project, etc.
• Photograph of the work being submitted (JPEG files only)

Artwork will be juried based on the photos submitted. Consider the following recommendations to best capture an art piece in a photograph:

• Artwork should be properly lit. Lighting that is too bright or too dark can negatively affect colors, diminish, or hide detail and make it impossible to clearly see the work.
• Artwork should be level and positioned in the center of the photograph.
• The photograph should show only the artwork, without other distracting items or backgrounds.
• Two-dimensional works should be photographed without a mat or frame.
• Three-dimensional works should be photographed using a neutral background and stable surface. Consider using a lightbox to photograph three-dimensional work.
• Adjust the camera's image quality setting to "fine" or the highest resolution possible.
• File format must be JPEG.
• See the How to Photograph Your Artwork instructional sheet.

Liability

Eastern New Mexico University will exercise due care in handling all artwork submitted. ENMU, the Runnels Gallery, the Department of Art, the Golden Student Success Center, or any of their agents will not be responsible for loss or damage to any artwork, whether such work is on display, in storage, or in transit to or from the artist. All accepted artworks must remain on display until the close of the exhibition. ENMU assumes the right to photograph any work for catalog or publicity purposes and to use the artist's name. The submission of artwork to this exhibit will be understood to imply agreement and consent on the part of the artist with the conditions set forth here. I hereby agree to the liability clause and to abide by all the rules and stipulations set forth in this exhibition.

Community Art Exhibition Submission Form