Call for Submissions: Collected

Collected
March 8-31, 2007
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Exhibition
Collections are highly revealing of individuals, cultural constructions of value and institutional biases. Collections carry histories with them, not only the history of their own making and being, but the history of all objects, of culture and of display. We understand collections broadly to include fact systems, scientific data, surveillance, souvenirs, narratives, archives, the state, institutions, and places. Persons and things commingle in the collection, as people are objectified by data and things come to embody their owners; therefore, we value submissions that reveal the personalities and perspectives of the collector and their research in the production. OPENSOURCE Art is interested in the creation and production of history and culture through the process of collecting.

For Collected, OPENSOURCE Art is soliciting projects, performances, films, installations, and documentation about collections, as well as collections themselves. Submissions could be (but are not limited to) collections of objects, critically aware collections, and commentaries on collections. We encourage submissions to consider issues of display and presentation, as well as the objects themselves. We wish to receive submissions from artists working in new or traditional practices, as well as from collectors not working within the arts (these could be scientists, anthropologists, antiquers, anyone).

Events
In an effort to investigate the theoretical concerns surrounding the practices of collecting, Collected will feature a series of events throughout the exhibit. Collected will coincide with OPENSOURCE’s reading group Art Theory Summer Camp All Year Long, scheduled field trips to see collections throughout Illinois, and a panel discussion.

Schedule
January 22, 2007 - Submission deadline
February 8, 2007 - Notification of acceptances
February 22, 2007 - Artwork due at OPENSOURCE
March 8, 2006 - Show opens

Submission Guidelines
Please submit a proposal that includes documentation, installation information, and
contact information. Documentation may be in the form of, but not limited to: sketches,
slides, video, CD or DVD. Please be clear about what, if any, multi-media equipment
your work requires. Submissions should include detailed consideration of display materials. OPENSOURCE has a limited budget for installation and exhibition expenses and will not be able to admit art that is expensive or excessively difficult to install, no matter how much we'd like to. Supporting materials (vita, portfolio, statement) are not necessary, but would be helpful.

Proposals may be sent via email, postal service, or delivered in person to:

OPENSOURCE Art
12 E. Washington
Champaign, Illinois 61820

[email protected]

If you would like your proposal returned, please include a self-addressed package
with sufficient return postage. Accepted works must include return packaging and
proper postage. Materials that cannot be returned will be considered donations to
OPENSOURCE. OPENSOURCE is not responsible for lost or damaged material.

Curatorial Process
The exhibit will be juried by a committee drawn from the members of OPENSOURCE
Art with decisions made by majority vote. Any work submitted by members (or family members) of the committee will be voted on by the full OPENSOURCE membership, with interested parties recusing themselves. Specific works are likely to be solicited from individual artists, and some flexibility may be exercised for these entries with regard to scheduling. For more information, please email [email protected] or see http:// opensource.boxwith.com.