2024 Open Call for Art is CLOSED

Art About Agriculture Competition and Touring Exhibition 2024: RESOURCEful

Submission Deadline: March 3, 2024 at 11:59pm

OSU College of Agricultural Sciences’ Art About Agriculture 2024 Open Call for Art invites artists to consider the lifeblood of Pacific Northwest’s agricultural diversity, economy, communities, and culture: our region’s natural resources. This year, we are seeking submissions of art that highlight the foundational elements of food and fiber production. Water, soil, wind, animals, and sunlight are just a few broad examples of what nature provides. These resources require careful stewardship and sustainability to ensure ongoing provisions. The College of Agricultural Sciences leads the nation in programs in fisheries, wildlife, and range management, and is internationally known for work in the sustainability of managed landscapes, natural resources, and the world’s oceans.

For the first time in the program’s history, Students are encouraged to submit art to the annual competition and tour!  The jury will select up to five student artworks for inclusion in the tour. Students in the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences with a jury-selected submission will receive a $200 scholarship sponsored by the Academic Programs Office. All artworks selected for the tour, professional or student, are eligible for purchase award consideration.

Below we have included links to recent news from College of Agricultural Sciences, with many more articles for inspiration found at The Source webpage. The diverse areas of research within the College of Agricultural Sciences can be found here: agsci.oregonstate.edu/home/research.

The 2024 tour is scheduled to include Giustina Gallery (Corvallis, OR/OSU), Rotunda Gallery at Central Oregon Community College (Bend, OR), and High Street Gallery at Oregon Coast School of Art (Gardiner, OR).

As a world-class leader in agricultural, environmental, and life sciences at Oregon’s Land Grant, Sea Grant, Space Grant, and Sun Grant institution, the College of Agricultural Sciences encourages diverse points of view and invests in visual arts as an important part of its mission. OSU is one of only 2 universities to have all 4 grant designations.

As the founding College of the state’s land grant university, it is dedicated to serving all Oregonians. As champions of science, the College of Agricultural Sciences embraces differences to find common ground and create opportunity – committed each day to make tomorrow better.

 

The 2024 tour is scheduled to include Giustina Gallery (Corvallis, OR/OSU), Rotunda Gallery at Central Oregon Community College (Bend, OR), and High Street Gallery at Oregon Coast School of Art (Gardiner, OR).

Featured artwork for the 2024 Open Call: Jonnel Covault, Powers That Be, 1999, linoleum block print, 20" x 28". 2000 winner of the Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences Purchase Award. Sponsored by Missy and Thayne Dutson, and the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences.

Jurors

 

Alex Levin is the Director of OSU’s Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center (Central Point, OR). ; Levin is also core faculty member for Oregon Wine Research Institute. His work as a viticulturist is focused on plant/water relations, carbohydrate metabolism, and fruit ripening biochemistry towards sustainable grape production. SOREC is on the leading edge of research related to wildfire smoke impacts on grapevines and irrigation technology for water conservation.

Jessica Miller is the Project Director of the Living Marine Resource Cooperative Science Center (LMRCSC), Professor, and Marine Fisheries Ecologist. LMRCSC research supports sustainable marine harvests and conservation congruent with NOAA Fisheries, while preparing students for careers in research, management, and public policy. LMRCSC was recently awarded funding to continue important programming focused on training students from under-represented communities in the field of marine and fisheries sciences.

Lauren Ohlgren is a Corvallis-based artist, educator, and active developer of Corvallis art communities. She teaches abstract design and the creative process at Linn-Benton Community College, and has taught workshops at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. Ohlgren is the author of the book, “The She Project: How she inspired a community,” 2007, Growing Art Press. Lauren Ohlgren received a 2021 Purchase Award for the charcoal drawing, From Ashes, Water (2019).

Robin Hostick is best known for his sublime landscape paintings inspired by in-depth explorations of wild places in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere.  A graduate of the University of Oregon landscape architecture program, Robin pursued careers in landscape architecture, urban design and eventually city planning before making a leap to become a full-time professional painter in 2020, where he has found success in exhibiting and selling his artwork to collectors across the US.  Hostick has participated in the Art About Agriculture exhibition for several years, receiving a Purchase Award for Crab Season in 2021.

Shobha Jetmalani is a Portland-based artist and emeritus physician of Dermatology, who works at the intersections of art and science, Indian and American cultures, and draws inspiration from nature as a connective line between viewer and artist. She has degrees in Chemistry and Environmental Science from Williams College and an MD degree from OHSU. She has studied art at Willamette University, Williams, PNCA and PCC. She has served as volunteer Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology at OHSU; a featured Artist/Speaker for the OHSU Diversity awareness through arts and culture series, and presented a workshop on the art of observation and compassion for the OHSU Department of Dermatology at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, PSU.

Shobha has exhibited her work in both solo and group shows in Oregon. Her work is included in public collections at the Multnomah County Public Works Collection, City of Portland, and OSU. She has received grants from the RACC and participated in the Centrum Artist Residency in Washington, Ford Family Foundation Residency at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology and accepted at the Chateau d’Orquevaux residency in France for 2024.

Shobha Jetmalani, received a 2023 Purchase Award for her painting, Farmer's Market Artichoke Blossom (2021).

Entry Guidelines

Eligibility:
This regional, juried competition is open to artists living in Alaska, British Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

Conditions:
All submissions must relate thematically to agriculture and natural resources. All fine arts and crafts media are eligible for consideration. All approaches welcome. The large and diverse scope of research affiliated with OSU College of Agricultural Sciences can be found here:  agsci.oregonstate.edu/home/research.

Blind Jury Process:
The jurying process occurs in two parts. Part 1 is the review of art submissions digitally with artist names removed from jury documents. The jury will then select 45-60 artworks for inclusion in the tour.

Purchase Awards:
Following the blind jury process, jurors will then learn the names of artists and nominate purchase awards from the pool of touring artworks for acquisition into the Art About Agriculture Permanent Collection. Unless listed as “Not for Sale,” all artworks selected by the jury for inclusion in the tour, professional or student, are eligible for purchase award consideration.

Beyond those artists selected by the jurors, the Directing Curator of Art About Agriculture may invite one or more additional artists to participate in the 2024 Tour.

Art About Agriculture reserves the right to refuse artwork that does not meet the competition standards, or artwork that is beyond the scope or specification of the competition.

Submissions:

May submit up to five artworks. 1-2 sentence description of each piece is encouraged, but not required. Images should be titled accordingly: First_Last-shortened title-0x0x0in. 3D artworks may submit up to three additional images of different views for each artwork. Please group 3D views in the image title with A, B, C indicators.

Any photos or promotional materials provided by the artist of artwork selected for inclusion in the exhibitions can be used to promote the artwork, exhibitions, or venues. This includes use in online galleries hosted on OSU websites and/or websites associated with tour venues. All photos and materials used for promotions will acknowledge the artist.

Fees:

No fee for submissions. Art About Agriculture retains no commission from sales, however venue commission rates will apply to all sales throughout the tour including purchase awards: Giustina Gallery (30%), Rotunda Gallery (0% / no commission retained), and Oregon Coast School of Art (20%). Please list the sale price for Giustina Gallery only in the Ideal-Logic submission form. Artists of selected artworks will have the opportunity to adjust pricing per venue in the Art About Agriculture Exhibit Tour Property Loan Agreement Form. Not for sale (NFS) Artwork submissions are allowed and equally considered.

Framing:
Work on paper must be framed and under acrylic/Plexiglas - no glass! 2D artwork must be framed, wired, and ready to hang. Gallery wrapped canvas is accepted.

Dimensions, weight, and Support:
All artworks must be less than 50 lbs.

2D art, including frame: no larger than 48 inches in height and 56 inches in width, or 56 inches in height and 48 inches in width. Due to wall space restrictions at host venues, 2D artwork selections over 48 inches in height and 40 inches wide will be extremely limited.

3D art: must not exceed 40 inches in height or width, 36 inches in depth, and must fit through a standard doorway.

Technology and time-based art:
Please provide technology and maintenance needs for each submission. Artists of artwork requiring technology should anticipate providing the technology needed to exhibit the art. Artwork with audio should use personal listening devices, such as headphones or cellphones.

Artwork shipping and drop-off:
Artists of jury-selected art are responsible for artwork delivery to OSU and return from OSU. Artists will provide rigid reusable packing container/s for their selected artwork. If shipping art, please provide a return postage-paid shipping label. OSU must receive shipped artworks before 11am on Monday, April 30, 2024. Artwork can also be dropped-off and picked-up at OSU in Corvallis, OR. Artwork drop-off options are Saturday, April 27, 10am – 2pm, or Sunday, April 28, 12pm – 4pm at Strand Agriculture Hall, 170 SW Waldo Pl, Corvallis, Oregon 97331. Art About Agriculture will transport artworks between tour venues.  

Shipping Address:

Owen Premore
Art About Agriculture
OSU College of Agricultural Sciences
248 Strand Agriculture Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331

Other Materials:
Artists of artwork selected by the jury for participation in the tour will receive an OSU Art About Agriculture Exhibit Tour Property Loan Agreement Form. Artists of jury-selected art will provide OSU with an artist statement and optional artist resume, which must be received no later than Monday, April 8, 2024.

Calendar

(All dates are subject to change.)

March 3, 2024 (Sunday) at 11:59pm: Submission Deadline.

March 21, tentative: Selection and non-selection notices emailed to artists. Selected artists will receive an Art About Agriculture Exhibit Tour Property Loan Agreement Form (PLA), to be completed by the artist.

April 8 (Wednesday): Deadline for artist statement and artist resume. The PLA Form can be submitted along with statement/s and resume, or it can be included with the art delivery to OSU.

UPDATED: April 27 (Saturday), 10am – 2pm: Artwork drop off at Strand Agriculture Hall, 170 SW Waldo Pl, Corvallis, OR 97331.

UPDATED: April 28 (Sunday), 12pm – 4pm: Last opportunity to drop off artwork at Strand Agriculture Hall, 170 SW Waldo Pl, Corvallis, OR 97331.

4/29 (Monday), before 11am: Deadline for receiving shipped artwork.

May 7 – June 26, 2024: Art About Agriculture 2024 Competition and touring exhibition: RESOURCEful at Giustina Gallery, The LaSells Stewart Center, Oregon State University.

May 7 (Tuesday), tentative: Notices emailed to artists selected by the jury to receive Art About Agriculture Permanent Collection Purchase Awards.

May 23 (Thursday): Exhibition Reception at Giustina Gallery.

UPDATED: July 3 – August 22, 2024: Art About Agriculture 2024 Competition and touring exhibition: RESOURCEful at Central Oregon Community College’s Rotunda Gallery at the Barber Library in Bend, OR.

July 3 (Wednesday), tentative: Opening Reception at Rotunda Gallery.

UPDATED: August 30 – November 9, 2024: Art About Agriculture 2024 Competition and touring exhibition: RESOURCEful at Oregon Coast School of Art's High Street Gallery in Gardiner, OR.

August 30 (Friday): Opening reception at High Street Gallery.