Tag Archives: Textile Artist

Submission Process for my Solo Exhibition

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In 2022, one of my goals that I needed to accomplish to quit my job and become a full-time artist was to be successful in getting accepted to do a solo art show (exhibition). I was successful in that task.

Town of Cary (in NC and where I live) has a rolling call for artists that get reviewed twice a year (August 1 and February 1). You will need 10 digital images of your work (that has to reflect what you will exhibit but not the actual quilts), an image list, a resume (including exhibition history….if you are a quilter include quilt shows), and an artist statement for the exhibition. If approved you will be provided a space in one of the below galleries (the selection committee decides on the space and let’s you know).

My Submission Content

Digital Images

Image List

I maintain an image list of all my quilts to make this process easier. For me, I created a document with the name of quilt, name of file (possibly location on my drive), size of quilt, and year it was made in a table format. For example:

Altitudinal EcosystemIMG01_AltitudinalEcosystem_Wilkie60 x 60″ 2015
TreadIMG02_Tread_Wilkie60 x 60″ 2019
Image list

Town of Cary requests the name, medium used (for me that is textiles) and size.

Artist Statement

Eyes Wide Open
Have you ever thought what people miss seeing and experiencing on a daily basis? We all, too often, get stuck in a routine and distracted by our electronic, and social media-based world. What details are we missing by not taking the time to really see and experience those things around us? The artist believes that with practice and intention, we can be inspired by patterns and design elements in objects we see or events we experience, every day.

Eyes Wide Open is a visual journey in seeing design in everyday objects. Capturing everyday objects with photography and then translating those objects into textile art, quilts, for everyone to experience what the artist saw every day.

Resume

Here is a sample of what I submitted in my resume. I also included publications and teaching in the full resume but not shown here.

Collections
SAS Art Collection: NY Highline, Rails, Pyramids

Shows | Exhibits
2022
Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival 2022|Quilts: Isolation, One of these things
QuiltCon 2022 |Quilts: Aroha, Inside Looking Out, Study no. 3
NC State Fair 2022|Quilts: Aroha (1st Prize), Home (1st Prize), Whitney (4th Prize)

2021
Monster Drawing Rally, NC Museum of Art
Modern Quilt Showcase (International Quilt Festival)|Quilt: Study no. 3 Hearth Studio |The Art of Process Exhibition (Quilt: Isolation)
QuiltCon 2021(virtual) |Quilts: Study no. 3, Orange Creamsicle, Isolation

2020 and earlier
QuiltCon 2020 |Quilts: Correlation, Manicured Gardens QuiltCon 2019 | Quilts: Mt. SohCahToa, Fractions & Snowfall AQS Fall Paducah 2018| Quilt: Fractions
QuiltCon 2018 | Quilts: San Francisco Bustle
AQS Grand Rapids 2017| Quilts: Sunday Best & Phased Circles
QuiltCon 2017 | Quilts: Rails, Sunday Best, Negative Crosswalks, NY High Line AQS Grand Rapids 2016 |Quilt: Altitudinal Ecosystem
QuiltCon 2016 | Quilts: Altitudinal Ecosystem, Jungle Ave Tapa
QuiltCon 2015 |Quilts: Phased Circles, Neighbourhood

Success

After applying in February 2022, I was notified that my application was downloaded for review. However, they were holding applications until they could rebook all the shows that were canceled at our various facilities over 2020 and half of 2021.  They informed me that I should hear back from them in the coming months, as they book shows for 2023.

I was a little bummed with the news but understood. It had been a strange couple of years. In July 2022, low and behold, I received news that I was invited to exhibit my work at Page-Walker Arts & History Center. Install date was July 6 2023, Reception date July 21 2023, Show dates were 07/07 to 08/19 and removal date is August 21.

Next Steps

I accepted, of course. I received a contract that was really clear on several things like

  • Terms of Loan
  • My responsibilities vs. Page-Walker for hanging the show
  • Sale information: Prices could not be included in the show itself but could be provided on a price list at the entrance way.
  • Care and return of art works
  • Warranties.

Just to name a few.

I also received install (hanging) instructions for the equipment they used; and the room dimensions so I could plan out the layout.

Close to the end of the year 2022, I had to provide an image of a quilt in the show and an updated show description for the exhibition website.

Lastly, closer to the install date I also provide a price list for insurance purposes. I opted for outside my studio a postcard (in the above image at the top) with a QR code and contact information on the back (includes my IG account, Shop url just in case the QR Code doesn’t work, and my email address).

Let me know if you have any questions. Next post, I’ll show you some of show. In the meantime, take a look at my new website which I set up in time for my show. It includes my gallery and shop.

Art Journey – Artist-in-Residence {Part 3}

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Getting more involved in the art community has been such a great experience so far and I have learnt so much. In my previous posts, I talked about setting goals to get started (Part 1) and how I applied for exhibitions (Exhibitions – Part 2). This post is about applying for artist-in-residence programs.

The basics

What are they?
An Artist-in-residence program give artists the opportunity to live and work outside of their usual environments, providing them with time to reflect, research, or produce work (Artnet News). Many of the artist in residence, I have found, also provides you with

  • Connection to other artists to help grow your community, and
  • Can give you exposure for your work to seen or more visible.

How long are they?
They vary in length. I have seen many be for a full year to a month long. The one I applied for was only two weeks which was perfect, as at the time I applied, I still was working full-time and also had family responsibilities. There are not many that are only 2 weeks though.

How do you find them?
Similar to exhibitions, there are calls for Artist in Residence. They can be found on organizations web pages/newsletter (eg. Penland School of Craft, MacDowell, Ox-bow), local art studios and some galleries, or from Call for Entry applications like CaFÉ. Also, keep an eye out for art organizations that support artists, as they may repost calls for entry and artist-in-residence programs.

What do they cost? Does an Artist-in-Residence program pay?
This is an interesting question, and again it varies but the organizations are usually clear upfront. You may have to pay for an application fee. For the actual Artist-in-Residence Program, if you have to pay (usually for things like lodging or studio fees) they will let you know during the application process and usually there are scholarship options to help if you need it. Many artist-in-residence program include accommodation, studio space, supplies and a stipend. The application descriptions will let you know what is included and what isn’t so you can make the most informed decision you can.

How many people will be accepted?
Again this varies. It may be one for that particular residency you are applying for, especially if the organization is a studio or gallery based organization. It may be many people, if the organization has multiple studio settings. For example, Penland School of Craft Winter Residency had approximately 80 people across the 15 different studios (buildings). There were 8 people in the Textile studio when I was there.

What will you need ready for applying?
Read the application process thoroughly before applying so you can be prepared. I have found typically you will need:

  • Resume / CV (no more than 1-2 pages)
  • Artist Statement proposing what you want to accomplish in the time during residency.
  • Images of your work (Typically 4-10 images)
  • Image list or descriptions of the supplied images
  • References (this varies; could be just a list of a couple names and their contact details or they may ask for formal letters)
  • Questionnaire (Varies again but they may asks questions based on getting a sense of suitability)

My Submission to Penland School Winter Residency

Penland School of Craft offers many residencies. The one I applied for was their Winter Residency which was a choice of two or four week stay. Like I mentioned, I chose two weeks due to my current commitments. Here are some of the details in my application:

Application Fee: $30
Costs: $1000 (included studio fee and housing in private room w/ private bathroom – cheaper was available; also scholarships are available but since I was working full-time I could afford the costs)
Food: No meals were provided but Kitchens were available also meals from the onsite cafe.
Project Proposal: For my proposal, I mentioned why I needed a two week residency – time away from family and work to focus on my textile art exploration. I discussed that I wanted to explore designing and making quilts that explored who I am, my emotions and events that impacted or affected me. I wanted to work smaller (~20″) and use up-cycled materials in my work.
Resume/CV: I reworked my resume to reduce it to 1 page (typically I have in my resume exhibitions/shows, publications, and teaching experience for just the last 3 years).
Images and Descriptions: Images I used are below. I focused them around my proposal, so I included Isolation, Aroha, Home and One of these things.

If you have any questions, let me know and I am happy to answer them based on my experience. I will write another post to fill you in on my Residency at Penland which was amazing. I will be applying for other artist-in-residence in future (probably for 2024 unless they are local as its hard to be away from family).



Art Journey {Part 1}

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This year, I set a goal to move more into the art world and seen as a textile artist. I don’t know why but I was not expecting much of a difference. I was so wrong. There is a lot to navigate in the art community that is not the same as in a quilting community (for me a modern quilting community). I thought I would start sharing my experiences now that I am finding my feet. Over the last 12-18 months, I have been learning a lot and have been successful by:

  • included in two exhibitions
  • sold a couple of pieces
  • selected in an art auction event for NC Museum of Arts
  • accepted to a 2 week winter residency program at Penland School of Arts and Crafts
  • and invited for a solo exhibition July 2023.

One of the hardest things I found, was where to start. The best things I found were:

  • Find local art community spaces that aligns with your interests. It is a great way to meet people. I found Artspace North Carolina who offers studio’s for artists, exhibitions and classes (both adult and children). They have a monthly fiber meet-up, First Friday events which is an open house to walk through studio’s and see the current exhibitions, volunteer opportunities to help out. They have an artist membership which you get local community information and calls for exhibitions, studios and artist jobs.
  • Diversify my Instagram (or social media accounts) to include artists in different medium (painters, printers, knitters, and sculptors as examples), local and regional art groups (SAQA (Regional), Durham Art Guild (NC), Artstigators (NC)) , art schools (John C Campbell Folk School (NC), Penland School of Arts and Crafts (NC), Madeline Island School of Arts), galleries/museums (CAM Raleigh, NC Museum of Arts, McColl Center) , art magazines (Create Magazine, Fiber Art Now, Where +What Woman Create), and web-based art curators (Artrepreneur). These resources helped with getting to know other artists and also when calls were for exhibitions, residencies, studio space and teaching opportunities.
  • There are several places you can join for calls for entry. These calls are how to find out of there are shows/exhibitions or publishing opportunities. My favorite due to the variety is Cafe (Call for Entry).

I still struggled with how and where to sell work and pricing; what do I need to submit to an exhibition and how to apply for residencies. Next post, I will share how I have applied for an exhibition (both a group/themed exhibition and a solo exhibition) and what you need. I’ll share the content I submitted. Stay tuned for part 2.

If you have any questions, let me know below and I will do my best to answer them based on my experiences.