LSU School of Art and LSU College of Art & Design are pleased to invite contemporary local and regional artists and culture bearers to this year’s summer show—an open call, juried exhibition which will be on view in Glassell Gallery located in downtown Baton Rouge’s Shaw Center for the Arts.

Wild.

Wild Thoughts. Wild Actions. Wild Places. Wild Beings.

Taking an expansive approach to wild, wildness, and wilderness, Glassell Gallery is seeking artists whose work embraces radical imagination and radical noticing of both the wild within us and the wild that surrounds us. Works selected will invoke the exhibition’s title, “Wild.” and express or invoke wild thoughts, wild actions, wild places, or wild beings. The exhibition will be juried by Ron Bechet. The first prize is $500.

The call for entries is open May 6-June 14, 2024; entries are accepted via Slideroom at the following link https://rb.gy/4vdyzt. Please review the full submission guidelines and important dates at this link, where you may also submit your work.

There is no fee for entry. The exhibition will be on view from July 13–August 24, 2024 at Glassell Gallery.

ABOUT THE JUROR: 

Ron Bechet was born in New Orleans and lives in the Gentilly neighborhood. He began his college career with an athletic scholarship at Mississippi State University but returned to study art at the University of New Orleans where he earned a B.A. degree. He went on to earn an MFA degree in Painting from Yale University School of Art. He is also the Victor H. Labat Professor of Art at Xavier University of Louisiana where he has been teaching for more than twenty years. He is known for intimate large-scale drawings and paintings. This work is inspired by his experiences and observations of the consequences of forces of nature and time, on the place and the human experience. 

For Bechet, his improvisational mark-making is grounded on those experiences and in the cultural practices of the African diaspora and New Orleans African-American culture and ritual. In the work, the revelation of the effects of terrain, light, and water symbolize human contention and harmony, and ultimately the hope of reconciliation and spiritual transformation. In addition to his studio practice, he has worked on several community-based projects using the arts in collaboration with other artists and community members. Believing in reciprocity and giving, he is an active community member currently serving as Chair of the Joan Mitchell Foundation Board of Directors and as a member of the board of trustees at the Ogden Museum of Art as well as Antenna Works in New Orleans. 

ELIGIBILITY & GUIDELINES 

Submission Deadlines: The Open Call will be open from May 6, 2024 12:00 p.m. CT through June 14, 2024 11:59 p.m.  

Who is Eligible to Submit? 

• Contemporary visual artists who currently live, work, or study in Louisiana are eligible to apply. We especially encourage local and college/university student-artists from across the Greater Baton Rouge area to apply! 
• Artists must be 18 years and older.

Artwork, Media, Specs 

• Applicants may enter up to four (4) artworks If more than 4 are submitted, only the first 4 submissions will be considered.
• All mediums are eligible
• All selected works must be ready for installation at the time of delivery or work will be disqualified
• Artists must frame work and provide necessary hardware
• In some cases, artists must provide required special AV equipment and/or display stands that are specific to the work
• For each submitted work, applicants must provide general technical elements/specifications
• For each submitted work, where applies, applicants must provide a checklist of objects/elements that are included with the work and any special display descriptions and values.
• Work made of materials that may be hazardous cannot be accepted
• Installation-based work may require self-installation, with support from Glassell’s staff. Glassell Gallery is unable to provide travel assistance.  
• Selected artists are responsible for covering travel costs and making all round-trip delivery and incoming shipping arrangements in coordination with Glassell Gallery. Return shipping via FedEx Ground for works mailed incoming will be covered by gallery if work is suitably packed/able to be repacked. If deemed unsuitable for repacking, the Gallery will reimburse travel up to $35.00 for artist to retrieve work.
• Works are offered for sale with a 50/50 split to support Glassell Gallery Programming.

Files and Uploads 

• To qualify, eligible applicants must follow all requirements and instructions on Slideroom
• Applicants may upload up to five (6) images/files and five (6) URL links, but you may only enter up to four (4) artworks total (as noted above)
• Suggested high-quality image type and size: JPEG 300 dpi at approximately 8″ x 10”
• If an artwork is selected, LSU School of Art will consider only high-quality images for press and promotion.
• Only the first 4 minutes of video and/or audio clips will be reviewed  

IMPORTANT DATES 

• Monday, May 6, Open Call launches
• Friday, June 14: Deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 19: Artists are notified of selection via email.
• Tuesday–Saturday, June 25–29 and Monday–Tuesday, July 1–2 Artwork Receiving at Glassell Gallery

*If mailing, you are encouraged to mail works as soon as possible after notification  

• Saturday, July 13: Exhibition opens to public
• Saturday, August 24: Closing Reception + Awards 6–8 p.m.
• September 3–8 – Pick up of work // September 9–13 – Shipping of Mailed Works