Art on the Ave
&
West Harlem Arts Alliance
Open Call for Art Entry
Show Title: West Harlem, Where Art Lives!
Amid the empty windows of shuttered storefronts, the West Harlem Arts Alliance will present Art on the Ave in a vibrant initiative to breathe life into a commercial corridor of our community by providing an exhibition celebrating the works of local artists who will dialogue about West Harlem: a community rooted in history, alive with culture, and “still climbin” .
From the Harlem Renaissance's resonating history to the burgeoning revival of its modern-day creativity, West Harlem and its neighborhoods of Morningside Heights, Manhattanville and Hamilton Heights, embody one of New York City’s latest and most fertile areas for the creative arts today.
If you live, work or play in West Harlem, or even if you just have a close affinity for its neighborhoods, their storied history, diverse cultures and rebirth as a place where art lives, then please submit your art for this Art on the Ave exhibition that will recognize and celebrate the talent and vision of local artists, and provide a glimpse of West Harlem’s present day vibrancy, diversity and creativity.
Art submissions can be expressly created for this exhibition or be extant. In submitting works for consideration, West Harlem artists may explore a wide range of themes. West Harlem artists may choose subjects, topics of discourse or of artistic representation that relate to their own vision and personal sense of growth & success as a way for this exhibition to highlight the evolving character and cultural landscape that continues to shape West Harlem’s artistic trajectory.
We leave it to the artists to interpret how their work speaks to the notion of West Harlem’s most apropos moniker, “…where art lives.”
As is customary with most Art on the Ave presentations, the artist is expected to provide a brief narrative or artistic statement about the submitted art work as part of the exhibition itself, which will be accessible via a QR code.
What will the project look like?
Art on the Ave uses vacant storefronts in high - visibility but shuttered locations to create interactive art exhibitions for the whole community to enjoy.
Produced by the West Harlem Arts Alliance, this Art on the Ave iteration will be located along the old Hamilton Place corridor along Montefiore Square, and will seek to display the works of up to 50 artists in two rotations over the course of three months.
The intention is to showcase West Harlem artists, especially through works that express, in literal or symbolic ways, the West Harlem community values of inclusivity & diversity, social equity & justice, community concern & activism, environmental health & nature conservancy, empathy and compassion.
A brief narrative statement will serve to help in the understanding of the connections made to reflect the exhibition’s spirit and aspirational values.
Technical Parameters:
There is no fee for applying. The artwork submitted may be new or existing works.
Artwork must be:
2-dimensional in physical form (at this time, we cannot accept sculptures).
There will be two sizes of gallery walls. 2ft wide and 4ft wide, so submitted pieces CANNOT exceed 36in by 36in.
The art work must be “gallery-ready,” i.e. photography to be framed without glass or with non-reflective glass, artwork on canvas must be stretched, etc. The artwork MUST BE ready to hang.
Project Timeline:
August 2nd 2024: Application Deadline
August 5th 2024: Selections Announced
August 11th 2024: Deadline for artwork to be delivered to a designated location
August 15th 2024: Installation
November 10th 2024: End of exhibition
Application Requirements:
A brief artist narrative or statement, which details why the submission meets the project’s aspirational values.
Artist Bio/ Resume.
Links to website and social media channels, if available.
Phone Number/Address
Artwork application submission - The artist may submit up to 3 pieces for consideration, either as a JPeg or PNG file, with a maximum 5 MB per image.
Artwork’s stated medium and dimensions should reflect the final framed size if the piece will be framed.
As we also promote artist’s works for sale at affordable rates (and for insurance purposes), the stated price for a work of art cannot exceed $3,000.
Accepted applicants will receive more detailed information about the logistical parameters of the exhibition as well as how the sale of works will be handled.
If you have any questions or would like some clarity about your submission, please email info@artontheavenyc.com. Applications that do not follow the most basic parameters of the guidelines, or Artwork that is not as was represented in the submission, may delay acceptance or not be accepted at all.
NOTE- Art of the Ave storefront exhibitions are presented in spaces made available by commercial property owners. Accordingly, the exhibition’s capacity to present as many artists as can physically fit is contingent as empty storefront availability is confirmed.
Read about the West Harlem Arts Alliance at www.whaanyc.org .