NATIONAL OPEN CALL
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT: SUNDAY, SEPT 30th AT MIDNIGHT
ARMISTICE DAY, 2018
On November 11th, 2018, the world will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the day the guns fell silent on the Western Front and the fighting ended in the War to End All Wars.
This November, Puffin Cultural Forum and Frontline Arts will commemorate that date in all its bitter irony: the sorrow and pity of the War, the hundred bloody years it spawned, and the early hopes for world peace.
For the United States, the world leadership first earned on the fields of France, then solidified in North Africa, Europe, and the Pacific islands, endowed us not with wisdom and sharing, but with suspicion and greed.
As World War II ended, Russia occupied Eastern Europe and an “Iron Curtain,” in Winston Churchill’s poetic words, descended across Europe. Allied armies faced off against Russian forces in an uneasy peace. Soon after, Russia developed an Atomic Bomb of its own and heightened an already tense situation. The ouster of our Nationalist allies, from mainland China by Mao Tse-Tung’s Communist Chinese army and the sudden, and then lingering, war in Korea, enlivened reactionary American politics.
At home, Senator Joseph McCarthy, with an angry religious zeal, sold the idea that there were communists and traitors in every sector of American life. Congressional response to global and homegrown hysteria came in 1954 when they ended Armistice Day and enshrined November 11th as a day to honor American veterans. The contrast between the ending of war and the celebration of an endless supply of veterans is startling. The United States entered an age of thoughtless acceptance of never-ending war.
The Twentieth Century has become the century that does not want to die. Yet, through those hundred years into a New Century, artists and writers, thinkers and builders, voices of peace and justice, have emerged with an awareness of the Orwellian state of the world.
Artists from across the country are invited to submit work exploring our world which no longer feels brave nor new. It is in that spirit that our exhibit, “ARMISTICE DAY, 2018,” seeks artists who feel the crush of history, who look to use their gifts to fight back, to make things better, to celebrate or to laugh at our reality. Work created with hope and understanding inspires the citizen, uniformed or not, to stand against those who would allow history to repeat itself, yet again.
Frontline Paper
Frontline Paper, formerly known as Combat Paper NJ, is a program under the socially engaging arts organization, Frontline Arts. The unique paper created in this program is handmade by Veterans from U.S. military uniforms. A Veteran’s art project since 2011, we Deconstruct our uniforms into postage stamp-size pieces, Reclaim them as paper using traditional papermaking tools and practices, and Communicate our stories through art. As we have grown, we have partnered with non-veteran groups and artists to share experience and ideas. Information on Frontline Arts is available at frontlinearts.org. Artists interested in working on handmade paper from our Frontline Paper program will find more information on frontlinearts.org/store.
Puffin Cultural Forum
The Puffin Cultural Forum, a project of the Puffin Foundation Ltd., is the gallery and performance space located at the site of the Foundation's administrative offices in Teaneck, New Jersey. Our work takes place at the intersection of the arts and the struggle for human rights as we seek to realize in our local community the Puffin Foundation's governing motto: "...continuing the dialogue between art and the lives of ordinary people". We deeply believe in the crucial role that the arts play in shaping our consciousness, and the role of artists as agents of social change. PuffinCulturalForum.org.
ENTRY GUIDELINES
ELIGIBILITY
- Open Call for artists nationwide
- All artwork must be relevant to the theme of history-driven critique and commentary on the age of never-ending war
- Open to both representational and abstract works
- FREE entry for Frontline Arts’ Members. Membership must be current at time of submission. Not a member? Sign up at www.frontlinearts.org/membership/ and enter this show at no additional cost
- Non-Member Submission Fee of $5 per artwork, with up to 3 artwork submissions per artist
- All artwork must be the original creation of the artist submitting. Digital reproductions of work previously created in other media will not be accepted.
- Media include traditional printmaking, digital printmaking, works using handmade paper, artists’ books, drawing, painting, sculpture, works on paper, and photography
- Two-dimensional artwork may not exceed 48” in any direction, including the mat and frame
- Three-dimensional artwork may not exceed 36” in any direction. Maximum weight for 3-D artwork is fifty (50) pounds.
- All artwork must be ready-to-hang with proper hardware attached. Frames for 2-D work are not mandatory but are recommended. Hanging artwork should have eyehooks and wire if framed; unframed artwork should have all necessary hanging attachments in place at time of drop-off.
ENTRY SPECIFICATIONS
- Artists may submit up to THREE pieces of artwork for consideration
- Up to THREE total images may be sent for EACH piece of artwork (the artwork as a whole and two details)
- FREE entry of submissions for Frontline Arts’ current Members
- Non-Member Submission Fee of $5 per artwork sent for consideration
- Payment for Non-Member Submissions is due by the September 30th, Midnight deadline and payable on the Open Call Registration Page (link below)
- No entry will be viewed by the curator without proper submission fees by the deadline
- Images must be sent digitally via email, in jpeg or png format. Images must not exceed 1MB in file size.
- You must email your images along with each image’s description to FAentries@gmail.com
- Enter “Armistice Day, 2018” in the subject line
- In the email, include a description of each artwork:
- Title, Date, Medium, Dimensions
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Sale Price or Not For Sale (NFS)
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If NFS, you must include the artwork’s value for the insurance policy
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3-5 sentences on how your piece relates to the theme of the exhibition
- Include an Artist Statement with your email as an attachment, not to exceed 500 words
- Include your full name, address, and phone number in the email