MSA Select: House on Fire
Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center, Community Gallery
Lexington, Kentucky
Indoor Sculpture Exhibition
Juror: Alicia Henry
$500 Best in Show award
Two Honorable Mention awards of free twelve month membership
Overview
MSA is partnering with the City of Lexington ’s Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center to present a juried exhibition of work by MSA professional members. This exhibit seeks to foster MSA ’s mission to advance the creation and awareness of sculpture in its many and varied forms and promote a supportive environment for sculpture and sculptors. The Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center is an arts and entertainment center located in the heart of Lexington. The Center offers high-quality theater, dance, music, visual and new media arts.
Application and Exhibit Timeline
Application Deadline October 12
Acceptance Notification October 19
Accepted Work Delivery & Installation November 2-5
Exhibition Opens November 6
Virtual Gallery Hop November 20
Closing December 31
Artist Eligibility
This opportunity is open to all professional visual artists, aged 18 and older, who are current or new professional members of MSA. Each applicant may enter up to THREE works; all entries must have been conceived and created by the artist submitting the work; all media suitable for indoor exhibition will be considered. Applying for membership can be made when submitting for this exhibition.
Site
The Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center is a multi-faceted event space featuring two galleries. The Community Gallery, located on the second floor will host the exhibition.
Juror
Alicia Henry received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a MFA from Yale University School of Art. She has received numerous awards, fellowships and grants, including the Joan Mitchel Painter and Sculptor Grant; the Guggenheim Fellowship ; and the Ford Foundation Fellowship ; residencies at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, the Fine Arts Work Centre in Provincetown; Art in General, New York ; Women’s Studio Workshop; and the MacDowell Art Colony. Most recently, Henry received the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art Award ; and the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts Fellowship. Her work has been written about in Artforum International, ARTS ATL, New York Studio Conversations II, The Human Aura in Art, Nashville Arts Magazine, the BURNAWAY, The Female Gaze: Women Artist Making Their World, Art of Tennessee, Taboo, and The Globe and Mail.
Her work has been exhbited in numerous solo and group shows including the Atlanta Biennial; the 13th Havana Biennial (Matanzas); Cheekwood Museum, Nashville; Frist Museum, Nashville ; the Hunter Museum of American Art Tennessee State Museum, Nashville; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia; the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts ; South Bend Museum of Art, South Bend, Indiana ; Islip Museum, New York ; the Nashville International Airport; Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City; and the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh. Henry is a Professor of Art at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Artwork Themes
MSA encourages entries of an exciting, vibrant, and energetic nature. Artworks that reflect upon current and historic realities of diversity and inclusion, systemic racism, and/or the struggle for equality and understanding are encouraged, but not mandated. Other interpretations of the theme of “House on Fire” may include environmental issues such as climate change, or the current political divisions within the United States. The shape and content of the show will be defined entirely by the juror.
Awards
Installation
All accepted artwork should either be shipped or hand delivered to the Community Gallery at the Pam Miller Downtown Art Center, 141 E. Main St, Lexington, Kentucky, no later than November 5th.
Artwork Scale
Free standing, wall mounted, and light-weight suspended sculptures will be considered. Sculptures should be no larger than 6 ’ in one direction or easily disassembled and reassembled. Sculptures over 200lbs will require the artist to participate in installation and de-installation.
Limitation & Restrictions
1. All work must be original and completed within the last 5 years.
2. Wall mounted artworks must be ready to hang upon delivery and include anchoring hardware appropriate for masonry walls.
3. One suspended artwork will be considered for display in the stairwell. If selected, artwork must be ready to hang upon delivery and include all anchoring hardware.
4. All shipping or hand delivery and the return of artwork for the exhibition is the responsibility of the artist.
5. MSA reserves the right to reject works that are misrepresented in the application process or are not properly outfitted to display in the gallery.
Artist Responsibilities
MSA and the Community Gallery will supply power, tools, pedestals and assistance for installation. The artist will provide all hardware needed. Selected artist are encouraged to help with the installation of artwork. If not possible, detailed installation directions should be included.
Notification
Both selected and rejected artists will be notified of their selection by e-mail.
Community Gallery Hours
Wednesdays – Fridays, noon — 5pm
The Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center has a sanitizing protocol every two hours and the state of Kentucky has a mask mandate.
For further information regarding MSA please visit midsouthsculpture.org or contact Baggs McKelvey, Managing Director at admin@midsouthsculpture.org or 423.903.5648
Application Requirements
Images of up to 3 sculptures for consideration. If necessary, please include additional detail shots of work submitted. Works in progress will be considered only if images clearly depicting where the sculpture is to this point and a detailed technical drawing is included. No more than 10 images total. Each image must be:
• Saved in jpeg format
• Set color to RGB
• Image size should not exceed horizontal pixel dimension of 1920 pixels or vertical pixel dimension of 1080 pixels
• each file must be less than 1MB
• Saved as artist ’s last name and image ’s title. Example: DOE_UNTITLED.jpg
• A complete list of images. For each image, include:
• Title
• Medium
• Dimensions
• Weight of sculpture
• Date completed
• Short Artist statement and/or artist bio (150 words max)
• Completed entry form
Apply and upload here
Submitting your application indicates that you have read and understood all guidelines and criterion contained within this prospectus. To the best of your knowledge, you are eligible to be considered for MSA ’s Juried Member Exhibition. Your application contains your work and the information in your resume is complete and true. You understand that if accepted, it will be your responsibility to deliver your work to the Community Gallery ready for hanging and on time, concurrent with any schedules given to you upon acceptance. If accepted, the work presented with this application is the work that will be installed in the exhibit.
No person will be excluded from participation in or otherwise subjected to discrimination in regard to services, programs and employment, provided by MSA based on color, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, age or religion.
