2020 Best of the Gorge
September 4-26, 2020
About the Show
This premier show celebrates and rewards the best artwork produced by mid-Columbia Gorge artists. All mediums are welcome, such as drawing, painting, photography, glass, ceramics, sculpture, fiber art and digital and mixed media. Prizes will go to the best three artworks as chosen by the Juror.
In light of recent closures and events we have decided to postpone the Best of Gorge show until September of this year. In addition, we are re-framing the nature of the show and would like to invite artists to submit work in response to the recent events.
The past few months have been a time of unknown outcomes and movement toward change. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, stay at home orders, and closures – we have all been living in a time of uncertainty. The Black Lives Matter movement has cracked open the dialogue around race and injustice in America, and continues to grow momentum. We invite artists to submit work in response to, or influenced by these ongoing events.
Whereas previous Best of Gorge exhibitions have included a monetary award for participants, we will be donating proceeds to the ACLU. Awards will still be given, and artists honored. We hope that the gorge community will take this opportunity to create new work and to engage in the important discussions taking place.
We look forward to seeing what you’ll submit!
About the Juror
Kristin O'Neill was a set designer in LA for many years before moving to The Gorge. Her work required creating visual vignettes for film and TV. Some of her credits include the movie, Stewart Little and the television production of the MTV Awards. She currently uses her creative talents as the creative director of redhandadventures.com, as well as the co-owner of the performance-based event site The Ruins at the old cannery.
Eligibility
The show is open to all mid-Columbia residents who live at least three months annually in one of the following Columbia Gorge counties: Klickitat, Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, & Skamania counties.
How to Apply
Submissions are accepted from January 1, 2020 until August 9, 2020.
Apply online https://onlinejuriedshows.com (The show is titled Best of the Gorge 2020 on the site.) The Fee is $35.00 for up to three images.
Submitted pieces will be juried individually. It is probable that some artists will have more than one piece accepted. Purchasers may take their pieces at the time of purchase. If you have questions about appropriateness of your pieces and/or their prices, please contact Gallery Manager, at gallery@columbiaarts.org.
Contracts & Payment to Artists
Artists juried into the show will be asked to sign a Columbia Center for the Arts exhibition contract, and must submit an artist statement at the time of delivery on the work(s). Statements must be well-designed and cleanly printed on 8.5x11” white paper. The commission sales split is 60% revenue to the artist and 40% revenue to Columbia Center for the Arts. Payments to artists will occur by the 20th of the month following the exhibition.
Artist Reception
The opening of the show will be celebrated at an evening reception on First Friday, Sept 4, from 6-8pm. We ask all show artists to attend the opening event if possible. Juror, Kristin O’Neill, will attend First Friday and describe her process for selecting the winning pieces. We encourage artists to connect with visitors at the event to discuss their art.
Show Takedown
The show takedown will be on Saturday, Sept 26th. If you cannot be at Columbia Center for the Arts on that day to pick up any unsold pieces between 3pm-5pm, you must contact Gallery Manager, prior to September 26th to make other arrangements.