What is THE LAB?
THE LAB is a space programmed by VAE Raleigh to experiment with different themes and challenges for our creative community. Produced as part of VAE Raleigh’s exhibitions program, THE LAB provides artists a chance to exhibit in a highly-visible space and challenges them to incorporate a theme that will connect a run of twelve exhibitions. The theme for this call is COMMUNITY! THE LAB exhibits will run for roughly 3 weeks, and will be on view for one First Friday reception.
What do we mean when we say COMMUNITY?
We think of community in a very open way! Community can be a group of people that that share common interests, share a history, share a characteristic - community means a common bond is shared. This is an opportunity for you to work together, engage the public and have access to a great space to showcase your work. The golden rule—it must come from, engage, or interact with a community! We want you to work together with your community.
Artists and curators are encouraged to submit exhibition proposals that consider community in a variety of ways, possibly including:
> A collaboration between artists from the community
> A curated exhibition of works that tell a story of community
> An interactive exhibition and invites the community to interact
> An exhibition that incorporates another artistic practices of the community: dance, spoken word, stand-up comedy, musical performance, theatre, etc!
Simple examples to get you going:
> An exhibition of work by multiple artists individual works organized around your community
> An exhibition of works that were created collaboratively from your community
> Curate a body of collection of works by artists whose work you think communicates well with one another and tells the story of a community
EXHIBITION STIPENDS - $250.
We are super excited to announce that Allen Tate Realtors is partnering with VAE to support THE LAB. This partnership allows VAE to offer a $250 exhibition stipend for each monthly exhibit.
DEADLINE
Proposals for THE LAB are due by 11:59pm EST on Thursday, February 15, 2018.
THE PHYSICAL SPACE
Located in the storefront of our main gallery space at 309 West Martin Street, THE LAB offers artists the ability to make their exhibition the front face of VAE.
THE LAB features 2 large windows, 4 walls, 14' ceilings, and just over 550 sqft of floor space. The floor is concrete and cannot be drilled into. Electricity is available in the space. There is ample natural light and track lighting. Artwork that is light-sensitive may not be the best fit for THE LAB as there is no way to block out the sunlight completely, but we invite you to show us how it can be done in your project proposal!
1 - WALL: this wall separates THE LAB from VAE’s Main Gallery space. The wall is 19’10” wide and 12’9” tall.
2 - WALL: This wall is 11’2” wide and 9’ tall.
3 - SWINGING WALL: This wall is mounted on large, sturdy hinges that allow it to swing away from the wall, exposing the building's electrical panels. Artwork mounted on this wall should be done so in a way that makes it secure enough to move with the wall. Artwork placed in front of this wall should be easily moveable.
4 - WINDOW: The window is 10' wide and 12'6" tall to the ceiling. At the base of the window is a 17.5" section of brick and cannot be drilled into. Atop this section is a 6.5" wide wooden ledge. The two clear window panes are 86" tall with VAE's logo in the corner 60" from the bottom ledge. Above these two clear panes of glass (103.5" from the floor) is a 4" piece of wood, with the possibility of installing a hanging rod.
5 - PATH OF TRAVEL: This is an invisible line along the gallery floor between the left side of VAE's front door and 1- Wall. This is the designated path of travel for gallery visitors. The line spans 21'. The floor cannot be drilled into or altered in any permanent way.
6 - WINDOW: The window is 10' wide and 12'6" tall to the ceiling. At the base of the window is a 17.5" section of brick and cannot be drilled into. Atop this section is a 6.5" wide wooden ledge. The two clear window panes are 86" tall. Above these two clear panes of glass (103.5" from the floor) is a 4" piece of wood, with the possibility of installing a hanging rod.
7- WALL: This wall is 19'6” wide and 9’ tall.
THE CEILING: The ceiling is 12'6" tall and made of tin. Nothing can be drilled into or nailed to the ceiling. Objects less than 2lbs can hang from the ceiling using magnets.
SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL
ELIGIBILITY
THE LAB call-for-proposals is open to all artists, artist teams and curators. Proposals must show promise and good conceptual grounding that are collaborative in nature. Applicants do NOT need to be VAE members to apply, although at least one participating exhibitor/collaborator will have to be a member at the time of the exhibition. Read more about becoming a member of VAE! All media is encouraged. The cycle will run September 2017 - August 2018 (skipping December).
APPLICATION EVALUATION
Applications are evaluated by VAE staff and guest curators. Applicants will be notified via email by July 15th after the review of the status of their application.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Application materials include project statement, contact information for participating artists, resume(s), image inventory, 5-10 samples of your work, and $10 for members / $15 for non-members application fee. Detailed guidelines for applying are below.
> Project Statements should be no longer than one page and should describe your proposed collaborative idea.
> Resumes should show prior exhibition history.
> Image Inventory should provide important details about the support materials submitted. Your inventory must contain the following information for each sample: the filename (“01_LASTNAME_TITLE.jpg”), title, medium, dimensions, retail price (if applicable) and year of completion. Upload your inventory as a .doc or .pdf.
> Application Fee must be processed in order for your application to be considered complete. You will be directed to the payment page after you have submitted your completed application.
> 5-10 samples* of your work**. All files should be named like so: 01_LASTNAME_TITLE.jpg, 02_LASTNAME_TITLE.jpg, 03_LASTNAME_TITLE.mov, etc.
Still images should be uploaded as jpegs, should be at least 1000px at their widest dimension, not to exceed 2MB per image. Follow the filename format for works as indicated above.
Video samples should be edited to no longer than 2 minute excerpts. It is strongly preferred that video & audio artists submit their work online through clips or url addresses to online sharing formats like hulu, vimeo, youtube, or dropbox. Videos submitted as uploaded files should be submitted as Quicktime files whose width is no larger than 720px and file size is no larger than 10MB (as that is the largest file eligible for upload on our entry software). Please only submit video art or video documentation of an art piece that requires video to be fully experienced. Do not send video walk-throughs of static exhibitions or video slide shows. While web-hosted submissions are strongly preferred, video and audio samples can be submitted on CD if necessary. Please contact Erika Corey to make arrangements. Follow the filename format for works as indicated above.
Audio: Audio should be submitted as separate MP3 files. Each track should be no longer than 2 minutes. Follow the filename format for works as indicated above.
Web-based: Web-based work should be submitted as a URL listed in the work sample list. Please only submit web-based projects. A portfolio website that features audio/video art and still images will not be considered.
*Artists applying with still images only should send 5-10 jpegs. Artists applying with video only should send 5 samples maximum. Artists applying with audio or web-based work only should apply with 5-10 samples. If you are sending a combination of file types, keep in mind that one video or audio file is equivalent to five jpegs and adjust your sample number accordingly. Extra submitted files will not be reviewed.
**If the work you are proposing to exhibit in THE LAB is still currently in progress, no problem! You can submit .jpeg drawings of what you expect the work will be like, or you can rely solely on images of past work and your written narrative to describe the work you are proposing. It’s your call! THE LAB selection panel is interested in both the work you are applying to show and your past work.
Incomplete or inaccurately assembled applications will not be considered. Notifications of acceptance or rejection will be sent via email. Please update your contact information if anything changes before you receive notification.
EXHIBITION SLOTS
July 2018
Opening Reception: July 6, 6-10pm
Install: July 2-5
Deinstall: July 27-28
August 2018
Opening Reception: August 3, 6-10pm
Install: July 30-August 2
Deinstall: August 31 - September 1
September 2018
Opening Reception: September 7, 6-10pm
Install: September 3-6
Deinstall: September 28-29
October 2018
Opening Reception: October 5, 6-10pm
Install: October 1-4
Deinstall: October 26-27
November 2018
Opening Reception: November 2, 6-10pm
Install: October 29-November 1
Deinstall: November 23-24
February 2018
Opening Reception: February 2, 6-10pm
Install: January 29 - February 1
Deinstall: February 23-24
March 2018
Opening Reception: March 2, 6-10pm
Install: February 26 - March 1
Deinstall: March 30-31
April 2018
Opening Reception: April 6, 6-10pm
Install: April 2-5
Deinstall: April 27-28
May 2018
Opening Reception: May 4, 6-10pm
Install: April 30-May 3
Deinstall: May 25-26
June 2018
Opening Reception: June 1, 6-10pm
Install: May 28-31
Deinstall: June 29-30
THE FINE PRINT
EXHIBIT INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE
Artists are allotted 4 days to install their work. The installations must be fully complete by 2pm on the Thursday before the First Friday reception. Gallery staff is happy to support you during the installation of your exhibit, but the bulk of the responsibility of installing your work is on you. VAE provides wall vinyl signage for each show. Any maintenance required during the duration of the exhibit (other than turning the space on and off) is also up to you. If the exhibition requires regular interaction (like turning a piece on and off morning and night) from gallery staff it is up to the artist to make certain that the components can be operated while standing on the floor and that there are written directions for operating the pieces. At the end of the exhibition it is the artist’s responsibility to return the space to its original state by painting, spackling, sweeping (or whatever is needed). VAE is happy to provide spackle, sandpaper, brushes, rollers, drop cloths, etc., but if extensive repainting (or repairs) is required the artist may be asked to contribute money to purchase supplies, or to put down a refundable deposit prior to installing.
MONEY
The only fees associated with this exhibit are the initial application fees ($10 members / $15 non-members). VAE does extensive online marketing of its shows (including your own page on the VAE website), but does not print postcards. VAE cannot offer any financial support for projects in THE LAB.
SALES & COMMISSION
You do not have to offer salable work in THE LAB. Should you decide to, VAE earns 30% commission on the sales of members’ works, and 50% on sales of non-members’ works.