Alaska Contemporary Art Bank 2013

The Alaska Contemporary Art Bank (ACAB) was founded in 1975 by the Alaska State Council on the Arts to expose Alaskans to high quality work by contemporary Alaskan artists through the loaning of original art to public offices throughout Alaska, and to provide support to professional artists in Alaska through purchase of their work. The collection has grown to more than 700 art works in a wide variety of media, styles and subject matter. Works submitted to the 2013 ACAB call for art will be selected for purchase by the ACSA's Visual Arts Advisory Committee (VAAC), a statewide group of artists and arts administrators who advise the Arts Council in policy and art acquisition. Selected artworks are then approved for purchase by the Arts Council. Artwork is purchased directly from the artist, not an intermediary entity such as a gallery or agent.

Art Bank artworks are loaned out for display in public areas owned and operated by the State of Alaska, University of Alaska departments, the State Legislature and in the offices of Alaskan members of the U.S. Congress. Artwork must be durable and appropriate for public areas. ASCA provides labels that identify the artist and artwork title to accompany the pieces. Under State of Alaska regulations, VAAC and Arts Council members are not eligible to apply for Art Bank acquisitions.

Qualifications: Applicants must be an Alaskan resident or an Alaskan resident at the time the work was created. Work must have been created in the last five years. Artwork must be original and not a reproduction or a copyright violation. Works must be priced no higher than $4,000. All media will be considered, but priority may be given to types of works most in demand by the loan program. Due to the demands of shipping and display in public areas, work must be durable; 2-D works must be framed with hanging devices and 3-D works must be self-supporting. Imagery must be generally suitable for display in public buildings. Artists can submit up to 6 images of artwork available for purchase. ASCA will pay for shipping of artworks selected for purchase; the artist will be responsible for packing and securing delivery to the ASCA office. The application deadline is 11:59 PM Alaska Standard time, Friday, March 1, 2013. Artists will be notified of acceptance by April 15, 2013 (tentative).