Alaska Contemporary Art Bank Call for Art

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 artists in Alaska through purchase of their work. The collection has grown to more than 700 artworks in a wide variety of media, styles and subject matter. The Art Bank provides a circulating collection of Alaskan artwork to exhibit in public areas other than museums.

Works submitted to the 2017 ACAB call for art will be selected for purchase by the ASCA'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 recommended to and approved for purchase by the Arts Council. Artwork is purchased directly from the artist, not through an intermediary entity such as a gallery or agent. VAAC and Arts Council members are not eligible to apply. Art Bank artworks are loaned 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.

Applicants must be an Alaskan resident or have been an Alaskan resident when the work was created. Work must have been created in the last five years. All artwork must be original, not a reproduction or copyright violation, and priced no higher than $4,000. Artists can submit up to 6 images of artwork available for purchase. Due to shipping and display demands 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. All media will be considered, but priority may be given to types of works most in demand by the loan program. ASCA will pay for shipping of selected artworks; the artist is responsible for packing and securing delivery to the ASCA office. The application deadline is 9:59 PM Alaska Standard time, Friday, September 8, 2017. Artists will be notified of acceptance by October 15 (tentative).