Exploring the Art of Language: Fountain Street Gallery Call for Art

Fountain Street Gallery presents an international call for works that explore the art of language. Art assists in facilitating the exchange of ideas, opinions, and feelings. Whether we communicate through written, spoken, signed, or graphic means, visual artists can behave as a gateway and/or interpreter. Language can be direct, subtle, or subliminal. This call asks artists to interpret widely when selecting works to submit and to consider: How has language evolved? Has human dependence on devices altered our ways of communicating? Is the original intent getting lost in translation? Is the emoji or meme of today expressing at a deeper level than iconography of the past? Language doesn't necessarily need to be spoken or written (or signed); it can also be visual, or symbolic, a vernacular, a common vocabulary.

Artists can submit a maximum of 5 pieces, and all work must be for sale. The entry fee of $36 covers 3 artwork submissions; up to 2 additional artworks may be submitted for $10 each (optional), for a maximum of 5 artworks total. 2D works must be no larger than 60" tall or wide. Diptychs/Triptychs are considered one entry. 3D works can be no larger than 60" tall and 24" deep, and should weigh no more than 75 lbs. Three-dimensional installation work is encouraged; if installation artwork is chosen, the artist must be available during install dates Monday–Tuesday, February 14–15, 2022. Accepted video or interactive submissions must be shown online in their full length. If the spoken language in the video is not English, please provide a translated transcription. If work is accepted, the artist may be required to provide necessary display and viewing equipment, including tv/display monitor, media player, USB drive, mounting hardware, remote controls, and batteries. Entries must represent original works created in the past three years that address the theme in some considerable way. This call is open to any and all media, traditional and nontraditional; two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and video artwork is accepted.

Three awards will be distributed: Jurors' Choice (x1) and Honorable Mention (x2). All award winners will be included in a three-person award show in the Annex space of the gallery, a $450 value. The show will be curated by a Fountain Street Core Member. Juror Gabriel Sosa is a Cuban-American artist, educator, and linguist who draws from legal proceedings, personal archives, and contemporary visual culture to explore the mutability of language, the imperfection of memory, and the misinterpretation of both. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by December 19, 2021. Exhibition dates: 2/16/22 - 3/27/22.