Rural: Call for Curators

Rural is an upcoming exhibition at Umpqua Valley Arts (UVA) featuring artworks made by artists living and working in rural Oregon. This is a call for curators to create this exhibit. Rural is defined by geographic location and population, seeking Oregon curators who currently reside or have lived in a rural community for a significant period of time in places with a population of 35,000 or less people. Rural excludes geographic locations that are suburban or part of greater metropolitan areas.

The exhibition will feature four curatorial visions contributing to a dialogue about traditional and contemporary art and craft practices in rural Oregon. Each curator will be responsible for an exhibit focusing on a theme of their choosing, will write a critical essay, and will participate in a curators' roundtable discussion. UVA will create a catalog featuring all essays and exhibition images. Curators will curate their exhibit from digital images with selections completed by May 1, 2022. Critical essays are due within 2 weeks of artwork selections for catalog preparation before the June opening reception.

Eligibility: Must be an Oregon resident currently living or having lived for a significant period in a rural community with a population of 35,000 or fewer. Can be an emerging or practicing curator. Must submit a portfolio of 10 images and written text for curatorial projects. Entry fee is $10. Curator stipend is $2,200. Deadline to apply is March 9, 2022. Curators will be selected within 14 days of call closure. The exhibition venue is located at Umpqua Valley Arts, 1624 W. Harvard Avenue, Roseburg, OR 97471.