Sanctuary

GearBox Gallery invites submissions to Sanctuary, a 2020 juried exhibition exploring themes of refuge, safety, and home. Originally, sanctuaries were natural locations where the divine or sacred was believed to be especially present. The term has evolved to mean a place where someone or something is protected or given shelter, as refuge or safety from pursuit, persecution, or other danger. This theme extends to what it means to have a home or a place of safety and what it means to not have one—issues currently facing communities globally, nationally, and in Oakland and the Bay Area.

Eligibility is open to Northern California artists over the age of 18. Artwork must be original to the submitting artist, of any media, and created between 2016 and 2020. Works must be able to be delivered through a standard size doorway. All entries must include title, medium, year, and specific dimensions. Work differing substantially from submitted images may be rejected. Work must be framed (when applicable) and ready to hang. Artists must provide means of display for audio or video works and be prepared to install complex installation works if necessary. The entry fee is $35 (non-refundable). Up to 3 image or media files may be submitted per application. Submissions must be made online through CaFÉ for Artists by Monday, June 22, 2020 at 10 p.m. Pacific Time Zone.

The juror is René de Guzman, Director of Exhibition Strategy and Senior Curator of Art at the Oakland Museum of California. Artists will be notified of selections by email on July 7, 2020. Accepted artwork must be hand-delivered to GearBox Gallery at 770 West Grand Ave, Oakland, CA between noon and 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 2, 2020. The exhibition runs August 6 – September 5, 2020. Artwork must be picked up between noon and 4 p.m. on Sunday, September 6, 2020. Artwork remaining past specified pick-up dates will be subject to a $10 per day storage fee; after 15 days it becomes the property of the gallery. Awards include the Juror's Award (featured guest artist in a two-person exhibition at GearBox Gallery the following year) and the GearBox Gallery Award (opportunity to exhibit in the Inner Room). Artwork must be for sale. If sold during the exhibition, GearBox Gallery retains 40% of the sale price. If artwork is sold within three months after the exhibit ends as a direct result of the gallery display, the artist agrees to pay GearBox Gallery a 25% referral commission. The artist assumes all liability for artwork during the show's dates.