Connections

Entry to the exhibition is free with FUSEDChicago Membership. Artists must be 18 or older and be a member of FUSEDChicago. Artists who are not currently members of FUSEDChicago are invited to join to submit to this call. The fee to join FUSEDChicago for this opportunity will be $25. (Membership is renewed annually at $50 on January 1, with new members receiving a 50% reduction in dues if joining after July 1.) FUSEDChicago membership is necessary to submit to this call but does not guarantee inclusion in this juried exhibition. Join FUSEDChicago at fusedchicago.com/membership

All submitted work MUST include the encaustic medium. Artworks must be original, professionally presented, and ready for installation. Works must be framed or otherwise ready for hanging. Artwork must be wired. Sawtooth hangers are NOT allowed. 2D and 3D work will be accepted. Works should not exceed 60 inches in any dimension or weigh more than 50 pounds. IMPORTANT: Note that the doorway into ARC Gallery measures 34 wide by 94 high.

Submission Instructions:
Submissions can only be made through EntryThingy. There is a maximum of three entries per artist. Images must be submitted as JPG files, no fewer than 480 pixels in the smaller dimension, at 300 dpi. Artists with 3D work should submit 2 views of each entry, e.g., front, and back, or full view and a significant detail. A work will be disqualified if the digital image(s) misrepresent the work in quality or form.

Files should be named as follows: LastNameFirstInitial_WorkTitle.jpg. Untitled works should use descriptions of the work in place of the title in the file name. Two examples of image file submissions are SmithJ_Weightless.jpg or RamirezE_UntitledPortrait.jpg.

Accepted Artwork:
Please attach your name and title to the back of accepted works.

Artwork selected for the exhibition must be delivered to the ARC Gallery by Friday, November 17, 2023. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday 2-6 pm, Saturday-Sunday noon-4 pm. Works shipped by common carriers (FedEx, UPS, USPS, etc.) must be shipped prepaid; you must also include a prepaid return shipping label for use at the end of the exhibition. DO NOT use the United States Postal Service to ship work to ARC Gallery.

Sales:
Unless works are noted as not-for-sale, sales are encouraged, and ARC Gallery DOES NOT take a commission on works sold.

Insurance:
ARC Gallery/Educational Foundation will not be held responsible for any loss or damage to exhibited work due to, but not limited to, water, fire, theft, vandalism, or mutilation. Artists are encouraged to consider insuring artwork to protect against possible loss or damage.

General Terms & Conditions:
Entry of any work to the exhibition is an agreement by the artist to the conditions of this prospectus. No accepted work may be withdrawn by the artist before the close of the exhibition.

About FUSEDChicago:
FUSEDChicago is an organization of artists based in the Midwest who share an interest in encaustic, a method of making art using pigmented wax fused to a surface by heat. Our mission is to advance public awareness of encaustic medium through workshops and thematic exhibitions of member work and to create professional opportunities for networking and learning exchanges for our members. All artist members of FUSEDChicago create art partly or entirely from encaustic. Our members are represented in art galleries locally and nationally, have been included in world-class expositions including EXPO Chicago and SOFA (Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design), and have work in collections throughout the world. Website: fusedchicago.com

About Encaustic:
Encaustic consists of natural beeswax and dammar resin (crystallized tree sap). The medium can be used alone for its transparency or pigment can be added. The medium is applied to an absorbent surface and each layer of paint is heated to fuse it to the previous layer. The word 'encaustic' comes from the Greek word enkaiein, meaning to burn in, referring to the process of fusing the paint. The now famous Fayum portraits, painted on mummy casings by the Egyptians during the Roman period, epitomize an early notable use of encaustic. After revivals of the medium during the 18th and 19th centuries, Jasper Johns' paintings in the 1950s brought encaustic to the forefront of modern art. Contemporary artists are drawn to this ancient medium for its dimensional quality and luminous color. The nature of encaustic paint allows artists to manipulate the surface by building texture, carving into the beeswax, embedding various items, or maintaining a glass-like finish.

About ARC Gallery:
ARC Gallery and Educational Foundation is located at 1463 W. Chicago Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. It is a not-for-profit gallery and foundation whose mission is to bring innovative, emerging, and/or experimental visual art to a wide range of viewers, and to provide a nurturing atmosphere for the continued development of artistic potential and dialogue. As a non-profit cooperative operated by a collective of feminist artists since 1973, ARC works to empower women by providing professional and mentoring opportunities in the visual arts. ARC serves to raise public awareness on various community-based issues by presenting exhibits, workshops, discussion groups, and programs by, and for, underserved populations. Website: arcgallery.org