Call for Artists – High School Students Prospectus

High school students enrolled in High Schools residing in the Highland Community College district. Please see the Eligibility section outlined above.

Yes, artists may submit a maximum of 3 entries for a nonrefundable fee of $1 per work. Please see the Rules of Entry section above.

Yes, Best of Show, First, Second and Third Place receives a cash award as well as a placement ribbon. Best of School Awards receive Certificates, and Honorable Mentions receive a placement ribbon. 

Your submission must be an original concept and execution created in the last two years and not a copy or reproduction of the work of another. Additionally, all work must conform to the following limitations:

• Two-dimensional work may not exceed five feet in any dimension and must be mounted or matted in white, off-white, or black materials only. 
• Work does not have to framed, but must be suitably wired and ready for installation.
• Paintings on stretchers must have edges painted, or framed.
• Three-dimensional work designed to sit on podiums must not exceed 100 lbs, and the base must not exceed 12 inches.
• Three-dimensional work designed to sit on the floor may not exceed 30 inches in width or depth, or exceed 6 feet in height.
• All work must fit through a standard doorway.
• Final selections and awards will be chosen based on meeting the above Rules of Entry as well as artistic excellence and originality.  Final selections will be made by an objective Juror involved in the art field both as an artist as well as educator. Amongst other criteria, the Juror will consider the following when making their final selections and awards:

1. Is the submission and its message worthy of discussion?

2. Does the submission explore an idea or concept in a unique and intriguing manner? 

3. Does the submission meet the above through a resolved or intriguing handling of medium?

Please see the Eligibility, Rules of Entry, and Limitations sections above

Yes, you retain all rights to your work of art. However, by your submission, you agree to grant Highland Gallery a non-exclusive, royalty-free, license to use, display and market your art for educational and publicity purposes. Please see the Publicity section above.

Yes, all accepted work will be identified by artist, title and media.

Your original artwork may be in any media, as long as it adheres to the criteria listed above and on the prospectus. Please see the Eligibility, Rules of Entry, and Limitations sections above.

Submissions, actual works of art and completed Entry Forms, must be hand-delivered on the date listed on the prospectus. If work is submitted by any other individual other than the art instructor or the artist on behalf of the artist, Highland Gallery must have written consent from the artist to accept submissions by that specific individual. This must be done prior to actual submission by emailing the request to highlandgallery@highland.edu. If this date is inconvenient, special arrangements can be made for early drop off, but must be done at least one week in advance by contacting Highland Gallery at highlandgallery@highland.edu. No late submissions will be accepted. Please see the 2024 Calendar above.

All submissions, actual works of art and Entry Forms, must be hand delivered on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. In case of inclement weather where the college is officially closed, a new submission date will be posted on the Highland website at highland.edu/gallery. Please see the 2024 Calendar above.

Once the Juror has made their choices, rejected work and award winners only will be notified, accordingly, by email.  

• Rejected submissions will not be included in this exhibition, and this will be conveyed in the email.
• Award winners will be informed that they have placed; but will not be given any specifics regarding the work of art or actual placement.  Award winners will be announced prior to or on the date of the start of the exhibition.

The exhibit will be displayed at Highland Gallery, in the West wing of the Ferguson Fine Center of Highland Community College.

The college is located at:
2998 West Pearl City Road
Freeport IL
61032

The exhibit runs April 17-May 8, 2024. An Opening Reception takes place on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 4:30-6 p.m. with Awards announced at 5:30 p.m.

One of the primary reasons submissions are rejected is because artists are not adhering to the Rules of Entry and Limitations outlined on the prospectus and listed above. Specifically, matting, wiring, and incorrect submission size are the primary reasons for rejected work.

Matting, Mounting, and Wiring

Although a colored matt or mount may have the look you think best for your work, white or off-white matting and mounting is the preferred (and as in this case, required) presentation for juried exhibitions. This is done to avoid any visual distraction or elaboration from the work of art; which is, after all, the most important component of your presentation.

When wiring a two-dimensional work of art for exhibit installation, it is important to do so properly. The best method, and one often required for exhibitions, is to use screw eyes or strap hangers, or hanging hardware specifically made for your frame, and braided picture hanging wire.  The size of the screw eye, strap hanger, or specialty hardware and braided picture wire gauge need to be determined by the total weight of your work and presentation materials. Please note: Sawtooth picture hanging hardware is not allowed.

Copyright Infringement

Above all, your work of art should be your own creation.  Although you may be inspired by imagery and ideas gained from viewing other works of art, creating a work of art that too closely approximates a work of art already in existence will most likely be considered copyright infringement unless you have the written permission of the artist to do so, or that work is in public domain. To avoid copyright infringement, create your own work. If you are heavily inspired by other’s work and want to somehow incorporate their visual components into your work you will need to change or alter their original images in substantial ways to avoid infringement.  Your work of art needs to look different enough that the original work has been so modified that it can’t be recognized as a reference.  You can find more here, including fair rights, here.

A secondary reason for rejected work is often choosing a work that may not be ready for exhibition.  This is referred to as unresolved work.

• When choosing works of art for exhibition purposes, it is important to be objective.  If the exhibition has a theme then you will want to make sure you are conforming to that theme.  Weather there is a specific theme or not, you will want to make sure that your work is visually ready, or resolved, for exhibition.  A resolved work means that the form and content have been analyzed and you probably have made revisions based on refining these components.
• Form is the way the work of art looks, including the handling of the media and technical concerns as well as how you have organized the elements (line, shape, form, etc…) and principles of design (such as balance, area of emphasis, contrast, etc…) in the work of art.
• Content is the meaning, feeling, or message you are attempting to develop.  Remember, art is communication, so your viewing audience is going to attempt to figure out what you are visually communicating.
• An unresolved work of art suggests that the artist has not taken the time to objectively analyze the work of art to make sure it is as strong and intriguing as possible.  Unresolved works of art often feel unfinished, or unbalanced, or technically underdeveloped to the average eye. 
• A resolved work suggest that the artists has taken time to analyze form and content, and made necessary revisions so the work of art no longer appears to struggle in its communication.

Although the above is somewhat subjective, most people viewing works of art are able to tell when a work of art is unresolved. They may not be able to put this into the proper words, but our eyes do not lie to us.

Please read the Call for Artists carefully to make sure you are meeting the Rules of Entry and Limitations.