IMPORT/EXPORT – OPEN CALL

Given the imbalances and inequalities of import/export systems around the globe, this exhibition invites artists to reflect on the ways in which imports and exports affect their local spaces. How does the movement of people (immigration, tourism, etc.), goods (manufactured, agricultural, etc.), and/or information (data, digital media, etc.) affect local communities, politics, economies, and environments? Examples of relevant topics include, but are not limited to: impacts related to migration, tourism, food cultures, natural resources, agriculture, manufactured goods, digital information, and cultural expressions.

The Global Understanding Research Initiative (GURI) of Kent State University is seeking images for an exhibition; each image will be printed onto a 84” x 60” canvas and stretched over a metal frame for display throughout campus in a public (outdoor) exhibition. Examples of the display format and structure are pictured below. Submissions will be selected by the jurors in accordance with the exhibition theme, and exhibiting artists will receive the printed canvas of their work at the end of the exhibition run.

Eligibility

Artists of any nationality who are 18 years and older are eligible to enter. Works in all media are accepted but must be submitted and displayed in the form of a photograph.

Timeline:

Call Opens- March 15, 2020

Call Closes- June 1, 2020

Notifications Emailed- September 1, 2020

Exhibition- April, 2021- May, 2021

Submission Components:

• Full Name
• Address
• Nationality
• Phone
• Email
• Images (must be no smaller than 12,600 pixels (height) x 9,000 pixels (width); constrained to be printed at the proportions of 84” (height) x 60” (width); at least 150dpi; in vertical format). Please use the following naming convention when saving files: Lastname_Firstname_TitleofWork (i.e: daVinci_Leonardo_Mona Lisa.jpg)
• For each image submitted, please send a statement of 100 words or less that addresses the image’s relation to the exhibition theme. Descriptions of artworks may be edited for length and/or to clarify.
• Short CV (2 pages)
• Artist Bio (100 words or less)

Juror Bio:

Dawit L. Petros (Professor of Photography at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago) investigates boundaries in artistic, geographical, and cultural contexts. Working with installations, photography, research and extensive travels, his practice centers around a critical rereading of the relationship between African and European modernisms, as well as historical and contemporary narratives of mobility. Some recent exhibition venues include the The Studio Museum in Harlem, NYC; The National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC; The Royal Ontario Museum of Art in Toronto, and an Artist Residency at Addis Ababa Photo Fest.

For Exhibition Questions:

Joseph Underwood – junder18@kent.edu
J. Leigh Garcia – jgarci31@kent.edu

For Technichal Assistance:

Michael Kavulic – mkavulic@kent.edu

www.kent.edu