Watershed: River Arts Alliance Juried Exhibition 2024

Web Gallery & People's Choice Voting

Click here to view the web gallery with images of all works in the exhibition and vote for your favorite piece for the People's Choice award.

Exhibition Information

Prospectus

River Arts Alliance presents a new, juried visual arts exhibition taking place in Winona, Minnesota from August 23 through November 17, 2024. Watershed will feature the work of artists living within 150 miles of Winona, in a region centered on the Upper Mississippi River.

Juror

Nicole Soukup, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Ms. Soukup is the Coordinator of the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program in the Department of Global Contemporary Art at Mia. Throughout her curatorial practice, she seeks to bridge local communities with global perspectives.

Awards

The following awards and prize money will be given, with winners announced at the Opening Reception on Friday, August 23, 2024 from 4:00-6:00 pm.

First Place             $500

Second Place        $300

Third Place            $200

Honorable Mention(s)        $50 

Additionally, a People's Choice Award will be given at the close of the exhibition based on votes by members of the public.

Venue 

Slaggie Family Lobby Art Gallery, Winona County History Center, 160 Johnson St., Winona, MN. The History Center is part of the Winona County Historical Society (WCHS). The History Center is open daily from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm (closed holidays) and admission to the lobby gallery is free.

Eligibility and Requirements

1. Artists must live within 150 miles of the City of Winona, MN. 
2. Visual arts media accepted include painting, drawing, printmaking, digital art, photography, collage, sculpture (such as wood, metal, stone, glass, ceramic, mixed media, etc.) ceramics, textile, stained glass, jewelry, and more. We cannot accommodate installation, video, works with audio, or digitally displayed entries. Contact Johanna Rupprecht, RAA Arts Administrator, at admin@riverartsalliance.org if you are unsure if your medium is eligible. 
3. 2-D entries are limited in size to 40”W x 60”H. 3-D entries are limited to 24”W x 24”D x 48”H. 
4. Works should be completed within the past two years, and not have been previously displayed at the WCHS or in a River Arts Alliance (RAA) exhibition. 
5. Hanging works must be framed (if necessary) and ready to hang, with a hanging wire on the back. If the artwork needs special mounts or exhibit furniture, the artist is responsible for providing it. 
6. Works must be original, and not infringe on the rights of any other person. 
7. There is no required theme or subject matter for this exhibition.

To Enter

Artists may enter up to three works, using the online service ArtCall. One piece may be entered for $12, two pieces for $18 and three pieces for $24. Current RAA members may enter one piece for $10, two pieces for $15 and three pieces for $20. In the submission form, select the options for "One Application," "Two Applications," or "Three Applications," and either "Non-Member Entry Fee" or "RAA Member Entry Fee," and your total fee will be calculated and charged accordingly. 

Be sure to take high-quality photographs of your work. This link, also on the ArtCall website, provides some tips on photographing your work. File types accepted are jpeg, png, or pdf. https://artcall.org/pages/tips-for-photographing-artwork-for-digital-submissions

Each piece should be identified with name of artist, title of work, medium, dimensions, year completed, as part of the ArtCall submission. Up to two images may be submitted for each entered piece (for instance, a full view and a detail view, or views of a 3-D piece from two angles).

We recommend viewing the "User Entry Process Tutorial" video at the bottom of this page for help in using the ArtCall system. You may edit your submissions until the submission deadline.

Notifications

ArtCall will notify you immediately by email when your submission has been received, and whether your work is accepted for the exhibition. Notification of acceptance is August 1.

Display and Sales

Artists are encouraged to have their work available for sale, but this is not required. The WCHS will handle sales transactions from their gallery. Artists receive 70% of the sales price, the WCHS receives 20%, and RAA receives 10%. RAA will mail checks to artists after the exhibition ends, works have been delivered to the purchasers, payment is received by WCHS, and WCHS has paid RAA. Artwork that has been sold should be picked up at the History Center within a week of the end of the exhibition, by either the buyer or the artist, who then delivers it to the buyer. All works will remain on display for the duration of the exhibition. WCHS, RAA or the artist will not remove, lend, or sell artwork displayed without permission from each other, except that WCHS may sell artwork as provided in this agreement.

RAA reserves the right to reject artwork deemed inappropriate for any reason.

If your work is for sale, enter the sale price with your ArtCall submission. If the work is not for sale, enter "0.00" in the Sale Price field.

Photography of Artworks

Artworks may be photographed by the public for their personal use.

Calendar

ArtCall is live and accepting submissions online - May 24 – July 15

Submission deadline - July 15, 11:59 pm

Jurying period - July 15 – 31

Notification of acceptance - Aug. 1

Delivery of work - Wed., Aug. 21, 8 am – 2 pm

Installation - Wed., Aug. 21, 10 am – 4:30 pm

Opening reception - Fri., Aug. 23, 4 – 6 pm

     Including announcement of awards

Dates of exhibition - Fri., Aug. 23 – Sun., Nov. 17, gallery open 10 am – 4 pm daily (closed holidays)

De-installation - Mon., Nov. 18

Pick up work - Mon., Nov. 18, 8 am – 4:30 pm

Delivery and Pick-up of Work

Artists are responsible for delivery and pick up of their work, and are encouraged to hand-deliver work, and to pick it up in person, if possible. Another person may deliver or pick up your work for you, if RAA is notified. Artists will attach a tag (generated by ArtCall) with identifying info to their artwork. Artists who choose to ship must provide the reusable packing materials, pay for shipping to WCHC, and provide a prepaid return shipping label to be used to return the work. Artists also pay for insurance while the work is in transit. Please notify RAA if you plan to ship.

Shipping address:

Jennifer Weaver

Winona County Historical Society

160 Johnson St.

Winona, MN 55987

Insurance

Artists are responsible for insuring their work while in transit. Subject to certain limitations, WCHS’ liability insurance covers artwork that is in the WC History Center. In no event shall WCHS or RAA be liable for loss, damage, theft, or other harm to artworks in excess of such insurance coverage. Artworks will be handled with the utmost care, by professionals. 

Events/Rentals of Lobby

WCHS offers the Lobby for facility rentals to the public and holds its own events in the Lobby as well. Exhibit furniture is moveable, and exhibits/shows may be moved to accommodate an event or rental in the lobby. Some pieces may remain in the lobby during a rental, depending on the nature of the rental.

Hold Harmless Clause

The artist shall defend, indemnify and hold harmless, WCHS and its representatives, and RAA and its representatives, from and against any and all claims, demands, causes of action, damages, liability, judgements, loss, or costs and expenses, including attorneys’ fees and expenses of investigation, which may be suffered or incurred by any of them, or which may be claimed or alleged against any of them by any person or entity related in any way to the performance of this agreement.   

Agreement to Terms

By applying through the ArtCall portal, the artist agrees to the terms of the Watershed: RAA Juried Exhibition, as outlined above. 

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.

User Entry Process Tutorial