Open Call - Group Exhibition for Mermaid's 21st Birthday

***Submissions are now closed***

IMPORTANT: We were inundated with applications and are still working on the final selections. Once we have the finalised list we will be in touch.

Mermaid Arts Centre is pleased to announce this open call for visual artists based on the island of Ireland for a group exhibition taking place from July – September 2023. Celebrating Mermaid’s 21st birthday, the exhibition aims to celebrate contemporary art made in Ireland, with a focus on work from Wicklow and its environs.

Artists may submit a maximum of two works in 2D to include painting, photography, print, drawing, lens-based media or mixed media; or 3D works including sculpture, textiles Works outside these categories will not be accepted. The work must have been created from 2018 onwards.

As Mermaid is Wicklow’s County Arts Centre, artists based in or from Co Wicklow are particularly encouraged to submit.

If selected, the work must be delivered to Mermaid Arts Centre between 3rd – 5th July 2023 by the artist or a nominated representative.

Submissions for consideration must be made through the dedicated submission platform which is online only.

Each submission will require the name of the artist, title, dimensions, description, medium and an accompanying Jpeg of the work (must not exceed 3MB). This image may be used for the sales catalogue, website or additional promotional material and must be of good quality. A price should also be indicated if the work is for sale.

Click the 'Submit' button below to enter your submission.

Download the guidelines and terms and conditions.

Key Dates:

· Open For Entry: 20 February 2023

· Deadline for Entries: 23 April 2023, 11:59pm

· Artwork Delivery: 3 – 5 July 2023 2023

· Exhibition Open To Public: 15 July – 23 September

· Collection of unsold work: By Saturday 7 October

* IMPORTANT: Please note that we due to our lack of storage space we cannot store artwork beyond this date. Any unsold work that is not collected by 7th October may be disposed of.

Assistance With Your Submission GUIDE: A video tutorial to using this submission platform is available here.

RESIZING: Images can be resized to meet the image size requirement of no larger than 3MB here: https://picresize.com/

VIDEO WORKS: Video / movie image works can be shared via links eg YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch.

ADDITIONAL HELP: If you continue to have issues using the system please contact us via email info@mermaidartscentre.ie and state ‘Open Call Help’ in the subject line.

General Information The exhibition will be held at the Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray, Co Wicklow from 15th July – 23rd September 2023 (all dates subject to change).

Eligibility and Restrictions Submissions are invited from visual artists based in Ireland (including Northern Ireland) working in paint, photography, sculpture, architecture, print, drawing, lens-based media, video and mixed media. Works outside these categories are not accepted.

Artists based in or from Co Wicklow are particularly encouraged to submit.

Please ensure the dimensions of 2D works do not exceed more than 150cms in any direction. 3D works should occupy no more than 1 square metre (one cubic metre) volume /space.

Submission Procedure Submission is by online entry only. The selected artists will asked to deliver work to Mermaid Arts Centre between 3 – 5 July 2023. If you require access support please contact us and we can assist you

NB If selected works are not delivered by the delivery deadline they will not be accepted for exhibition.

Selection Process The selection panel is in-house at Mermaid Arts Centre. Artworks are presented anonymously and judged solely on merit. The selection decision is final and binding and no correspondence or feedback will be entered into under any circumstance.

Selection Communications All communication will be via the online login process. Selected applicants will be asked to download and print their details to be delivered with the artwork. Failure to do so could result in work being withdrawn from the exhibition.

Pricing and Sales All work selected for exhibition may be for sale. A commission of 30% is payable to Mermaid Arts Centre. It will be assumed that the sale price includes all your costs and our commission. Please allow for these points when pricing your work. Prices should include VAT if applicable. Proceeds from all sales will be disbursed within three weeks of the end of the exhibition subject to completed payments by the buyer(s).

Insurance Artists are responsible for insuring their own work. All works accepted for exhibition will be transported entirely at the artists' risk and organisers and the gallery cannot accept liability for loss or damage occurring during travel to the exhibition or the selection process.

Delivery and Collection All works handed in for exhibition must be:

· Wrapped and clearly labelled with the artists name, contact details, title and particulars

· Professionally presented (needing no further work, additions or framing prior to exhibition)

· Labelled clearly correctly with all details on the reverse / underneath (2D and 3D works)

· Not exceed the accepted dimensions

· Video work must be delivered in MP4 format and file names should clearly indicate the artist's name and title.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ENTRY

· Artists must be aged 18+

· The work must have been created from 2018 onwards.

· This Open Call is for professional visual artists

· Mermaid Arts Centre reserves the right to reject work that it believes is in breach of copyright or plagiarism laws.

· There is no submission fee

· There is no Artist Fee

· Exposed wet canvases or works that could cause damage to others will not be accepted under any circumstances.

· Work that arrives damaged or unfit for exhibition due to any material defect will be automatically deemed ineligible for exhibition.

· The dimensions of 2D work should be no more than 150cms in any direction.

· The dimensions of 3D work should be no more than 1 square metre.

· A price for framed work for artwork with editions, e.g. photography, must be included for the catalogue and online sales platform. There is no unframed sales option for editions.

· The upmost care will be taken of all works submitted for exhibition. However, Mermaid Arts Centre will not be responsible for any damage, loss of or destruction of any works for any reason whatsoever. Artists should insure their works against all risks. Works are insured when accepted to the exhibition and condition checked by the gallery.

· Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

· Mermaid Arts Centre will not be liable for any loss arising out of any error, omission or decision made by the selection panel.

· Work not collected from Mermaid Arts Centre by the collection deadline (7th October 2023) cannot be stored beyond this date and may disposed of.

· The artist(s) allows Mermaid Arts Centre to use images of any artwork for publicity and public engagement purposes only. This includes television, print (catalogue, newspapers, trade publications), website (Mermaid Arts Centre and others), social media (Mermaid Arts Centre and others) and any other method that Mermaid Arts Centre deems fit for purpose.

· Works must be available for sale.

· The price of works may be determined by the artists and should include Mermaid art Centre's 30% commission.

· Work(s) may not be removed from the exhibition until after the close of the exhibition.

· Sold work is marked with a red dot.

· Mermaid arts Centre will not be liable for any loss arising out of the failure by a purchaser to complete a sale or the mis-marking of any piece sold.

· 30% commission from the listed catalogue price will be deducted from all works sold during the exhibition.

· Artists will be paid after the close of the exhibition and only when the buyer has paid in full.

· Delivery and Collection of Accepted Works: All transport to and from the building of artwork is the responsibility of the artist and at their own risk/expense.

· The exhibition Open Call is administered by a small team on a part-time basis so please leave plenty of time for any queries or issues. We are flexible and always happy to help and accommodate artists in any way we can.