Juried Photography Show Entry
This is a national competition and open to all amateur and professional photographers who are US citizens, residents, and nationals. All photos MUST be taken within the greater Soldotna, Alaska area (which does not include areas within the boundaries of the cities of Kenai, Homer, nor Seward, Alaska.).
A $500 first prize will be awarded, with selection generally based upon the artistic and documentary quality of a consistent body of work containing between 6 and 15 images. Up to four such bodies of work may be submitted by each applicant.
The general theme is “Soldotna: Your Base Camp for Alaskan Adventure”, illustrating both the outdoor grandeur and recreational opportunities available within easy distance of Soldotna. Alaska, as well as the modern amenities of the City of Soldotna and its people and economy.
Suggested appropriate recreational areas include, but are not limited to, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (such as the Skilak Lake recreational area and the Swanson River Canoe systems), Kenai Fjords National Park, those portions of Katmai National and Lake Clark National Park, lying within the Kenai Peninsula Borough boundaries, and the Kenai Peninsula portion of Chugach National Forest, such as Russian River and Resurrection Pass trails. Location of submitted photographs should be explicitly identified and must be capable of authentication either visually or through GPS metadata within each photograph.
There is no entry fee. Jurying will be made by university art instructors and municipal officials based upon the artistic merit and internal consistency of submitted bodies of work, which should contain between 6 and 15 related images, as well as its suitability for public display and promotion.
The $500 first prize will be awarded based upon submitted bodies of work. Four $100 Honorable Mentions will be awarded based upon the artistic and documentary quality of individual images.
All submissions and juried must be made through this Cafe’ call for entries.
James Evenson: Works from the KPC Permanent Collection
KPC Gary L. Freeburg Gallery
August 28 – September 28, 2017
Opening Reception August 31, 2017 4:30 – 6:00 pm
2015-2018 PROJECTS AT A GLANCE
By partnering with the Rotary Club of Soldotna, the City of Soldotna, the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce, Kenai Peninsula College, 4-H, and local businesses, Soldotna’s ARTSpace, Inc. is implementing a community-based public art program that’s efficient, low-cost, and easily sustainable because it’s an integrated program in which every activity mutually supports every other part of the project. Many of these projects result in monthly exhibits or annual events and are intended to promote public art that enhances the Soldotna area in a manner that’s democratic and for the enjoyment of all. This integrated program will be the subject of a presentation at the November 2015 circumpolar arts conference hosted by University of Alaska Anchorage and Finnish universities.
Soldotna Rotary Club is funding and will install, subject to final approvals, a “Rotary Art Park”. This is an installation of a grouping of permanent outdoor display cases in Soldotna parks suitable for up to four simultaneous curated summer exhibits, particularly of already-submitted bodies of work by students and emerging artists. Because protected shelters are available at some of these parks, students and their families can enjoy an outdoor picnic-style opening for all of the exhibitors. Although this sort of public display is fairly common in more urban areas of the US, to our knowledge, this is the first installation of its kind in Alaska.
All exhibited work will be professionally curated for quality and family-friendly suitability for display in a heavily-trafficked public space where adults and children of all ages are present. Among the first intended exhibits are 4-H and other student art work from the Ninilchik Fair and the winning photos from the two Redoubt Reporter-City of Soldotna-Soldotna Chamber of Commerce photography contests now underway, one for the best photos depicting the Greater Soldotna area and the other a more traditional fine art photography contest that will award the cash prizes based upon the overall quality of a body of work consisting of six to ten related images.
Soldotna Rotary Club has also funded the purchase of a series of high-quality display “drawers” for an educational and display program at Soldotna Library, which will provide year-long indoor access for up to 10 curated 2D and 3D bodies of work drawn from prior bodies of work submissions. Any member of the public can view at their convenience a complete “body of work” by up to ten different artists over the course of a year. As with the outdoor displays, this will be family-friendly work drawn largely from the local community.
Promotion and sale of curated 4’x8’ outdoor murals to supporting businesses, with eight installed to date in 2015 and a second round of murals soon. Point your Internet browser to artspaceak.org/murals to see the murals already being installed. Participating mural artists and purchasers will be invited to a private gathering in which their contributions will be recognized and appreciated. These current murals are an outgrowth of the Soldotna Rotary Club’s 2012 Paint the Kenai mural project that produced the large mural now installed at the Kenai Airport.
Periodic photography competitions, in conjunction with, and published by, the Redoubt Reporter newspaper, with juried cash prizes. Digital photography is the most generally accessible entre’ into the arts for most members of the public. For more information about the current 2015 photo contests, go to the home page of artspaceak.org.
An annual no-charge, no commission photographic gear and art supply swap and sell day in a public facility. This is tentatively scheduled for the Peninsula Center Mall in October, 2015.
ARTSpace’s long-term project includes: Periodic calls for the submission of thematically-related bodies of work by Alaska artists, to be used for a variety of exhibits, festivals, public art murals, and archival books of the best local art work. By building a stock of quality multi-use art submissions, ARTSpace can quickly mount new exhibits and projects without the lengthy time otherwise required to mount any project when entries are separately solicited.
Continuing the annual professionally-curated Emerging Artists Festival at Soldotna Creek Park, with significant cash juried prizes, selected and judged upon submitted bodies of work. Encouraging emerging artists is an important way to ensure that public art remains democratic and open to all talent rather than confined to a few long-established artists. It’s also a good way to encourage our students.
Providing free training for community artists to copyright their own work by making and depositing with the Library of Congress photo books suitable for archiving all or a portion of their lifetime art work.
A curated archive of artist books for long-term public reference at the Soldotna Public Library.
A self-published annual or biennial book of selected area artists and work drawn from all aspects of this program, available at cost when pre-ordered.
An invitational no-commission, no-fee exhibit in September where artists and likely art work purchasers can mingle and deal in a pleasant low-key environment in a way that maximizes return to the artists while providing lower costs to potential purchasers through eliminating commissions. This becomes a win-win situation both buyers and artists, encouraging sales.