Open Call for Artists at The Matthews | May 14th Deadline

Call for Artists

The Matthews Opera House and Arts Center will be exhibiting the work of contracted artists starting May 31, 2022. This marks the return to regular operations after several months of specialty shows and the Community Art Show. We are excited to once again display the work of Black Hills artists!

Applications are due before 5:00 p.m. MDT on Saturday, May 14th, 2022.

Applications may be submitted via email to [email protected]

Looking for Black Hills Artists

For application purposes, the Black Hills area includes anywhere within South Dakota or Wyoming — approximately one hundred miles from the Black Hills. Our call is open to new artists as well as artists who have previously been contracted by The Matthews.

Through this call, we hope to find forty to fifty artists whose work will be showcased at The Matthews. During the jurying process, the Exhibits Committee will be assessing applicants based on the quality of work submitted and the needs of the gallery in terms of aesthetic balance and diversity.

Application Requirements

Artists are invited to submit an email application to our gallery manager, Kara Carver, including the following information:

Full name
Mailing address
All phone numbers we may use to contact you
Valid email
Website address (if the artist has one)
- Facebook or other social media accounts used professionally by the artist are also acceptable
Three JPEG images, each under 5MB, of works you hope to exhibit in the gallery.
- The title, price, and medium of each of the works represented in the JPEG images. All works must be original.
A brief artist statement. It should be no longer than 250 words.

PLEASE NOTE: Applications without all the above-listed information (minus a website) will be considered incomplete. Incomplete applications will receive one email response requesting the missing information. If the requested information is not received by 5:00 p.m. MDT on Saturday, May 14th, the application will not be considered for the gallery.

Other Options

Artists may also deliver up to three physical pieces if they believe digital images do not adequately represent their work. This will not take the place of the three JPEG images required in the email application. Those artists delivering physical work will not be favored over artists who only submit digital images.

Jurying Process

Jurying will take place on Monday, May 16th, by the Exhibits Committee. All artists who have applied will be notified on Friday, May 20th via email by our gallery manager, Kara Carver, regarding the committee’s decision.

Important Details

All artists accepted by The Matthews will be required to

Sign a contract
Submit a W9
Submit an artist biography to be displayed along with the work
Submit images to be used on The Matthews website and social media
Fulfill an artist obligation of donating an 8×10 or equivalent work to be sold in the Matthews gift shop. Substrate is available upon request.

Commission

All sales of the artist’s work in The Matthews are commissionable, with The Matthews retaining 22% of revenue in sales.

Any and all questions regarding the application, jurying process, contract (link below), or other questions pertaining to the call may be submitted to Kara Carver, gallery manager, via phone or email.

View or Download Artist Contract