Application Deadline for ENTRIES DUE BY Sunday April 28, 2024 @ midnight

In partnership, Reading Pride Celebration and GoggleWorks Center for the Arts are pleased to announce an open call for the 2nd annual LGBTQ+ Art Showcase in Reading, PA. Open to all artists in Berks County and it’s surrounding counties who design and produce their own artwork. This juried exhibition aims to showcase local LGBTQ+ artists as a way to celebrated the beauty and resilience of our diverse community. Open to all forms of displayable art. 

Important Dates

March 8 - April 28, 2024: Open Call

April 28, 2024: All entries due by midnight

May 7, 2024: Acceptance/Rejection emails will be sent

May 25 - 26, 2024: Artwork Drop off in Schmidt Gallery (9am-9pm)

May 30, 2024 – June 27, 2024: Exhibition dates

June 9, 2024: Gallery Reception & Award Ceremony, 3-5pm

June 28, 2024: Artwork pick up (time tbd)

About this years Jurors

Ashley Houston is the Director of Collections & Exhibitions at the Reading Public Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania. In this role, Houston oversees the planning and implementation of over one dozen exhibitions annually, a combination of those curated from The Museum’s permanent collection and nationally touring exhibitions. Highlights in recent years include: Danny Lyon: Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement (2024), In Nature’s Studio: Two Centuries of American Landscape Painting (2021), CUT! Costume and the Cinema (2019), and Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism Through the French Lens (2018). Houston also manages The Museum’s roster of touring exhibitions, sharing its mission to educate and enlighten on a national scale. Collections research and management rounds out her purview, with recent research culminating in the identification of both artist and patron of a pair of early 16th century German stained and painted glass windows from The Museum’s permanent collection.

A native of Berks County, PA, Houston holds an MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware.

Peter Flood | Community Programs Coordinator (he/him) is a Gettysburg College graduate with a major in anthropology and minors in history and religious studies. He has been at the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center for two years. He runs the Queer Gallery at the center and manages the community groups. His interests include reading and writing fiction with a focus on including LGBTQ+ people in genres like fantasy and science fiction. He thinks there are few things more enjoyable than curling up in front of the fire with a good book.

Awards

Best in Show - $250

First Runner Up - $150

Second Runner Up - $75

Honorable Mention(s) - Certificate(s)

Community Choice Award - Pride Merch Gift Basket

Eligibility

Open to all professional artists, ages 16 and up, who design and produce their own work. Work should not have been previously shown at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts. 

Display

All 2D work (stretched canvas, framed artworks, etc.) MUST BE WIRED to gallery standards. 

How to hang a picture with wire.

Size Guidelines

Artwork must not exceed 96" in height and width. 

Insurance

Coverage begins upon the physical acceptance of the artwork. Artists are responsible for insurance during shipping and for work left after the return deadline. Artworks will be covered for the sale price, minus the commission, up to $5000.

Delivery/Shipping

Detailed instructions will be emailed to all accepted entrants. Shipped work must include prepaid box(es) and return label(s). Airfloat boxes are strongly recommended. No packing peanuts, please! 

Sales

GoggleWorks Center for the Arts retains a 40% commission on all sales. 

How to Apply

All submissions must be entered via our online submission form. Entrants must create a Submittable username and password, then log in to complete their submission. Applicants are allowed to submit up to three artworks. Images must be in .jpg format - max. 1500x1500 pixels, at 300dpi. Video submissions must be uploaded as MP4. Please label digital submissions file names: LAST NAME_FIRST NAME_TITLE_MEDIUM_DIMENSION. All applicants must submit a 75-200 word artist statement. Please note that entries will be disqualified for failure to follow the submission guidelines/instructions.

About Reading Pride Celebration

Founded in 2006, Reading Pride Celebration has the mission to celebrate diversity in the LGBTQ+ community of Greater Reading. RPC is committed to Diversity, Equity and inclusion by building a community that embraces and supports differences and seeks to eliminate racial oppression, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism and other oppression.

About GoggleWorks Center for the Arts

GoggleWorks Center for the Arts is a place to develop skills, ask questions, experiment freely, and investigate the human spirit. Here we create dialogue between the established and the experimental, the contemporary and the traditional. Through exceptional arts education and engaging community programming, we inspire people to expand the boundaries of art making, personal growth, and appreciation for material culture.

Located in the former Willson Goggle Factory building, GoggleWorks Center for the Arts is the largest arts center of its kind in the country. The 145,000 square foot complex features seven teaching studios in ceramics, hot and warm glass, metalsmithing, photography, printmaking, and woodworking; 35 juried artist studios; and houses dozens of dance, music, arts, and other creative businesses and cultural organizations. GoggleWorks also includes several exhibition galleries, a 130-seat film theater, café, and gift store, featuring handcrafted works by over 200 artists working within our walls and beyond. GoggleWorks is open to the public daily from 9am-9pm. Admission (excluding special events) and parking are always free. Learn more at goggleworks.org.

Questions?

Contact: Erica Hutchins, Gallery Manager

ehutchins@goggleworks.org

Apply today to become a GoggleWorks Studio Artist! All artists serious about pursuing their art in the professional setting of a community facility are encouraged to apply. While artists may display and sell work from their studios, the primary purpose of GoggleWorks studio space is to create new work. Artists awarded studios at GoggleWorks can request to renew their lease each year for up to a 3-year term.

GoggleWorks is looking for artists who:

• demonstrate a commitment to their career through a strong body of original work 
• have achieved a high degree of creative ability, technical facility, and professionalism
• have nurtured an individual artistic vision and the ability to articulate it clearly in conversation and writing
• share GoggleWorks’ commitment to creating greater access to art, culture, and educational programs
• are committed to engaging with the Reading area community through open studios and public educational programming. 

Terms and Conditions

Artists have access to the GoggleWorks' facility 7 days a week, 24 hours per day. GoggleWorks is open to the public daily from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm. Studio sizes begin at 150 sq./ft. Rent includes heat, electricity, air conditioning, and parking. Wifi is provided throughout the building. The building has wifi, a security system, a loading dock, and freight elevators. An additional charge will be imposed for utility use beyond average usage and/or the installation of special equipment in a studio (e.g. electricity for kiln, special exhaust system). All studios have natural light as well as fluorescent shop lights with daylight bulbs. Artists are responsible for any additional lighting installation. Studio windows do not open and there are no studio-specific ventilation systems so the use of hazardous or odorous chemicals is prohibited.

Studio artists are expected to:

• Sign and comply with GoggleWorks' Studio Artist Expectations and Code of Conduct.
• Participate in at least 9 out of 12 Second Sunday Open Studio Crawls a year.
• Comply with GoggleWorks hallway wall and gallery policy.
• Work in their studios on a consistent and ongoing basis. Non-use of studio space is cause for eviction or non-renewal of lease.

Additional conditions for artists renting studios at GoggleWorks include: 

• A security deposit of one month’s rent or $200 (whichever is greater) in addition to the first month’s rent is due upon signature of the lease. 
• Rent is due on the 1st of the month. Rent paid after the 10th of the month will incur a 10% penalty fee. 
• Failure to pay rent will result in eviction from the studio. 
• Commencing with their initial lease, each studio artist will be offered a one-year lease. Artists can request to renew their lease two times for a total of 3 years. After 3 years, artists can reapply.
• At the end of the artist’s lease, the studio space is to be left in the same condition upon departure from GoggleWorks as upon arrival. 

GoggleWorks is open to the public Daily 9:00 am to 9:00 pm.

Artists have access to the GoggleWorks' facility 7 days a week, 24 hours per day.

To apply for an artist studio at the GoggleWorks:

[ ]    Complete this “Artist Application” form online

[ ]    Submit in the online application 10-15 pieces of representative work with summary page of title, medium, size and date of execution. For 3D work, please submit 2-3 images of each piece. Please number images to coincide with summary page.

[ ]    Submit an artist’s statement or reason for making art (one page or less)

[ ]    Submit a record of artistic and work history

[ ]    Submit any additional support materials you believe are relevant (i.e. reviews, recommendations,  etc.)

Rolling Submission

Juried Bi-annually: Spring/Fall

The submissions are reviewed by GoggleWorks' Exhibitions Committee. 

About Cohen Gallery:

Located on the first floor, the largest gallery in the GoggleWorks is divided into two distinct spaces and is capable of hosting either one major show or two separate exhibitions simultaneously. The West side of the gallery is approx. 2,700 sq. ft. and has a wood floor. The East side is approx. 3,100 sq. ft. and has a concrete floor. Both sides of the gallery feature movable walls that are 4ft. wide and 8ft. high, large windows for natural light, and an adjustable LED track light system. 

About the Schmidt Gallery:

Located on the second floor, the Schmidt Gallery has approximately over 1,500 square feet of space, wood floors, movable walls that are 4ft. wide and 8ft high, windows for natural light and an adjustable LED track light system. 

GoggleWorks presents prominent juried exhibitions including those with a particular focus on installation, experimental work, community, and immersive or interactive experiences. GoggleWorks also presents curated touring and rental exhibitions in the Schmidt Gallery from time to time. Exhibitions in the Schmidt Gallery are by special invitation, with some limited exceptions.

Submission Guidelines: Any artist interested in exhibiting in one of the GoggleWorks Galleries should submit a proposal for consideration. Normally only large shows utilize both sides of the Cohen Gallery. Artists/Exhibitors are responsible for the shipping/delivery of artwork. 

Please  submit the following items:

 *   Summary of theme or idea for the exhibition

 *   portfolio of 15-20 images (2400 pixels on the short side, 300dpi)

 *   Artist bio/CV or organization mission statement

National organizations must have an outside perspective of their member works. The organizers i.e. president, chairs, etc. may not show their own work unless it has been through the jury process. The juror may include one sample of their work for exhibition if they so desire. The juror must follow the request of the gallery as it pertains to the numbers of pieces to be exhibited. 

 Questions? Contact the Gallery Coordinator

Erica Hutchins - ehutchins@goggleworks.org
 

Community Galleries / Hallway Spaces on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Floor. 

Community Galleries are hallways and lounge areas throughout the GoggleWorks building that are able to hold approximately 12-30 wall mounted artworks (depending on the size and space available). These spaces can be rented out for four weeks (28 days) at a time and range in price from $40- $120, per gallery, with a two month limit. 

Availability for these spaces depends on the gallery calendar and is by a first come first served basis. As an artist/exhibitor you may suggest when you would like to show your work, but ultimately it depends on the schedule. 

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Community Galleries are run on a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) style model where artists/exhibitors are responsible for the delivery, installation, promotion and take down of each exhibition. In addition to the 28 days of exhibition, a 24-hour grace period (before and after rental days) will be given for the installation and take down. Artists will need to supply their own materials to hang and must follow the agreement terms. 

Artists/exhibitors will need to complete an inventory list and label sheet (both provided by GW) one week prior to the opening date of the exhibition. Labels will be printed and cut by the Gallery Coordinator. 

For all artworks sold, there is a 15% commission kept by GoggleWorks. The remainder 85% will be written as a check to the artist at the end of their rental period. 

There is a rolling submission for GoggleWorks Community Galleries and the process goes through the GoggleWorks Gallery Coordinator. A submission response will be given as soon as possible.

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Spaces available to rent: 

2nd Floor 

• Small Elevator Hallway (18 ft.), $40
• Artist Lounge (20 ft.), $40

3rd Floor 

• Small Elevator Hallway (24 ft.), $40
• Artist Lounge / Corner (30 ft.), $50
• The Youth & Teen Hallways surrounding studios #324 (30 ft.) and #322 (36 ft.),  $50 each
• Hallway between studios #320 and #318 (40 ft.), $50

4th Floor

• Hallway following event space #420 (approx. 80 ft), $100
• Hallways surrounding studio #411 (approx. 100 ft), $120

Fees are waived for Non-Profit organizations within the Reading City Limits, GoggleWorks Studio Artists and GoggleWorks Instructors. 

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How to apply: Any artist or exhibitor interested in exhibiting in one of GoggleWorks Community Gallery spaces should submit a proposal for consideration.  Please submit following the guidelines outlined below:

*   Summary of theme or idea for the exhibition

*   Portfolio of 5-10 images (at least 2400 pixels on the short side 300dpi)

*   Artist bio/CV or organization mission statement

Questions? Email Erica Hutchins, the Gallery Coordinator, at…

ehutchins@goggleworks.org