With sub-sections of the Great Plains, the Great Lakes, the Rust Belt, and the Heartland, the Midwest’s unique region is ever-changing. Whether it is environmental, manufacturing, farming, flora, fauna, land, water, urban, rural, or technology… one thing that is constant is the change around us.  We are a section of the country that is sometimes slow to accept change. Some of these changes leave an empty, abandoned space, both physically and emotionally, and lead to a longing for the nostalgic life of the past, while other losses lead to a feeling of relief and “good riddance.” New discoveries can create hope for a new and bright future or fear of a dim and bleak future.  What is your interpretation of Abandoned and Discovered in the Midwest as a visual artist? We want to see!

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Show dates are June 4–June 29, 2024. Visual artists, sculptors, and photographers 18 and older from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin are invited to apply.

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Important dates

• Applications due May 6 (Click HERE to apply)

• Notifications sent out May 8

• Selection drop off, or if shipping receiving date, June 1

• Opening reception and awards ceremony June 8th

• Show runs June 4-June 29

• Art pick up date July 1

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There will be cash awards of $400 for best of show, $300 for runner up and $100 for third place. The juror for this show will be Charles Colbert.  Charles did his undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago (1968) and received his PhD from Harvard University in Art History(1978). He is the author of several books and many articles on 19th century American art.  His teaching career spanned 37 years, at Boston College, Middlebury College, and Portland State University.  Retiring in 2012, he moved to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  He has long sustained a devotion to creating art, an undertaking he now pursues avidly, exploring several subjects
and media from landscape painting to portraits to doing collages, using oils, acrylic and oil pastel. In the
past he had an exhibition at the De Havilland Fine Art Gallery, Boston MA, and has shown his work at the
Alberta House on several occasions.

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Our gallery, located inside the historic Alberta House, is a block from the Soo Locks, which attract over 500,000 visitors a year. June is a busy month for the Alberta House, with Engineer's Day alone bringing over 30,000 visitors.  SAAC holds a special art sale in the gallery shop on that day and has two booths at the street fair that will promote this show.

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Application Requirements

• This juried competition is open to all US resident artists 18 years or older.

• Each artist may submit images of recent, original, artwork in any medium, including sculpture, photography, fiber, and mixed media.

• 2-D and 3-D art is accepted

• All 2-D art must be gallery ready to hang

• Each applicant may submit 1 image of up to 3 pieces of work

• Must be original work; no reproductions of artwork will be accepted.

• All work must be for sale (there is a 30% gallery commission)

• Shipped work must include pre-paid return shipping label

• Applicant must be 18 years old and from one of the eligible states

• By entering work in this exhibition, the artist gives SAAC the right to use images for digital and print promotional purposes

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Eligibility Criteria

Applicant must be 18 and older living in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.