Gertrude contemporary art spaces

How to Apply: Exhibitions

Exhibition Proposal Guidelines

Exhibition Proposals for 2009 Program
SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: Wednesday, 30 April 2008, 5.30pm (postmark date)

Artistic Policies of Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces
Gertrude contemporary art spaces provides professional opportunities and support for artists in the early stages of their careers, in the form of studio, exhibition and activities programs. The points making up our artistic policies are:

  • to develop and extend critical debate about contemporary visual art and culture
  • to create opportunities for unestablished artists, writers and curators challenging the boundaries of contemporary visual practice.
  • to encourage and support ambitious projects by less established artists
  • to promote the exchange of exhibitions, ideas and practices between artists, writers, curators and a diverse audience

 

Eligibility
Contemporary artists working professionally in any visual arts medium are eligible to apply for exhibitions at Gertrude contemporary art spaces. Students and artists engaged in full-time study may apply for exhibitions providing that their undergraduate or Honours degree will have been completed at the time of the exhibition.  Post-graduate students are eligible to apply.

Program Structure
Gertrude contemporary art spaces accepts applications from individual artists, collaborations between two or more artists and artist groups with or without a curator.

Artists/curators can make applications which are developmental in nature and involve a future body of work, or the exploration of a particular idea. To avoid misinterpretation, it is important that written material presented be especially clear and concise. If approved, an artist or curator will have scope (within the policies and constitution of Gertrude contemporary art spaces) to develop the exhibition. In the case where an idea is approved, the basic character of the idea must remain throughout, unless the Director's approval is sought or re-submission takes place. Applications which are developmental in nature require that applicants possess a clear knowledge of Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces' artistic policies and are prepared to maintain regular contact with the organisation in relation to exhibition developments. Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces wishes to encourage applications which are developmental in nature.

Artists/curators can also apply with a particular completed body of work to which only minor changes will take place. It is expected that the work seen by the committee will be that actually proposed for the exhibition and not just an indication of it. If the proposal is accepted, regular contact with the gallery must be maintained and no major change to the basic character of the exhibition can be made without the Director's approval and/or re-submission.

Exhibition Subcommittee
In 2007 the Exhibition Subcommittee at Gertrude included: Damiano Bertoli (Board member and artist), Alexie Glass (Director), Jacqueline Doughty (Program Manager), Emily Cormack (Assistant Curator/Communications), Amita Kirpalani (Gallery Coordinator), Nick Chambers (Associate Curator, International Art, Queensland Art Gallery), Emily Floyd (Artist), and Nick Selenitsch (Studio Artist representative).

Application Guidelines
When applying for an exhibition at Gertrude contemporary art spaces, you should include:

  1. Relevant visual material of the best possible quality (details and installation views). Please remember to indicate whether or not the work viewed is that proposed for exhibition. Materials in excess of the limits below will not be viewed by the committee.

    Preferred visual materials:
    12 digital images on CD (not in Powerpoint), individually saved as 72-dpi JPEGS.
    1 DVD (10 minutes max.)

    Not accepted:
    Slides, catalogues, photographs, colour photocopies, or any other printed material; VHS tapes; PDF documents, Powerpoint presentations.

    If you submit more than one format of visual material, please halve the amount/viewing time. (Eg. If you submit JPEGs and a DVD, we will only view 6 images and 5 minutes of the DVD). In the case of group exhibitions, no more than 6 images/5 minutes moving image per person. Material must be clearly labelled with the artist's name, title of work and date of execution. With DVD, please indicate segment lengths. N.B. Safe return of improperly labelled material cannot be guaranteed. Do not send original or irreplaceable material.

  2. A proposal for the planned exhibition. This should be a clear and concise description of the exhibition and its ideas. It should not be longer than one A4 page. Proposals often include discussion of themes, theoretical background and reasons for wanting to show at Gertrude. It should make clear what the relationship is between ideas and artworks. It
    should also include a description of the visual appearance of the exhibition, amount of space required, how the work will be installed and details of all planned participants. The clearer the picture applicants are able to provide, the fuller the assessment of the proposal can be.

  3. A selected up-to-date curriculum vitae abridged to no more than one A4 page. For group shows applicants are asked to abridge biographical information to half a page per artist.

  4. A large, stamped and self addressed envelope to ensure the return of your material. E-mailed applications will not be accepted and Gertrude cannot return visual materials if a stamped, self-addressed envelope is not supplied.

  5. To aid the copying process (each proposal is copied for all committee members) it is preferred that proposals are NOT submitted in folders or binding.

Late Material
Due to the large amount of material received, late material of any kind will not be accepted. Artists should ensure that adequate time is allowed for duplication of slides, abridging of CVs and other written information. Late proposals will be held over for the next round of assessment.

Consultation
These guidelines exist to regulate the amount of material presented to the committee and to assist the smooth operation of the selection procedure itself. However, if this format is not appropriate to your work, please consult with gallery staff before making your submission. Failure to seek advice about the best way to depart from these guidelines could result in misinterpretation.

Conditions for Successful Applicants

  • All successful applicants are required to meet the terms of the exhibition proposal guidelines document, and in
    particular to uphold conditions set out in the program structure. Where this is not done it will give rise to the right of Gertrude contemporary art spaces to terminate the contract

  • Ordinary rights regarding broken contracts apply both for applicant and gallery

  • Exhibition offers are subject to:
    The discussion of any other commercial or public showing arrangements with gallery staff, and applicants maintaining regular contact with Gertrude contemporary art spaces. * Where the Director and/or Exhibition Subcommittee believes that anything adversely affects the exhibition program or the policies of Gertrude contemporary art spaces, exhibition offers may be withdrawn.

  • Permission to use the gallery name must be sought in any request by successful applicants for funding or sponsorship. Use is not authorised under any other circumstances.
  • Installation is to be completed during regular gallery opening hours (9.30am-5.30pm).

Budget Information
Listed below are the exhibition costs which Gertrude contemporary art spaces can normally undertake. If your exhibition will require significant materials, technology, travel or freight costs, please give some indication of how these costs will be met. Any variation to this will be at the sole discretion of the Director and/or Board of Management.

  • Artists' fees

  • Invitation to gallery format

  • Catalogue to gallery format

  • Line advertising in Art Almanac

  • Postage for gallery mailout and limited artist's or curator's list (up to 20 addresses)

  • Interstate freight costs in one direction contingent upon the particular circumstances of the exhibition, and an upper limit will be imposed

  • Standard materials (e.g. white paint, nails, packaging) necessary for the hanging and dismantling of exhibitions Any special requirements for an exhibition (e.g. hire equipment, hanging materials) need to be negotiated well in advance of the opening of the exhibition.

Work on exhibition at Gertrude contemporary art spaces is insured ONLY against staff negligence. Successful applicants wishing to be fully insured against fire, flood, theft, loss or damage must organise this independently.

Checklist
Have you included the following?

  • Name, address and contact number

  • Proposal

  • CV

  • Labelled visual material (CD, DVD and / or slides)

NB Gallery staff are not able to contact artists to seek material missing from proposals.

Gallery Plans
Gallery plans are available as a PDF document on this website. If your work is to be site-specific it would be beneficial to view the space personally. Click here to view the gallery plans.