Call for Artists: Performance-Based Sculpture Works

Overview

The 2024 MSA Conference in Birmingham, AL invites artists to submit proposals for performance-based works to be showcased in Momentary Signals - An MSA Exhibition of Performance, displayed at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark. We are seeking works that incorporate live, interactive, or participatory components and push the boundaries of contemporary performance and sculpture. Selected performances will be presented as part of a Performance Night during the 2024 Mid-South Sculpture Alliance Conference. The performances will be open to the public, but the primary audience will be conference attendees made up of sculptors, student artists, cultural workers, educators, and curators.

Application and Exhibit Timeline

Call opens:                                   June 1

Deadline for submission:             Aug 1

Artists to be notified:                    Aug 15

Performance date:                       November 7, 2024

Performance time:                       7pm

Performance location:                 Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, 
                                                    20 32nd St. N.
                                                    Birmingham, AL 35222

Exhibition Reception:                  November 7, 2024                                                 

Artist Eligibility

• This opportunity is open to all professional artists, aged 18 and older.

• Each applicant may enter up to THREE works; all entries must have been conceived and created by the artist submitting the artwork; all media suitable for indoor exhibition will be considered. Outdoor performance exhibitions will also be considered.

Juror George Ferrandi

George Ferrandi is an American artist whose performance, installation and participatory projects address issues of vulnerability, impermanence, fallibility and spectacle, often through experimental approaches to narrative. Employing a unique humor and deep sense of humanity, her work ranges in form and scale from simple gestures–like resting her head on the shoulder of a stranger on the subway, to giant spectacles–like parading with hundreds of people through the streets of South Philly. It’s often a collaborative experiment in story-telling, with participants becoming performers in the narrative or even creating it.

George is Creative Director of Jump!Star, a multi-media initiative using the eventual transition of our North Star as a catalyst for building a better future–and for planning ceremonial traditions for the people who will live there. Jump!Star projects have been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Grant and featured in Documenta 15 in Kassel, Germany. 

George’s work has been performed/exhibited at the World Museum in Vienna, the International House of Japan (Tokyo), Brunnenpassage (Vienna), Abrons Arts Center (NY), The Kitchen (NY), Cinders Gallery (NY), McKinney Contemporary (Dallas), Wexner Center (Columbus), Harn Museum (Gainesville), Fleisher Art Memorial (Philadelphia), and at Sluice (London). She is an NEA fellow of the Japan-US Friendship Foundation and has been awarded grants from the Franklin Furnace Fundwinners for Performance Art, MAP fund, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Mid Atlantic Arts Council, and Kindle Project. Ferrandi teaches Sculpture and Performance Art periodically at Pratt Institute, Virginia Commonwealth University and the Rhode Island School of Design.

Site

Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark is located at 20 32nd St. N in Birmingham, AL The performance exhibition will be held in the Visitor’s Center. More information about this historic site can be found on their website here: http://www.slossfurnaces.com/

Artwork Themes

The open call for submission requires no theme nor specific media or subject matter. Innovative, new, excellent examples of formal, process-driven, transformative and strong conceptual or technical works in performance, interactive, or living sculpture are desired. The shape and content of the show will be defined entirely by the juror.

Catalog

An exhibition catalog documenting all accepted works will be produced for the conference. A representative image and an artist statement for each performance will be included. Artwork images, artist statements and biographies submitted for the jurying process will be used for the catalog production. 

Shipping, Installation, and Deinstallation

All accepted materials and related physical objects should either be shipped or hand delivered at the artist's expense. All shipped artworks must arrive by October 31, 2024. All elements requested to be returned by shipping must include a return shipping label in the arriving package. Performances will begin at 7pm on November 7, 2024.

Shipping address:

MSA Exhibition
Sloss Furnaces National Historical Landmark
20 32nd St N
Birmingham, AL 35222
Attn: Virginia Elliot

Deinstallation 

November 10, 2024

Artwork Scale 

Performances should not exceed two hours in length. Please include space requirements in proposal.

 

Limitation & Restrictions

1. Performances should be original and conceived of in the last 5 years. Portfolio examples and links to previous performances should have been created in the last 5 years.

2. Internet-based streaming/sound is not eligible.

3. Performances are not to exceed 2 hours in length.

4. All shipping or hand delivery and the return of work for the exhibition is the responsibility of the artist.

5. MSA reserves the right to reject works that are misrepresented in the application process or are not properly outfitted to display in the space.

Artist Responsibilities

MSA and Sloss will supply power, tools, pedestals, basic installation materials and assistance for installation. The artist will provide any specialty hardware, technology, or other specialized equipment that is needed. All required audio and visual support will be supplied by the artist.

Notification: Both selected and rejected artists will be notified of their selection by email.

For further information regarding MSA and this exhibition, please visitwww.midsouthsculpture.org, or contact Chelsea Gardiner, Administrative Assistant, at admin@midsouthsculpture.org or 803.956.9876

 

Application Requirements

Completed entry form

1. Artist statement - about artwork conception. Submissions should be no more than 400 words in length. These statements will be used for exhibition didactics including artist labels and exhibition catalog.
2. Artist biography - 100 to 150 words in length
3. Portfolio - Links to past work examples or documentation of performances created within the past 5 years
4. Performance proposal -
   
   • A detailed description of the proposed performance work, including its interactive, live, or participatory elements.
   • Supporting materials such as video links, photos, or sketches to illustrate your proposal.
5. Technology rider - If the performance requires elements such as staging or lighting, sound engineering, load and strike times, please explicitly list
6. them in your rider. Additionally, the rider should include a performance layout map, including performer entrance and exit arrows. Include documents detailing technical requirements including outlet usage or other venue-provided needs, as well as any artist-supplied devices, cables, projectors, speakers, etc and their location within the performance space. Please supply diagrams and schematics as needed.

Submitting your application indicates that you have read and understood all guidelines and criteria contained within this prospectus. To the best of your knowledge, you are eligible to be considered for Momentary Signals - An MSA Exhibition of Performance. Your application contains your work and the information in your statements is complete and true. You understand that if accepted, it will be your responsibility to carry out your proposed performance piece to the best of your abilities, without considerable deviation.

Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark and Mid-South Sculpture Alliance do not provide insurance for the artwork during the exhibition. The Artist assumes all liability and any injury or damages incurred directly from the artwork or associated malfunctions of equipment/technology in the exhibition. This includes damages to networks in conjunction with internet or server access required for the exhibition.

No person will be excluded from participation in or otherwise subjected to discrimination in regards to services, programs and employment, provided by the exhibition venue based on color, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, age or religion.