Call for Student Art

Presented by the First Lady of Maine, Ann LePage, In partnership with the Maine Arts Commission

Scope:

The Maine Arts Commission, in partnership with the First Lady of Maine Ann LePage, is issuing a call for student art for inclusion in the Spring 2014 Maine Youth Excellence in Art exhibition at the State Capitol Complex in Augusta. Art teachers from public, private and parochial schools in Maine are invited to submit one piece of two-dimensional artwork that represents artistic excellence from a K-12 student. Selected works will hang in various locations including the State House, Cross Office Building (second floor), the Blaine House and the office of the Maine Arts Commission for approximately four months. Selected artists, their families and submitting teachers will be invited to an opening reception at the Blaine House hosted by the First Lady Ann LePage where they will receive recognition for their artistic achievements.

Process:

One piece of 2-D artwork may be submitted per school. Each school should have one designated teacher to submit the chosen artwork for that school. The program will exhibit approximately forty-five student works. Selection will be made on a first come, first served basis per Superintendent Region. Five pieces of work will be accepted from each of the nine Superintendent Regions. The regions are as follows:

• Aroostook
• Cumberland County
• Hancock County
• Kennebec County
• Mid Coast
• Penquis
• Washington County
• Western Maine
• York County

If you are unsure of which region your school is located in, please refer to the directory on the Maine Department of Education website by clicking this link.

As an added element to this year’s showing we would like to collect a statement from each artist. If the child’s work is selected, we will ask the submitting teacher to provide a brief (one sentence) statement/quote from the artist’s work about their thoughts either toward making art in general, or about the specific piece that they are entering. These statements will be printed on each artwork’s label for the public to read. We believe this added element will assist in enlightening the audience about the essential need for art making in providing children with a comprehensive learning experience.

Teachers interested in submitting should e-mail Julie Horn at the Maine Arts Commission with any questions and/or a request to participate in the program. Please use the subject heading “SPRING 2014 MYEA” in your e-mail to Julie at julie.horn@maine.gov. Your confirmation e-mail will include further instructions and all necessary paperwork.

Important:

Only two-dimensional artwork will be accepted. Submitted art work must fit the maximum dimension of 18” x 24.” When submitting smaller artwork it has to be mounted on an 18” x 24” mat or poster board. There is a combined maximum thickness of 3/16’’ for artwork and mat together. The artwork can be exhibited vertically or horizontally (please indicate) and will be placed in pre-existing frames. Artwork submitted that does not fulfill these size requirements will be considered ineligible. All artwork must be labeled on the back with the student’s name, school, and grade. Please do not send artwork in cylinders or mailing tubes.

Deadline:

Artwork and paperwork must be received by Friday, December 6, 2013 for consideration in the exhibition.

The Maine Arts Commission reserves the right of final selection and display of all works for this exhibition.The Maine Arts Commission assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged artwork.