Senior Artists Call for Entries

Professional

Artists who meet two or more of these qualifications:

• Sells or has sold artwork through commercial channels (including galleries, on-line galleries, craft shows, art shows, etc.);
• Has been exhibiting their work for 2 or more years in professional galleries and/or in professional art exhibits; *
• Has had work selected in 2 or more Juried art or craft shows; *
• Has received 2 or more awards for their artwork; *
• Holds (or has held) professional membership in an artist or craftsperson’s guild or association.

Non-Professional
Artists who do not meet 2 or more of the above criteria
* EXCEPTION: Artists who only enter their County Senior Art Show and NEVER exhibit their work in any other show or venue do not have to identify themselves as a Professional Artist unless they have won First Place in their category 3 or more times – in that case, they should identify themselves as “Professional.”

The jurors reserve the right to re-categorize submissions at their discretion.

• Acrylic Painting
• Craft -- one-of-a-kind original creations only, no craft kits or molds
• Digital (Computer) Art -- artwork created using computer graphics software (does not include digital photographs)
• Mixed Media -- art that combines two or more media (often non-traditional), and no one of the media clearly predominates; includes collage and assemblage
• Oil Painting
• Pastels -- includes chalk (soft) and oil pastel
• Print -- all print forms including – but not limited to – etching, linoleum block, lithograph, woodcut, monoprint, silkscreen, collagraph
• Photography -- includes color, black & white or tinted photographs taken with a film-based or digital camera
• Sculpture -- work designed in 3-dimensions, carved or constructed in any medium, abstract or figurative
• Watercolor Painting -- includes gouache (note: traditional watercolor often includes light pencil work and/or ink. They are still considered “Watercolor” – NOT “mixed media”
• Works on Paper -- includes hand-drawn works in mediums including: charcoal, pencil, colored pencil, graphite, ink, pen, crayon, or stylus of any sort

• All 2-D artwork (framed art, photos or crafts wired to hang) may be no larger than 30" or smaller than 10” in any dimension.
• Sculpture or other 3-D crafts may not exceed 20" in any dimension (measurements must include any base for the sculpture), and may not weigh more than 30 pounds.
• All art must be the original work of art. No reproductions of paintings, drawings, etc., will be accepted (including giclée or other digital print copies*). [* Of course, entries in the Photography or Digital Arts categories may be digital prints.]
• No work made using kits or direct copies of another person’s artwork can be accepted.
• All 2-D work must be framed, wired and ready to hang.
• Any 3-D piece with a base, must be securely fastened to that base in order to be entered.

IMPORTANT: Work may be listed for sale. No commission is charged. The NJSAS staff will email any purchase inquiry directly to the artist. Artists assume complete responsibility for sales (including – but not limited to: payment arrangements, plans for shipping/pick-up of purchased artwork, and any sales taxes they may incur from sales and/or sale negotiations.)

Q. Do “Digital Photographs” go in the Digital/Computer Art category?
A. No. Photographs taken by a camera of any sort (including digital camera) should be entered in the Photography category – unless the artist has manipulated and digitally altered the image beyond any outcome they could have gotten using a traditional darkroom setting.

Q. Are Watercolor paintings with some ink or pencil used considered Mixed Media?
A. No. Watercolorists have often use pencil or ink drawings as part of their work. These are NOT “Mixed Media” works.

Q. If a sculpture is made from more than one material, is it automatically considered Mixed Media?
A. No. Sculptures are often made from several different media. With few exceptions, most 3-D art object should be entered either in the Sculpture or Craft category.

Q. Are paintings that include small photos or other materials “Mixed Media”?
A. Not necessarily. If a painting is almost entirely created in oils or acrylic, for example – and the artist includes tiny photos, stencils, or small pieces of cloth in a small part of the painting it may still be entered as an Oil or Acrylic Painting, as long as the clear majority (more than 85%) of the piece is painted with oil or acrylic.

Q. What’s the difference between Sculpture and Craft?
A. Traditionally, a beautiful functional object – one designed to be used (like a bowl, vase, quilt) or worn (clothing, jewelry) or is made to showcase mastery in a specific craft field (such as wood-working, needlepoint, leather-work) – is considered a CRAFT. A sculpture is more likely to illustrate or express something, and is generally not designed to be functional. A craft item can often be duplicated, with slight variations. A sculpture is rarely duplicated by the artist unless it is cast and recreated in editions.

Q. Why must artwork be done within the past three years?
A. This Show celebrates current artists who are senior citizens. Requiring work to have been done within the past 3 years ensures that the artist submitting the work is still actively pursuing her or his artistic passion, rather than taking artwork out of storage.

Q. If there are only 1 or 2 pieces in a Category at the County level does that ONE automatically go on to the State Show?
A. Past rules required that 3 or more entries had to be in a category on the County level for a First Place winner to be selected from that category (to go on to the State). In 2016, that requirement changed. Now, if there is only a single entry in a category on the County level, your County Juror has the option of selecting it as First Place if it is an artwork of High Merit. NOTE: Jurors are not required to advance a solo piece (or one of two pieces) in a category to the State. Jurors may decide to award only an Honorable Mention to a solo piece that s/he believes is not sufficiently strong to receive a First Place award. It is highly recommended, however, that in categories with 3 or more entries, the Juror select a First Place winner to move on to State.