Undergraduate Student Exhibition: Call for submissions

Deadline to submit: February 29th, 2024, 23h59

A tradition at Concordia for over thirty years, the Undergraduate Student Exhibition (USE) will showcase a selection of the strongest work produced at the undergraduate level. Collaborative at its core, this interdisciplinary initiative culminates in an exhibition, publication, and a performance series. Combining the efforts of many students, staff, and faculty members, the goal is to foster cross-disciplinary engagement within current contemporary art practices.

This exhibition will open in January 2025.

Call for Artworks:

For this next USE iteration, the VAV Gallery and the FOFA Gallery invite students to apply considering the keywords: Disillusion, Empathy, Aspiration, Taking action, Resources, Revolution,  Growth, Evolution, and Interconnectedness.

We are accepting submissions in various forms. Possible categories include individual visual art pieces, written and visual research, film and video art, digital art, sound art, audio-visual explorations, poetry, performances, submissions by artist collectives, and/or any other form of completed work. The VAV Gallery and FOFA are seeking varied proposals to constitute an exhibition representative of the diversity of current art practices at Concordia. We are happy to review and discuss new ideas.

Each artist will receive a $200 honorarium for their participation.

Eligibility: 

Concordia Undergraduate Fine Arts students enrolled in at least one Fine Arts course during the 2023-2024 academic year. Undergraduate Students of all year levels may apply, including those graduating during the current academic year.

• Students are invited to submit work in any medium.

• Any linked content (video, audio, etc.) must be viewable for at least three weeks after the deadline. Please include passwords for password-protected content. 

• Please note that each student may submit only one application for consideration. This one work may take the form of a series or an installation involving more than one element. 

• All other application formats (artist collectives, program proposals, group performances, etc) should be contained in one application.

• Applicants are encouraged to consider the physical spaces of the FOFA Gallery and indicate which areas of the gallery would be most suitable for their needs. For example, an applicant may want to propose a vitrine-specific installation, to be displayed in FOFA’s York Vitrines (in the EV hallway leading to the Mackay exit) or the Ste-Catherine Street vitrine. Applicants are invited to visit the FOFA Gallery during opening hours (Monday-Friday 11am-6pm) and consult the FOFA floor plans.

• Submissions will be accepted in either French or English.

Applicants must complete THE FORM, which will ask for the following elements

General information:

• Name
• pronouns
• Contact information

Artwork details: 

• The kind of work being submitted (ex. Painting, performance, etc.). 
• The title of the piece, its dimensions, medium/materials, and year of completion.

• A short general description of the concept behind the work being submitted (250 words max.) 

• Short artist statement (150 words max.)

• Short bio (100 words max.)

Documentation:

• Please submit up to 10 files to show/describe the work that you would like to exhibit.

• High quality documentation is required. All submitted images must be high-resolution and publication-ready. Images in submission WILL be printed in the USE catalogue. 

• (Optional) Supplementary materials are optional but encouraged. These could include other works from your portfolio, sample writing, reviews, etc.

Please contact María Escalona at info.fofagallery@concordia.ca if you have any questions about the application process or need any specific accommodations to help you succeed in applying. There will be an “how to apply to a call” online workshop on January 29, registration info can be found at the following link: Workshop

Selection Process:

The applications will be juried by two VAV Coordinators, two undergraduate students, and two members of the FOFA staff. Each application will be judged on artistic merit, feasibility, clarity, and affinity, for more information on how our Jury functions, see https://www.vavgallery.ca/jury-process. 

Decisions will be communicated by April 15th, 2024.

Technical Considerations:

The FOFA Gallery offers hands-on technical and curatorial support with installation, and we can provide basic tools, display furniture, painting supplies, and some media equipment. If you need specialized equipment, technicians, or assistance to present your project, please indicate this in your proposal and check with us in advance to see what is feasible. 

We provide professional documentation of each exhibition, promotional material, and presence on our website and social media platforms. 

BIPOC

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are disproportionately excluded from arts spaces. Thus, the VAV and the FOFA would like to uplift and prioritize BIPOC applicants who choose to be considered for BIPOC Equity. BIPOC applications will be given special priority over self-identified general Equity applicants. Candidates can be eligible for both, but we would like to acknowledge that our Equity process in the past has failed to sufficiently distinguish between BIPOC artists and White artists who might qualify for some of the eligibility factors. While the VAV and the FOFA are committed to uplifting all marginalized identities, whiteness carries immense privileges which have historically shielded white artists from the exceptional marginalization that BIPOC artists have faced from arts institutions. 

Equity

The VAV and the FOFA valus the contributions that individuals who identify as members of marginalised communities bring to our organisation. We encourage, among others, Indigenous people, people of colour, disabled people, people identifying as LGBTQI, women, formerly incarcerated or institutionalised people, immigrants, and people from working-class backgrounds to apply. We also understand that applicants may experience several of these identities simultaneously in ways that reinforce and nuance their experience. We are committed to creating an organisation as diverse as the communities we serve. If you wish to be considered for exhibition equity, you can let us know when filling out your submission form. Please note that while it is not required that candidates explain why they would like to be considered for exhibition equity, please feel free to speak to any relevant lived experiences in your responses.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the VAV at vavgallery.outreach@concordia.ca

About The VAV

The V.A.V. (Visual Arts Visuels) Gallery is a student-run exhibition space, supported by a Concordia Fine Arts Undergraduate student fee levy. Concordia students of all identities and levels of experience are encouraged to participate. Learn more about the VAV gallery: VAV Gallery

About the FOFA Gallery

The FOFA Gallery is the primary venue dedicated to showcasing the current artistic and research practices of the Faculty of Fine Arts. Through exhibitions, publications, and events, the gallery makes public the work of Concordia alumni, faculty and staff. The Gallery also supports work from the student community, relating to the research and pedagogical aims of the Faculty. A space dedicated to innovation, FOFA Gallery fosters and facilitates pedagogical inquiries, curatorial experiments, cutting-edge artistic practices and training opportunities.

The FOFA and the VAV recognize that our activities unfold on unceded Indigenous lands. The Kanien’keha:ka Nation is recognized as the custodians of these lands and waters. Tiohtià:ke/Montreal is historically known as a gathering place for many First Nations. Today, it is home to a diverse population of Indigenous and other peoples. We respect the continued connections with the past, present, and future in our ongoing relationships with Indigenous and other peoples within the Montreal community.