The City of Kelowna - Kelowna Community Theatre is currently accepting programming submissions for the Art@KCT exhibition program for the 2024 exhibition calendar.
Art@KCT is a professional exhibition program within the Lobby of the Kelowna Community Theatre presenting the work of visual artists from the Central Okanagan through a schedule of year-round professional exhibitions featuring accessible, thought-provoking public art.
The program presents the work of a variety of local artists to showcase Kelowna’s expansive creative community, and provides professional development and progression opportunities for local artists. It consists of two professional exhibition spaces:
Rise@KCT is a 42 linear-foot exhibition wall in the southeast quadrant of the Lobby. It features encased plywood walls, gallery lighting and is well suited for exhibiting large and small-scale 2D artworks.
Cube@KCT is a 11 linear foot exhibition space in the northwest quadrant of the Lobby. It features encased plywood walls, gallery lighting and is well suited for exhibiting medium and small-scale 2D artworks. There is also limited capacity to exhibit 3D or digital works in this area.
Art@KCT is rooted in the following values:
Professional
Art@KCT exhibits the work of established and emerging artists in the Central Okanagan who have completed their training period. The program helps artists to live and work as artists in our region by paying appropriate CAR/FAC fees, and by employing a professional curatorial process to aid in professional development. Artworks exhibited as part of Art@KCT must adhere to professional exhibition standards.
Accessible
For exhibiting artists, this means offering a clear, transparent submission and selection process focused on continuous improvement.
For the viewing public, this means presenting exhibitions that are connected to / relevant to our community, appropriate for the audiences who visit the Theatre, and supplementing these exhibitions with didactic panels using clear and concise language.
Diverse
Artwork exhibited through the Art@KCT program should be diverse in medium and theme, as permitted by the physical limitations of the exhibition space available.
Art@KCT is intended to complement existing exhibition opportunities in Kelowna, and support emerging local artists who may not be served by other programs or organizations.
Art@KCT welcomes submissions from under-represented artists of all backgrounds including, but not limited to, Indigenous, Black, and racialized persons; refugee, newcomer and immigrant persons; two-spirit, LGBTQ+ and gender non-binary persons, persons with diverse abilities, and those on low-incomes or living in poverty. Art@KCT is committed to ensuring equitable access to our submissions process. Submitting artists are invited to contact the Program Consultant if they require any accommodations to participate.
Works will be selected by our Selection Committee based on the following criteria:
Adherence to program values and eligibility.
Quality of the artwork.
Clarity of the written proposal.
Further, the committee will balance a variety of perspectives, mediums and themes when establishing the annual exhibition calendar.
We are committed to fostering artists' professional development and are proud to pay successful applicants CAR/FAC fees.
The Art@KCT exhibition program is well suited to early-career artists seeking professional exhibition opportunities, or more established artists seeking new opportunities to exhibit in their home community.
HOW TO SUBMIT
Submissions will only be accepted through the online submission portal. Visit the submissions portal here.
Below is an overview of the submission requirements.
Name, Address, Email, Website, Phone Number.
Declaration of residence (tick box).
Exhibition space (Rise@KCT or Cube@KCT) you are proposing work for (tick box).
Declaration that proposed project is completed (tick box).
AND, in a single PDF document, the following information:
Overview of your artistic practice. Include information about your artistic vision, concepts and ideas that motivate your artistic practice (maximum 250 words).
Overview of the project you are proposing to exhibit. Include information about the context for your project, how it supports your broader creative practice, and your vision for the space once the work is installed (maximum 250 words).
(Optional) Overview of proposed public outreach activities to support your exhibition (for example, workshops, artists talks etc). Please note, acceptance of your exhibition proposal does not guarantee acceptance of your outreach proposal. If your project requires both components to be accepted, please indicate this clearly in your submission.
CV summarizing your professional history and achievements. If more than one artist is included in your proposal, include CVs of all involved artists. Maximum two pages per artist (ie: two artists = four pages).
Maximum 10 high-quality portfolio images in support of your application.
Images must include documentation of the proposed project.
Images should correspond with those listed on the image list.
One image per page. Images may be oriented vertically or horizontally.
If your work is focused on video, sound or other media, please utilize a sharing platform to store your work and provide links and passwords to appropriate files in your image list.
6. Image list for your portfolio. Include: artist name, title of work, medium, date of creation and dimensions. Links and passwords to video support material should also be included in this section, as required.
7. Presentation Details. Include information on how works are framed or finished for public presentation, preferred hanging / installation method or special installation considerations (maximum 100 words).
Note: Please title your submission PDF as follows:
Rise Gallery Submissions: KCT_RISE_[LAST NAME]_[FIRST NAME].pdf
Cube Gallery Submissions: KCT_CUBE_[LAST NAME]_[FIRST NAME].pdf
Submissions for the 2023 Art@KCT exhibition schedule should be received by October 25 2023 (midnight).
Applicants included in this intake can expect to hear final results of their submission by January 5 2024.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US
Artists selected for exhibition will be supported in the following ways:
Exhibition royalties in accordance with the current CAR/FAC Fee Schedule (A.1.6 Exhibitions in Other Public Places).
Staff assistance with exhibition installation.
Community outreach opportunities (subject to approval), with additional CAR/FAC fees as appropriate.
Please contact us if you have any questions.