Deadline to submit: Friday November 24th, 2023
Guest Curator: Laura Hodgins
La Guilde (Montreal QC) is hosting an Indigenous Northwest Territories specific art exhibition! We welcome applications from all NWT-based Indigenous artists or Indigenous artists from the NWT now living elsewhere. We are excited to see your artwork - please apply!
The exhibition will take place from March 28 to May 12, 2024. As part of La Guilde's mission, you will have the opportunity to sell your artwork to Montreal patrons! All applications will be assessed by an external jury of NWT arts professionals. We welcome submissions of visual art of all mediums, including painting, beadwork, photography, carving, tufting, quillwork, ceramics, textiles, and other forms of expression. Please note that unfortunately, digital media works cannot be accepted due to gallery restraints.
The exhibition is guest curated by Laura Hodgins, a white settler from Sǫ̀mbak'è in Chief Drygeese Territory (Yellowknife, NT). She is a master’s student in art history at Concordia University in Montreal, QC. Her thesis investigates the history of art development in the Northwest Territories and how it impacts contemporary artists.
About La Guilde
Founded in 1906, La Guilde is a non-profit organization that aims to preserve, promote and increase awareness for Inuit art, First Nations art, Métis art, and Fine Crafts from Canada. In addition to its permanent exhibition—that showcases objects from its collection—La Guilde has a dynamic programming of temporary exhibitions and cultural and educational activities. La Guilde is also an art gallery with works by established and emerging artists, available for acquisition.
About the Spring Break Up exhibition
The annual spring thaw brings changes to daily life in the NWT. Whether you live on the Arctic Ocean, the Great Bear Lake, the Great Slave Lake, or the Mackenzie River, break up season invites movement. With the return of sunshine and increased daylight hours, transportation, hunting, and our landscapes transform over the spring months.
We invite you to submit artwork surrounding the theme of Spring Break Up. Subject matter can quite literally be about ice, the land, and the sun, or anything else this season might mean for you, including but not limited to:
- Hunting, fishing, food
- Topography
- Dependence on the land
- Sea ice changes, weather changes and climate change
- Skidoos, qamutiit, boats
- Plants, ecosystems, growth
- Re-birth, cycles of life, celebration, seasonal transitions
Eligibility
- Must be Indigenous and either currently living in or from the NWT;
- Must be a visual artist;
- Must be at least 18 years old;
- Must have a small selection of finished artwork (3-5 works) reserved for the exhibition. When you submit an artwork, please reserve it/do not sell the work before we review submissions and notify you of the outcome. Artwork must be ready to ship to Montreal by January 28th 2024.
Sales/Compensation
- Artwork chosen for the exhibition can be marked for sale or for display only (not for sale) as determined by the artist. Artworks sold during the exhibition period will remain on display until the exhibition closes.
- La Guilde will handle all sales. A commission agreed with La Guilde in the exhibition contract will be applied to the sale price. Profit of sales from artworks is as follows: 60% to the artist/maker and 40% to La Guilde.
Submission Guidelines
To apply, please send the following information in one (1) PDF file to portfolio@laguilde.com
- Contact details: Name, phone, email and street address
- 250 word artist biography (a short introduction of yourself, your artwork and your connection to the NWT and to your Indigenous community)
- Maximum 6 artworks (or works in progress) to be considered, including artwork title, date of creation, and materials
- Optional: CV or artist resume
If you need help with the submission, have questions, or need anything explained more clearly, please don’t hesitate to contact Laura Hodgins at: portfolio@laguilde.com.
There are no application fees.
Selection process
- All submissions will be reviewed by a jury of NWT cultural workers.
- Artwork will be assessed on elements of artistic merit and relevance, which will be reviewed over a 5 day period.
- The jury aims to represent all 5 regions of the Territory, to highlight artists who have not yet received significant opportunities to connect with audiences outside of the NWT, and to represent a diversity of genders and ages.
Important dates
- Submission deadline: November 24th, 2023
- Notice of acceptance: December 15th, 2023
- Artwork must be ready to ship to Montreal by January 29th 2024
- Exhibition will be held from March 28th to May 12th, 2024
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