Activities // Open Calls

As part of the 2020 edition of the European Week of Artistic Creativity (21 to 28 March 2020), organized jointly by the participating cities of the CreArt network, the Council of Rouen wishes to organize an exhibition of artistic correspondences between 7 artists of the European network and 7 local artists. This Open Call is addressed to artist born or resident in the following cities: Rouen and Clermont-Ferrand (France), Lublin (Poland), and Valladolid (Spain). 

OPEN CALL
We are looking for artists who have already practiced - or want to experiment - this particular form of art that is Mail Art. This form covers all disciplines: is considered as Mail Art any work that can be posted *, which contains an address, and the postmark of the post office (and so traveled to the recipient). It can be a painting, an engraving, a collage, a ready-made, a drawing, a book, etc. It don’t necessarily have to speak about an epistolary relationship or their country of origin (even if it can, of course). It is simply a work in a rather restricted format, but for which the constraints (of the address, or of the stamp, for example) must be overcome with creativity by the artists.
Among the proposals that we will receive from you, 7 local artists selected by partner artistic structures will choose their correspondent, from whom they will receive a posted work, and to whom they will return one as well.
For each of the 14 artists, an amount dedicated to the production of the work and representation costs of the one-week exhibition is planned. This is a project for which they will be asked to play the game: thus, the works received by each will become their own and be integrated into their own personal collections.
* according to the postal services, a letter is defined as follows:
- an area of at least 14 x 9 cm (5,5 x 3,5 inches) and maximum 60 x 100 cm (23,6 x 39,3 inches);
- a maximum thickness of 3 cm (1,1 inch);
- a maximum permissible weight of 3kg.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The artists' applications must be sent to us by January 13, 2020. The selections will be made during the same week and a responses will be sent on January 22th. The work will then have to be received by the correspondents of Rouen at the latest on February 29th, 2020.
Cities take charge of the cost of production and presentation fees of their artists, namely € 150 (production + shipping) and € 200 presentation fees.
Rouen artists, as well as the exhibition, are supported by the Council of Rouen.

Artists interested should upload in one PDF in the online application:

- scanned copy of idcard or passport

- Portfolio

- proposed Mail art with description of dimensions and technique. 

EXHIBITIONS
The Penfriends exhibition will gather the works received by each artist from Rouen, and the responses they have prepared. These 14 works of Mail Art will have cartels with Title, Artist's name, City and Country of origin and presentation of the artistic approach.
There will also be a presentation of the CreArt Network, and other events in Rouen planned in this context.

AFTER THE EXHIBITION
This event will last one week. After the exhibition, the responses of our local artists will be sent to their correspondents.
It is conceivable that these 7 pairs of artistic penfriends could then be the object of more important collaborations if they which to, like a participation in the Dual Exhibition, for example, or another CreArt project.

 

If you have any question you can contact creart@fmcva.org and adele.hermier@rouen.fr 

---

Return to Open Calls