Get ready to expose yourself to some wonderful work from area artists at the annual Art Exposed Regional Exhibition, taking place in Kamloops from March 7–15. Even better: if you’re an artist living in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, you have until Feb. 15 to submit works for display.
Art Exposed is sponsored by the Kamloops Arts Council, and gives local artists of all ages and levels of professionalism a platform where they can show their work. Cash prizes are awarded in three categories (emerging artist, established artist, and youth artist), and participants are able to have their work critiqued by the show’s three jurors, who come from all walks of art to share their expertise.
Established artists are those who have gained the recognition of their peers and/or community as an artist, and been practising and/or exhibiting for three or more years. Emerging artists have rarely or never exhibited, and are current students or recent graduates who have been practising and/or exhibiting for less than three years. Youth artists are anyone aged between 6 and 14 years old.
The exhibition is open to any TNRD resident who practises visual arts of any kind, from painting, photography, and sculpture to pottery, glass mosaics, jewellery, and clothing. Each artist can enter up to two 2D or 3D works in the non-curated show, with entries being accepted until Feb. 15 or until 250 entries have been received, whichever comes first.
The exhibition will be held at the Kamloops Old Courthouse Cultural Centre, and the organizers intend to fill every nook and cranny of the space. For this reason, the maximum size of any 2D piece can be no more than four feet wide (including the frame); a limited number of 2D works between four and six feet wide will be considered in the “oversized” category.
Any 3D pieces must be no more than four feet by four feet wide at the base, and cannot weigh more than 50 pounds. All works must be original, have been designed and created in the past 18 months, and never before exhibited at Art Exposed.
While there are prizes, the emphasis of Art Exposed is not on competition. Instead, the event aims to provide local artists with an opportunity to share their work with the public in a professional setting. It’s often the first exhibition that artists join, giving them exposure and a chance to take their work to the next level. Artists can choose to offer their works for sale, meaning that attendees not only get to see some amazing artwork, they have an opportunity to purchase a unique piece of original art.
Artists taking part must be able to volunteer to work at least one shift during the course of the exhibition: during set-up; on opening night; during take-down; gallery sit (minimum one two-hour shift); or greeting or counting visitors. Artists are welcome to bring a work in progress to work on during their gallery sit shift.
The Art Exposed exhibition at the Old Courthouse Cultural Centre, Kamloops (7 Seymour Street W.) starts on Friday, March 7 with an opening reception that is open to everyone. For more information, or to register, go to https://kamloopsarts.ca/art-exposed-form/.