The South Bend Museum of Art features a full spectrum of historical and contemporary art featured in five galleries. A wide range of artistic traditions are taught in our world-class art studios. Located inside the Century Center in downtown South Bend, Indiana, the SBMA is an architectural delight. Designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee, the museum occupies three levels in the northern wing of the building.
Mission
The South Bend Museum of Art affirms the enduring power of the visual arts to reflect and create community, engage minds, and nurture growth through exhibitions, collections and educational programs.
History
Since its founding in 1947, the SBMA has provided insight into the art, history and culture of the region and nation. Since 1987, SBMA has been recognized as achieving the highest level of professional standards in the field, awarded accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums. Accreditation status must be renewed every 10 years and, in March of 2011, SBMA was awarded ongoing accreditation. Accreditation inspires museums to achieve a higher standard. It strengthens the field as a whole, as well as the museums that receive accreditation. The rigorous process leads to sustained organizational improvement and a clearer sense of purpose. Of the estimated 17,500 museums in the U.S., only 750 are accredited.
EXHIBITION DATES: April 9 – June 26, 2022
DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES: February 20, 2022, 11:59 p.m. EST
This year is the South Bend Museum of Art’s 75th anniversary and we want all artists in the area to celebrate with us. We invite artists of all experience levels to participate in Around the Bend, an exhibition that will reflect our diverse and vibrant visual arts community.
This exhibition will take place in SBMA's Warner Gallery and is open to all artists 18 or over, residing in St. Joseph County and its surrounding counties (Berrien, Cass, Elkhart, LaPorte, Marshall, Starke and St. Joseph). We expect a large number of entries and accepted artworks will be displayed salon style on the gallery walls. Taken as a whole, the exhibition will represent a family portrait of our community and the variety of ways we view ourselves and the world around us.
A public opening on May 6 (5:00–8:00 p.m.) will be a chance to celebrate with other artists and the public, and a page about the exhibition will be created on the SBMA’s website to commemorate this moment in our cultural community.
JURORS:
Members of SBMA staff will select the artworks for the exhibition from the submitted applications with the goal of including as many of our region’s artists as possible.
TO APPLY, YOU WILL NEED THE FOLLOWING:
- 1–3 images of your work
- Title, year, media, scale and insurance value for each image
- FREE to apply
- Prospective artists should review the following guidelines carefully before submitting your application.
ELIGIBILITY:
- Around the Bend is open to all artists, 18 years of age or older, residing in St. Joseph County and its surrounding counties (Berrien, Cass, Elkhart, LaPorte, Marshall, Starke and St. Joseph).
- All media are accepted.
- All artwork must have been completed in the past 2 years (2020‒present) and cannot have been previously exhibited at the South Bend Museum of Art.
- For two- and three- dimensional media, artists must submit a high quality jpeg in its entirety, in focus, and with adequate lighting. Images should be at least 1920 pixels on the longest side. Cellphone images are perfectly fine if they meet the above criteria. For time-based media/video artists, it's okay to submit a still image along with a Vimeo or YouTube link (and a password if needed).
- Images of selected works may be used for marketing the exhibition.
- Artists must provide a value for each artwork. The value will double as an insurance value and a purchase price if the work is for sale.
- Reproductions of your art in another medium (e.q., an offset lithograph of your painting, or a "giclée" print of your watercolor) will not be considered.
- SBMA curatorial staff is responsible for the design and layout of the exhibition.
MEDIA, SIZE, AND OTHER RESTRICTIONS:
Two-Dimensional Wall Art:
- Objects to be exhibited should arrive at the SBMA framed or otherwise prepared for hanging unless other arrangements have been made in writing between the Lender and SBMA prior to the opening of the exhibition.
- Two-dimensional artworks can measure up to 36 square feet (6 ft x 6 ft, for example) and weigh up to 100 pounds.
Three-Dimensional Pedestal / Floor Art:
- Three-dimensional artworks can measure up to 27 cubic feet (3 ft. x 3 ft., for example) and weigh up to 100 pounds.
- SBMA has a limited number of pedestals and will supply them as needed.
Time-Based Media / Video Artworks:
- Time-based media/video artworks are limited to single-channel videos only.
- To ensure that SBMA can display time-based media/video artworks, artists must submit these artworks in the form of .mp4 files, in H.264 format.
- SBMA only has a limited number of screens available. Artists can provide their own equipment (screen/projector, wall mount, media player, etc.) if they do not want their artworks looped with the work of other artists.
SBMA further reserves the right to reject artworks during onsite inspection by museum staff if the artwork contains materials that might pose a risk to the museum, its collections, its staff, and/or the public.
SHIPPING:
Artists are responsible for the delivery and return of work, including all costs.
INSURANCE:
SBMA will insure the objects on loan while in custody of SBMA. Artists are responsible for insuring their artwork while in transit to and from the SBMA.
IMPORTANT DATES:
February 20, 11:59 p.m. EST: Deadline for entry
February 21–27: Jurying of entries
February 28, 5:00 p.m. EST (no later than): E-mailed notification sent
Please note: The notification emails will come from Submittable (notifications@email.submittable.com) and their messages can sometimes be identified as junk mail. Information on how to "safelist" their email address and add it to your contact list can be found here:
https://submittable.help/en/articles/3221476-how-can-i-safelist-notification-emails-from-submittable
If for some reason you still haven't received a notification email by February 28, 2022, 5:00 p.m. EST, you can log in to your Submittable account. The "Messages" tab on the right hand side will show any messages sent to you through Submittable.
March 23–27: Delivery of artwork to SBMA (noon–4:30 p.m.)
April 9: Exhibition opens to the public
May 6, 5:00–8:00 p.m. EST: Reception
June 26: Exhibition closes
June 27–July 1: Pick-up of work
QUESTIONS MAY BE DIRECTED TO:
Mark Rospenda, Curator of Exhibitions and Collections
South Bend Museum of Art
southbendart.org
rospendam@southbendart.org
574-235-9102