ELIGIBILITY
Master Pieces is open to current MFA/MA students or MFA/MA graduates since January 2020. If in doubt of eligibility contact Manifest to inquire. All entries must represent original works of art or design.
MEDIA
Open to any and all traditional and non-traditional visual arts media, genre, subject matter, and content. There is no thematic guideline. Media may include but is not limited to: drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, installation, etc.
Manifest's carefully assembled juries change from project to project, and as a body have no collective predisposition towards any particular kind or style of art.
SIZE LIMIT
Unless specified otherwise by the exhibit theme (for example, our Small Works exhibit) Manifest has no size restrictions on submissions other than what can fit in our spaces, on our walls, and through our door. Artists considering submitting who have work which may exceed these limits are welcome to contact us to inquire about specific limits (info@manifestgallery.org)
DATE RESTRICTIONS
Unless specified otherwise by the exhibit or project parameters Manifest has no requirements on timeframe when submitted works must have been made. At Manifest we do not believe great art has an expiration date. Furthermore we believe that older work gains new meaning when contextualized in a new space alongside different works by different artists. Why should an exceptional work of art cease being experienced by the public once it is just a few years old? In fact, why should it ever stop being experienced? While most work submitted to our exhibits has been made within the past five years or so, sometimes works are submitted (and accepted) that are older. Our jury process does not consider this information when scoring or selecting works for exhibit.
ANNUAL CASH AWARD
The annual Manifest Grand Jury Prize will result in the awarding of one significant cash prize ($2500) to a single work selected as the 'best of the entire season'. Winner will be determined by a final end-of-year jury from among a pool of all top-scoring works from each exhibit's jury process across the current exhibition season. This process will apply to exhibits from the start of our 17th season on September 25, 2020, and applies to each exhibit through August 2021, including this one. Details on the Manifest Grand Jury Prize can be found here.
SUBMITTING WORK
ENTRY FEE
$25 for one entry, $40 for two to four entries, and $5 per each additional entry. Fees are non-refundable. Number of entries is unlimited. Entry fee must be paid by U.S. check or money order made payable to MANIFEST, or by credit card via PayPal. (If paying by PayPal please use the paypal link provided on the page that follows the submission of the online entry form.)
Any fee payment must reference your name, or we must be notified if another party is paying your fee.
WHAT IS MY FEE USED FOR?
Manifest is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and state-funded charitable organization operated by artists, for artists, with no reserve or endowment. All proceeds from entry fees fund project-related expenses. Not unlike paying a fee to enter a marathon race, this democratically enables our organization's projects to happen. For over a decade Manifest has earned an international reputation for producing quality exhibits, and benefitting the artists involved over time, on its meager budget. Our board of directors and small dedicated staff work hard to make involvement with Manifest projects well worth the effort and cost to do so. It is important to note that this jury fee is the only cost charged by Manifest for participation.
HOW MANY WORKS SHOULD I SUBMIT?
The average number of works submitted to a typical Manifest project is 3 or more. Some artists choose to submit more, especially if they have a couple different bodies of work which they'd like our jury to consider, or if they have a suite of works that are interrelated. While we have absolutely no minimum number required (other than one), nor do we give an advantage to those who submit more, it is helpful to have a few options to select from. Our jury often gains insight into one work by seeing it in context with a few others by the same artist. We do routinely accept pairs or sets of work by artists once they are determined to be a finalist.If for any reason you submit the entry form (linked at the top and bottom of this page) more than once, only the most recent form will be retained in our system. All previous forms will be deleted. If you decide to submit additional work later, you’ll need to submit a new form containing ALL the works for the exhibit.
Detail images should only be included if truly necessary for understanding the nature or quality of the artwork and these files must be named as instructed below.
JURY AND CURATOR
Manifest's selection process involves a complex two-part system. This exhibit will be juried by an anonymous volunteer panel of professional artists and academic advisors with a broad range of expertise relative to art and design. The jury will then pass along their recommendations to the exhibit curator who will design the exhibit from the jury-approved pool. (Read more about Manifest's jury process here.)
