OVERVIEW:  You have the opportunity to participate in a sculpture exhibition that is the first of its kind in the world: An Augmented Reality exhibition of real-world sculptures that will be virtually displayed via an app onto a real-world outdoor pedestal in a beautiful forested public sculpture park setting. This exhibit opened successfully in 2023, and we now offer a Call for Artists for the second annual AR exhibition in 2024.

To apply, we just need to see photo(s) of your sculpture (no video needed initially). If selected for the exhibition, your later preparation steps can be done simply and remotely from anywhere in the world at your studio or wherever your physical sculpture is currently located, with no requirements for travel or onsite installation. This unique ongoing show comes with many artist benefits including public exhibition at a popular sculpture park, association with a whole new way of experiencing sculpture, marketing of you, zero commission on sales (100% to artist), and no additional costs beyond the entry fee. We seek unique, exciting artistic visions that will enthrall viewers through both your original sculpture and this new interactive way of experiencing your art.

The first exhibition group is already in place and we are looking for participants in follow-on small group exhibitions that will be rotated over time, with a high likelihood of repeat appearances for you and your art. Up to three selected artists will each be paid a $1,000 honorarium for your participation.

Price Sculpture Forest is Where Art Enhances Nature and Nature Enhances Art. We are a 501c3 nonprofit public sculpture park and nature preserve set within a mature native Pacific Northwest habitat north of Seattle, Washington. Visitor and media reception to the AR sculpture experience has been terrific and is continually growing, with art lovers also strolling among the exhibited onsite physical sculptures and walking paths throughout the year.

AUGMENTED REALITY EXPERIENCE:  Your real-world physical sculpture will be digitally transformed for onsite display by a technology startup company we are partnering with. A custom Augmented Reality phone app has been created specifically for this exhibition at Price Sculpture Forest. Visitors will download the app onsite (free Wi-Fi is provided) and be able to view your sculpture via a QR code on your sculpture plaque that shows your name and sculpture title. The visitors can then see your high-resolution sculpture on the pedestal seamlessly placed within the visual context of the entire area, background, and people there. They can walk around your sculpture to see it from all angles and view it up close or from a distance. They can even stand by your sculpture and take a picture with it. The app will include artist information about you plus links to your website and social media for additional information, contact, and sales inquiries.

The behind-the-scenes technology we have developed for digitizing your sculpture is complex, yet the steps needed from you have been optimized to be both quick and simple. We will provide straightforward step-by-step instructions plus be available to help by phone or email, whenever needed. You basically just need a good quality high resolution video camera (most modern phones work fine), good even lighting all around your sculpture if possible, and the ability to upload a large video file to a website (we provide instructions on this, too). We handle everything else for you from there.

CRITERIA:  General: We are seeking sculptures that fit well within one of our two themes (below) and that can be appreciated in a 360-degree experience walking around your sculpture while being viewed from all sides. We want to wow visitors so they are intrigued about the possibilities of art and, more importantly, so that visitors leave excited about bringing more art and nature into the rest of their lives.

Themes: The Sculpture Forest currently primarily showcases two themes: Nature Nurtured and Whimsy Way.

NATURE NURTURED:  Beauty and appreciation for the natural, non-human world. This can include living creatures, plants/trees, and non-living natural elements (sun, wind, air, earth, etc.). If your sculpture contains specific identifiable species of living creatures and plants/trees, we strongly favor those that can have natural habitat within our general area north of Seattle in Washington state.

WHIMSY WAY:  This is about people experiencing fun through art. Quirky, humorous, or wild creations are encouraged. We encourage art that gets people to smile or giggle, grabs the imagination of a child, or enables visitors to think about the possibilities of art being joyful fun to experience.

MATERIALS:  We are open to all materials and styles. Since the sculptures will be presented through Augmented Reality, this is open to materials that are traditionally used for either outdoor or indoor display.

SCULPTURE AVAILABILITY:  Your original physical sculpture can be either for sale or not for sale.

SIZE AND SCALE:  The Augmented Reality virtual sculptures will be exhibited in a dedicated exhibition area with a real-world circular pedestal that has a top flat surface 4 inches above the ground and 45 inches in diameter. Sculptures can be of any height, though note that sculptures taller than approximately 6 feet may require the viewer to scan their phone app camera view up and down the sculpture without having the entire sculpture visible all at once in the app’s field of view (which is fine). Sculptures can be wider than the 45 inch base, though it is not recommended to be wider than 8 feet maximum so as to fit within the optimum viewing area. We may also digitally scale sculptures up or down in size from the original’s actual size to optimize presentation, though we prefer to represent the sculpture in its original actual size as if it is really physically there.

Application Requirements:  Please submit 2-5 photos of your sculpture, ideally at least with one from the front and one from the back, so we can understand what your sculpture looks like in 360 degrees.

Please also provide any online art links for yourself (website, art social media page, or such), if available, and a resume/CV or summary of your background as an artist.

Eligibility Criteria:  Open to all artists

Must have the ability to later make a high resolution video (most modern smartphones will work fine) and upload it to a specified website by mid-January 2024.