Water Street Studios invites garment artists to submit to the upcoming “Eye of the Beholder” Exhibition on display for the month of May 2019 in the Dempsey Family Gallery located on the first floor of Water Street Studios.

“Eye of the Beholder” is a juried 2D and 3D exhibit featuring various mediums with a concentration on wearable art.

Fashion designer and this year’s curator, Andrea Reynders shares, “EYE OF THE BEHOLDER is an amazing opportunity for artists and designers to produce work related to garment. Fashion has become such an interesting area of the art scene, from street wear to couture, from religious habits to cultural costume, it has been recognized as a true art form.”

This year the theme is TRANSPARENCY…….. a word that can be interpreted in so many ways. It can be intimate, sheer, full of truth, sometimes beautifully ethereal, other times shocking.

Water Street Studios has over the last several years offered the opportunity to express these interpretations in an exhibition that celebrates garment. This is a very special opportunity as it is rare. We look forward to a rich range of 2D and mostly 3D work that be worn and exhibited dealing with the body, garment and the theme of TRANSPARENCY.”

All submissions must include a statement on how their concept relates to the theme of “transparency”. The jurors are especially looking for designed and created garments that can be modeled at the opening and then placed in the exhibit for the duration of the show.

2D representational work related to the theme will also be considered. Artists are invited to submit as many as 3 sketches along with the swatches of fabric/materials
for each concept. Collaborations are welcome.

Deadline to submit concept, drawings and material samples is February 15, 2019.

Please submit materials to [email protected]

Please note: All applicants must be Water Street Studios members. Not a member yet? No worries! Register online today before sending in your submission(s). https://www.waterstreetstudios.org/members

Notification of acceptance by March 1, 2019. Artists must provide models for the wearable garment(s) at the opening reception and mannequins for the remainder of the exhibition.

Gallery Opening Reception is May 10, 2019 and garment(s) will continue to be on display until June 8, 2019 in the Dempsey Family Gallery at Water Street Studios.

About Water Street Studios:
WaTER STrEET StUDIOS is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit art center in Batavia, IL. Our mission is to make the arts accessible to the Fox Valley region and beyond. Our vision is to be a cultural hub in the Midwest. We offer high-quality programs that include art education classes, workshops, subsidized artist studios, monthly gallery exhibitions, events, and community outreach.

Public Hours: Thursday – Sunday 12:00-5:00 p.m.

Statement of Inclusivity: Our organization is aims to include and recognize all regardless of race, age, culture, ability, ethnicity or nationality, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, marital status, religious affiliation, and socioeconomic status. We are wheelchair accessible. We offer a gender-neutral restroom.