The Art of Wonder
A Call to Artists

“I know that I am not only an ego; I am also a soul. My soul, when I tend to it, is a far more expansive source of guidance than my ego will ever be, because my soul desires only one thing: wonder. And since creativity is my most efficient pathway to wonder, I take refuge there, and it feeds my soul.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

Introduction:
If you make art that – just in the making – graces your world with wonder, this acclaimed novelist’s observation needs no explanation.

As a brightly-lit and many-windowed space fronting busy Fourth Street, Gallery South can expose your work to many hundreds of downtown Cincinnati pedestrians and Christ Church visitors. As a gallery housed in a 200-year-old Episcopal cathedral, we see a mission in bringing your sense of wonder to a world that is in sore need of it.

So this is a call for art that springs from the human spirit and has some special ability to touch other human spirits.

This is the inaugural show of what we intend to become an annual tradition – one that is thoughtfully curated to select approximately 50 pieces of art that respond to the theme of wonder.

Eligibility:
Open to all artists, both professionals and students. Entries must be the original concept of the artist and relate to the theme.

Media:
Open to all traditional media, including painting, drawing, mixed media, collage and sculpture. Internet connections, audio or video are not possible in our bustling space.

Artwork:
Framed dimensions must be within 48” in height or width, depth not to exceed 15”. Plexiglass or other light-weight, shatter-proof glazing should be used for watercolors and pastels. Any artwork not suitable or ready for hanging from picture rails will be disqualified. If sculptural work requires a plinth, that must be supplied.

Submissions:
1. Entry fee is $30 for up to three entries. Fees are non-refundable and support the fine arts program at the cathedral. Entry fee must be submitted at the time of entry in the form of U.S. check or money order, payable to Mike Phillips, Gallery South. Please note that the gallery does not charge commissions on sales.

2. Entries must include title, medium and dimensions of each work. They also must include the artist’s name, postal address, email address, preferred phone number and web address if applicable. Entries may be sent to [email protected] or by post to Mike Phillips c/o Christ Church Cathedral, 318 East 4th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202.

3. Digital images may be submitted via email or on CD in at least 150 ppi jpg or png format, no smaller than 1000 pixels in any direction. Digital manipulation of artwork image is only permitted to achieve accurate rendering of the original artwork.

Entry deadline is 5 p.m., May 13, 2016. Jurors will make first round selections based on digital images by June 30. Artists will be notified soon after.

The delivery deadline is July 30 to the address above. Jurors may make second-round adjustments once the original art is available.

Jurors are Dennis Herrington, director of the Aronoff Gallery; Kim Flora, encaustic painter and Cincinnati Art Museum preparator, and Frank Herrmann, painting professor emeritus at the University of Cincinnati.

Prizes ranging up to $1,000 will be awarded by prize judge Ruth Meyer, former director of the Taft Museum and the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center.

The show will open Thursday Oct. 6, with a gala reception, presentation of awards and remarks by the jurors and the judge. The show will hang for six weeks.

Please send applications, questions or special requests to Gallery South curator Mike Phillips at [email protected]. You can reach him by phone at 859-331-6561.