Call for Black Artists

The University of Victoria Legacy Art Gallery is seeking two Black artists for a new exhibition focusing on Victoria-based contemporary Black artists. Selected artists will be receiving a CARFAC fee of $714 for their work for this exhibition.

Hired as an emerging Black curator, with mixed ancestry of White and Black descent, Madison Bridal will be curating an exhibition featuring Black artists and community members living on the traditional and unceded territories of Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples. The exhibition will be displayed in tandem to the traveling exhibition, The Chorus is Speaking, curated by Michelle Jacques and Jenelle Pasiechnik. The exhibition will be on display at Legacy Art Gallery (630 Yates Street) from September to December 2024.

Acknowledging the history of exclusion of the Black community in arts and academics, I envision the exhibit as being based around themes of reclamation: claiming space and reclaiming voices, stories, diversity in identity, expression, future, and Black Joy, while also touching on Black diaspora and acknowledgement of this land. I aim for the exhibit to create an accountable space for the Black community to connect, express, and feel seen. I strongly believe in the concept of own voices, and I look forward to collaboratively working with artists in expressions of voice and theme in this exhibition.

- Statement from the curator, Madison Bridal.

To apply:

The artist must identify as Black and be living in the greater Victoria area to apply. Emerging artists (i.e. those that have been in the field for less than 5 years, or who have limited exhibition experience) are especially encouraged to apply. To acknowledge and manage the fact that artist applications can be difficult, please let us know if you have any accessibility needs to make the process easier.

To make the artist proposals as accessible as possible, we accept the following formats:

  • A PDF or Word document
  • Email with information
  • A recorded video
  • A phone or Zoom conversation

Please note that this call for artists is on a tight deadline. Deadline for submissions is June 13, 2024 at 12pm. As the exhibit opens in September 2024, submissions can only be accepted for created works of art, and not ideas or concepts for future projects.  

Please answer all the following information and submit it to legacy@uvic.ca.

The proposals must include the following information:

  • Name
  • Email Address
  • Phone
  • Address
  • Website and/or Social Media (if applicable)
  • Artist Bio (up to 150 words)
  • Artist Statement (up to 250 words). Please tell us a bit about your art and a description of your proposed artwork.
  • 5 images of your artworks with image descriptions (title, dimensions, medium) and/or your website or social media links
  • What does reclamation mean to you in this context and/or what does it mean to you to have a Black-centered space? (up to 250 words)
  • What aspect(s) of your voice or story would you want to express in this exhibit? (up to 250 words)

Criteria for evaluating the proposals include:

  • Artist identifies as a Black artist living in the greater Victoria region;
  • Proposals are for artwork(s) that are already created and will be available for exhibit in September 2024;
  • Relation to the themes of Black reclamation. Whether through subthemes of space, voice, story, diversity in identity, expression, future, Black Joy, etc.;
  • Priority will be given to emerging artists, i.e. those that have been in the field for less than 5 years, or who have limited exhibition experience;
  • Open to artwork of different mediums to show diversity in expression. However, artwork must be easily displayed in a smaller space (Legacy Art Gallery Inner Gallery). Consideration will be given to how the art could fit with other pieces of art within the broader context of space and theme;

The proposals will be reviewed by the curator and a group of Legacy Art Gallery staff.

Applicants will be notified by June 21, 2024.

Thank you very much for your application!