Baltimore Women's Maker Collective

There are presently no open calls for submissions.

XXChange Exhibition

November 4 - December 4, 2016

CALL FOR ARTWORK BY WOMEN/WOMYN ARTISTS, MAKERS, CRAFTERS, DESIGNERS of all gender identities and expressions using  traditional methods that incorporate sewing, ceramics, textiles art, weaving, welding, woodworking, cold connections, etc., or contemporary techniques e.g., laser cutting or digital design and fabrication. This exhibit is sponsored by Baltimore Women’s Maker Collective, AREA 405 and a Grit Fund Grant by The Contemporary, a nomadic, non-collecting art museum in Baltimore MD. The goal of this exhibit is twofold:  to expand the visibility BWMC and to celebrate the achievements of all people in the greater Baltimore region and beyond who are breaking gender and racial barriers. This event will provide the arts community an opportunity to network with and inspire more self-identifying women interested in pursuing and/or participating in the fields of art, craft and technology. 

Deadline for Applications:  August 31

Where: AREA 405 in the Station North Arts & Entertainment District

When: November 4 - December 1, 2016

Reception: First Friday, November 4, 5-8 pm
Planned events include: artist talks, fabrication demonstrations, workshop and panel discussions including Zoë Charlton, Hannah Wides, Stewart Watson, Ellen Durkan, Myrtis Bedolla, and others to be announced.

Who we are: The City of Baltimore is in the midst of a cultural renaissance. While artists’ studios, makerspaces, DIY workshops, and tech labs are proliferating in neighborhoods across the city, within these progressive working environments encouragement and support for marginalized groups may be lacking. To address these issues, a small group of like-minded people came together to form The Baltimore Women’s Maker Collective an intersectional, and intergenerational feminist group of artists, creative entrepreneurs, and craftspeople. http://www.bwmcollective.org/ ,

 Awards Artists selected for the exhibition will be eligible for one of 15 honoraria awards of $100 each. Honoraria will be awarded by the jurors to artists whose work demonstrates outstanding achievement. The jurors' decisions are final.

 Area 405: Area 405 is a 7000 square foot exhibition and event space in the heart of Baltimore City that promotes arts and cultural programming as a venue for artists and through collaboration with many organizations in the region for over 13 years. The gallery is in the Oliver Street Studios Building which currently houses over 40 artist studios and The Station North Tool Library with it’s proximity to maker spaces of all kinds makes it the ideal space for this exhibition and workshop to take place. The exhibition space at Area 405 can accommodate larger installations. Proposals of new work will also be considered and must include a detailed proposal statement, appropriate drawings and descriptions. http://area405.com/.

Eligibility: Eligible artists include all women, gender fluid, and trans* artists, makers, designers, and craftspeople whose work can be described as CRAFT or POST CRAFT. This includes makers using both traditional and contemporary craft mediums such as metals, ceramics, textiles, industrial or fashion design, book making, and mixed media, 3-D object design and digital fabrication as well as artists using any materials and processes once associated primarily with handicrafts to express new concepts. If you are a maker or own a small business making art/craft we want to see what you make! All types of art and craft will be considered. Artists must be 18 years of age or older. All submitted works must be available to exhibit for the full duration of the exhibition. All are encouraged to apply, this application is open nation wide.
For questions contact info@bwmcollective.org

Submission Fee: $15.00.

Application Process

Upload application materials to Submittable.com. You may submit three digital images and one detail image of each of work completed within the last 3 years. Images must represent work being displayed. No descriptions, names or text of any sort should be layered onto the images.

1.  Maximum File Size- 4MB per image

2. Save each image as a .tiff or .jpg

3. Label each image with the title of the work, your name is already in the system when you create your Submittable account. 

4. Use 1-3 to match image dimensions and descriptions. Detail images are optional.  

5. Label details “detail 1.jpg" etc.

Notification: Notification will be made by email to the address provided in your submission.

Delivery/Installation: Artists are responsible for delivering or shipping their work to the gallery October 29- November 1. Artists will need to provide their own display cases or pedestals if needed. We have a limited number of large plinths available but they will not suit all work.

Insurance: Accepted artwork will  be insured during the exhibition for its retail value, artists are responsible for insuring the work during transport to and from the gallery, however we strongly encourage you to insure your work, especially if it’s fragile. All selected artists are required to sign a loan agreement with Area 405.

About the Jurors

MYRTIS BEDOLLA, (www.galeriemyrtis.com). Founder of Galerie Myrtis in 2006, Myrtis Bedolla has 20 years of experience as an advisor to institutions and private collectors in the acquisition and sale of fine art and provides professional curatorial services, lectures and educational programming to corporate, civic and arts organizations. The mission of the gallery is twofold: to exhibit artists who deserve recognition for work that explores our cultural and historical landscape, and to celebrate art movements that have paved the way for greater artistic freedom.

ZOË CHARLTON, www.zoecharlton.com
Zoë Charlton makes drawings that explore the ironies of contemporary social and cultural stereotypes.  She depicts her subject’s relationship with their world by combining images of culturally loaded objects and landscapes with undressed bodies. She received her MFA  from the University of Texas at Austin with recent exhibitions including ConnerSmith Gallery in Washington, DC, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, the Harvey B. Gantt Center, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and Studio Museum of Harlem. She is a recipient of a Pollock-Krasner grant, and a Ruby Artist Grant. Charlton is an Associate Professor of Art at American University in Washington, DC.  She is represented by ConnerSmith, Washington D.C.

BREON GILLERAN, www.feelforsteel.com

Breon Gilleran is a sculptor, blacksmith, and printmaker. She received a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1981 and an MFA from the University of Maryland in Sculpture in 2002. Breon is an Assistant Professor of Art at Goucher College. She maintains an active studio practice at Area 405 exhibiting widely both nationally and internationally with a recent solo exhibition at McDaniel College, 2015.

MEGAN VAN WAGONER, http://www.meganvanwagoner.com

Megan Van Wagoner is a sculptor who tells stories with everyday objects. She completed her BFA in ceramics at the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1997 and an MFA from the Mount Royal School at the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2000. She has participated in residencies at ArtFarm, the Vermont Studio Center, has traveled to Jingdezhen, China to study contemporary ceramic production in 2012. She is the recipient of a Maryland Arts Council Individual Artist Award. Megan has recently shown solo exhibitions at Flashpoint Gallery, Washington, DC, Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD, and Montpelier Arts Center in Laurel, MD.  She currently teaches art and design at Montgomery College in Silver Spring, Maryland.

This project is partially supported by the Grit Fund, a regional regranting program administered by The Contemporary and funded by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation.

We want to especially thank Ms. Stewart Watson, Gallery Director at Area 405 for generously hosting XXCHANGE, and in addition, for her contributions of time and expertise during the design and execution phase of this ambitious project. 




Baltimore Women's Maker Collective