Deadline Extended!
Submit to the 2022 Pacific Northwest Drawers
DEADLINE EXTENDED to January 9, 10:59 PM, 2022
Blue Sky is now accepting submissions for the 2022 Pacific Northwest Drawers (PNW Drawers). Photographers from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia are welcome to apply. There is no application fee to enter.
Blue Sky established the Pacific Northwest Drawers in 2007 to showcase regional contemporary photographers through an annual juried exhibition. Selected work can be viewed in the flat files for a full year at the gallery, or digitally on the Blue Sky website. The online exhibition will remain a part of the Blue Sky digital archive indefinitely.
2022 Jurors
Dru Donovan works with both photography and video to examine the connection between physical and emotional occurrences by constructing or revisiting human experiences. Donovan’s work has shown nationally and internationally and was included in reGeneration2: Tomorrow’s Photographers Today at the Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland, and in the 2010 California Biennial at the Orange County Museum of Art, Fraenkel Gallery, Yancey Richardson Gallery, Williamson Knight Gallery and Philadelphia Photo Arts Center. Donovan’s photographs were published in Aperture Magazine, Blind Spot, Picture Magazine and Matte Magazine. In 2011 TBW Books published her first book, Lifting Water. In 2011-2012 she participated in the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Workspace studio residency. Awards Donovan has received are the John Gutmann Photography Fellowship in 2015 and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in 2016.
Efrem Zelony-Mindell is a white non-binary artist. Some of their curatorial endeavors include group shows: n e w f l e s h, Are You Loathsome, and This Is Not Here. They have written about art for FOAM, Unseen, DEAR DAVE, SPOT, and essays for artists’ monographs. Their first book n e w f l e s h (2019), published by Gnomic Book and shortlisted for the Paris Photo Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Award 2020, looks to study queerness beyond the body . Efrem's second book Primal Sight (2021), also published by Gnomic Book, is a survey of contemporary black-and-white photography and includes the work of 146 international artists. Their third, self published, book Witness (2021) acts as a small step into the direction of a world cognizant of the values of critical race and gender theory by focusing on the works of 64 BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ artists. These books are in over 50 libraries and archives around the world. Efrem exists in New York, unless they're elsewhere.
Submission Guidelines
Deadline: January 4, 2022, 10:59 PM PT
Entry fee: Free
One entry per artist. If multiple submissions are made by one artist, the jurors will only consider the first submission.
To be considered for the 2022 Pacific Northwest Drawers, photographers must reside in one of the following states and territories: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.
Submission materials
Exactly 10 images including print type, medium, size, and price
Submitted work from one series made within the past 5 years
CV or resumé
A concise artist statement
All prints selected are eligible for sale with the artist’s permission, with a 50% commission retained by Blue Sky. Artists who are currently represented by a gallery are asked to ensure that their entry does not infringe on any standing agreements before making a submission. Blue Sky is not responsible for negotiating commissions with an artist’s representative or sending commission payments to an artist’s gallery. Artists must plan to make a separate payment arrangement with their gallery representation.
Submission & Selection Process
All submissions must be made through CAFÉ. Blue Sky cannot respond to inquiries about the status of a submission, nor are the jurors or Blue Sky staff able to offer feedback or reasoning for submissions that are not accepted.
Notification of acceptance date: February 11, 2022
If accepted, works must be delivered to the gallery matted, mounted, or protected in some way for handling. Due to the physical dimensions of each drawer, the matted or mounted sizes of accepted works cannot exceed 20” x 24” x 1.5” when stacked together.
FAQs
I’m a self-taught photographer, can I still apply? Absolutely! We welcome submissions from anyone located in the above territories who practices photography.
Will there be an opening for the 2022 Pacific Northwest Drawers? Yes! The opening will take place on First Thursday, April 7, 2022. Per COVID restrictions, it is yet to be determined if the event will be live or virtual. There may also be an additional portfolio-walk event for selected artists later in the year.
Do I need to create an account on Café to submit? Yes, you will need to create an account to submit. If you have questions about how to do this, please refer to this.
What format/size do my images need to be? Café accepts the following formats:
File format: JPEG or JPG only
File dimensions: 1200 pixels or greater on the longest side.
File size: under 5 MB
Can I submit hard copies of my prints to Blue Sky? No, all considered submissions MUST be submitted through the CaFÉ submission portal. Please do not mail or bring your prints into Blue Sky.
I prefer not to sell my work, can I still apply? Yes! It’s up to you whether or not you decide to sell your work.
I don’t live in Portland. Can I ship my work to you? Yes, if you are selected you can absolutely ship your work to us, You are responsible for the cost of shipping work to us; Blue Sky will pay for return shipping.
Do I have to have 10 images to submit? Yes, each PNW Drawers artist has a portfolio of 10 images in the drawer.
Are selected artists more likely to get a show at Blue Sky? There is no direct correlation between being selected for the PNW Drawers and being selected for an exhibition on the gallery walls, but the PNW Drawers are a great way to introduce your work to Blue Sky. If you would like to be considered for a solo show at Blue Sky, please submit your work via our Exhibition Submission Form.
If I’ve been selected in the past can I apply again this year? Yes, you are welcome to apply as long as you are submitting a new body of work that you’ve made within the last 5 years.