East Tennessee State University’s Slocumb Galleries announces a call for submission for its Positive/Negative 40 National Juried Art Exhibition. This year’s juror is Nandini Makrandi, chief curator at the Hunter Museum of American Art, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Artists can submit entries online via Slideroom at https://etsu.slideroom.com/#/permalink/program/81861. The deadline for submission is Dec. 20.
The Positive/Negative is the national juried art exhibition, organized yearly at ETSU since 1985, to provide the communities in Tennessee, and Southwest Appalachian region including Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgia and other nearby states access to dynamic contemporary art practices that explore current directions in visual art.
For 40 years, the Positive/Negative exhibitions have served as a platform for dialogue to promote diversity, creative excellence and critical thinking within the academic and local communities. A significant aspect of the Positive/Negative exhibitions is the diverse jurors each year who provide different trajectories and focus that enables the gallery to present relevant and dynamic perspectives.
The exhibit is open to all U.S. residents 18 years and older. Media accepted are 2D, 3D, video, sound and simple installations. Work must not exceed 48 inches on one side or 100 lbs. All work must be an original creation by an individual or collaborative. Images must reflect the work in its final state, and no alterations are allowed.
There is $40 entry fee per artist, who may submit up to three entries (one entry may be diptych or multi-piece, but each entry is considered one title). Artists are responsible for shipping work to ETSU Slocumb Galleries and must provide prepaid return shipping label if accepted. Juror’s decision is final. Up to $1,000 in prizes, including Best of Show award for $500 in cash plus three to five honorable mentions. Each participating artist receives full color catalogue and may be considered for future exhibitions.
The Positive/Negative 40 National Juried Art Exhibition is from Feb. 17 to March 14, 2025, at the ETSU Slocumb Galleries in Johnson City, Tennessee. Artist notification is made during the week of Jan. 21, 2025. Artists must ship work to be received or delivered on or before Feb. 13, 2025. The awarding reception and Juror’s lecture will be scheduled for March 2025.
Makrandi has been the chief curator of the Hunter Museum since 2013. Prior to becoming chief curator, Makrandi was the Hunter Museum’s curator of contemporary art for nine years and associate professor of art history at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. During her tenure at the Hunter, Makrandi has focused on increasing diversity and social justice dialogue within the collection and exhibitions program by broadening and diversifying the museum’s holdings, curating over 90 changing exhibitions, organizing the Hunter’s first seven nationally touring exhibitions, and originating several seminar courses in contemporary art and criticism for the university. Before joining the Hunter, Makrandi was a curator at the Knoxville Museum of Art for seven years and worked with the Cameron Museum of Art in Wilmington, North Carolina. She participates regularly in the region as a juror, guest curator and speaker, and is a commissioner of Public Art Chattanooga.
For more information, visit https://www.etsu.edu/cas/art/galleries/positive-negative.php.
