The Portland Metro Photographic News

from Scott Jones - PortlandPhotoEvent

The Sky’s the Limit: Photographs of Aviation, Air Travel and Airports

Request for Submissions

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) invites photographers (amateur or professional) currently living in Oregon/Southwest Washington to submit images for a temporary installation in exhibition cases on Concourse A at the Portland International Airport. The exhibition focus will include all aspects of aviation, air travel and airports. The exhibition will run for six months and will be seen by thousands of travelers daily. The deadline for submission is Tuesday, December 1st at 5 pm.

BACKGROUND

The Port of Portland hosts, and RACC curates, a set of 12 cases designed for two-dimensional art along Concourse A in the main terminal at PDX; these are the cases that will be used for this exhibition. A wide variety of prints, photographs and small paintings have been shown in this space over the years, and have been viewed by millions of travelers of all ages and backgrounds. Although access to the concourse is past the security checkpoint and is restricted to ticketed passengers only, the exhibition cases are situated in one of the busiest terminal locations and are a favorite stopping point for travelers passing through PDX.

EXHIBITION FOCUS

Photographs of aviation, air travel and airports will be the focus of The Sky’s the Limit—everything from the view out an airline window to a line of passengers waiting in baggage claim will be considered and creative interpretations of the theme are encouraged.

SITE DESCRIPTION

The display cases line the side of Concourse A as it extends to numerous departure gates. The concourse serves mainly commuter and short-hop flights and foot traffic along this passage is heavy. Each Plexiglas case is approximately 5’ high by 6’ wide and has a depth that can accommodate unframed two-dimensional artwork. On average, six to eight 16” x 20” (matted dimensions) photographs can be accommodated in each case with labels and artist statements. The exhibition will feature the work of up to 12 artists.

SELECTION PROCESS AND CRITERIA

A panel composed of RACC and Port of Portland staff will make artist selections based on digital image samples submitted by e-mail, or by regular mail or hand-delivery. Include the following in your submission:

• A short, basic description of the where, when and how the photos were taken along with a short statement about your interest in aviation, airports and air travel.
• A set of 6 images in JPEG format (.jpg) sized at 1024 pixels (14.222 inches) on the longest side, at 72 dpi. Each filename must include the artist’s last name and a number corresponding to a number on the image list (e.g. smith_2.jpeg). If using a Mac, be sure to name your files with the appropriate Windows filename extension (e.g. “smith_2.jpg” rather than “smith_2”;). We recommend that Mac users review their CD on a PC prior to submitting.
• An image list, using the filenames described above, that includes the title of the work, media or format, dimensions, and the year created.
• A current resume or brief bio. If you are submitting by e-mail attach the jpegs (named as described above) directly and attach the description/statement, resume and image list as PDFs. The total size of all attachments for one e-mail cannot exceed 10MB. If necessary, send separate e-mails. Place “The Sky’s the Limit” in the subject line and E-mail your submissions to: cnorton@racc.org

If you are submitting in-person, or by regular mail, burn your jpegs on a CD and write your name on it. The description/statement, resume and image list can also be placed on the CD as PDFs, or can be printed out in hard copy.

Mail or hand-deliver your submission to:

Regional Arts & Culture Council (Attn: Sky’s the Limit)

108 NW 9th Avenue, Suite 300

Portland, OR 97209-3318

RACC and the Port of Portland reserve the right to select artists outside the pool of submissions if work of insufficient quantity or quality is received.

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, December 1st at 5 pm; e-mails must be sent before 5pm; hand delivered items received before 5pm; and regular mail items postmarked before 5pm.

ARTIST RESPONSIBILITIES

Photographers will be notified by e-mail on or before Friday, December 18th, 2009 if they have been selected. Each selected photographer will then be responsible for finished and matted work sufficient to fill at least one 5’ x 6’ case on Concourse A. Final layout decisions will be made by RACC and Port of Portland staff, and photographers may be asked to submit additional works or may have works edited as case space allows (RACC staff will be available in advance to advise on how much actual work to submit). All accepted work must be received by RACC no later than Friday, January 15th, 2010.

EXHIBITION CALENDAR

Deadline for submissions Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 at 5 pm

Notification of acceptance Friday, December 18th, 2009

All work delivered to RACC by Friday, January 15th, 2010

Work installed at PDX The week of January 25th, 2010

Work returned to artists by July 31st, 2010

Questions? Call Keith Lachowicz at RACC – 503-823-5404 – klachowicz@racc.org

Through vision, leadership and service, the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) works to integrate arts and culture in all aspects of community life. 108 NW 9th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97209-3318. On the web at www.racc.org.